06.18.07

Divorce Is For The Birds

Posted in Divorce Law, Family Law at 2:31 am by Administrator

Here’s an interesting article on divorce. However, the article is somewhat unusual in that it is discussing divorce amongst birds - specifically, the Nazca booby.

The Mwangi Law Office handles divorce cases in Massachusetts and also helps prepare Massachusetts prenuptial agreements.

Advertising. In accordance with rules established by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. This web site must be labeled “advertising.” It is designed to provide general information for clients and friends of the firm and should not be construed as legal advice, or legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances. This web site is designed for general information only. Unless and until you enter into a formal agreement with Attorney Mwangi, he is not your attorney and you do not have an attorney-client relationship with him. All Rights Reserved.

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06.06.07

A New Divorce Record?

Posted in Divorce Law, Family Law at 1:56 am by Administrator

An Illinois court recently awarded a wife $184 million dollars in one of the largest divorce judgments in the U.S. The husband and wife moved to the U.S. in 1976. Illinois apparently provides judges with considerable amounts of discretion when it comes to divorce cases. Here, the couple were married for a considerable amount of time and one can see how the wife would be entitled to a substantial award. Here is a link to an article on this divorce from Crain’s Chicago Business. Judges in Massachusetts also have considerable discretion when it comes to divorces. We have an faq on Massachusetts divorces law on our website.

The Mwangi Law Office specializes in family and business law, including Massachusetts divorce law.

Advertising. In accordance with rules established by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. This web site must be labeled “advertising.” It is designed to provide general information for clients and friends of the firm and should not be construed as legal advice, or legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances. This web site is designed for general information only. Unless and until you enter into a formal agreement with Attorney Mwangi, he is not your attorney and you do not have an attorney-client relationship with him. All Rights Reserved.

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05.31.07

Dominican Republic Divorces – The “Quickie” Divorce

Posted in Divorce Law, Family Law at 5:15 am by Administrator

Today’s Times of London has an interesting article on “quickie” divorces. Specifically, the writer describes how she was able to obtain a ”quickie” divorce by traveling to the Dominican Republic. For those who are not aware, it is possible to obtain a divorce in 24 hours in the Dominican Republic.

Every U.S. state imposes a residency requirement on divorcing couples. Thus, it is not possible to get divorced in 24 hours in the U.S. since every state requires at least one party to a divorce to have been a resident of the state for a set amount of time.

These residency requirements vary by state (with states such as Nevada and Arizona imposing some of the shortest residency requirements). It is for this reason that couples – often famous couples - who are in a rush to get divorced sometimes travel to the Dominican Republic.

A word of warning: you need to check with a lawyer in your state to confirm that your Dominican divorce will be recognized in the U.S.. As you can see from the comments in the article, a lawyer in the U.K. is questioning whether the writer’s divorce is valid in England. Aside from wasting money on travel for an invalid divorce, there is also the risk of bigamy (which is a felony in many jurisdictions) if a person erroneously believes they are divorced and remarries.

The Mwangi Law Office specializes in family and business law, including Massachusetts divorce law.

Advertising. In accordance with rules established by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. This web site must be labeled “advertising.” It is designed to provide general information for clients and friends of the firm and should not be construed as legal advice, or legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances. This web site is designed for general information only. Unless and until you enter into a formal agreement with Attorney Mwangi, he is not your attorney and you do not have an attorney-client relationship with him. All Rights Reserved.

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04.01.07

Is It Time For Massachusetts To Simplify The Divorce Process Further?

Posted in Divorce Law, Family Law at 12:19 am by Administrator

Today we ask whether the time has come for Massachusetts to update (i.e., simplify) its divorce procedures. 

It is significantly more complicated to file for and obtain a divorce in Massachusetts than it is in many other States. This is not entirely surprising given the State’s puritanical heritage. This heritage may explain the reluctance on the part of lawmakers to get involved with a perceived assault on the institution of marriage. However, we suspect that inertia plays a bigger role than any other reason for the lack of progress when it comes to updating the State’s divorce procedures. 

For example, we often find ourselves asking whether it is really necessary in the case of simple divorces – those where the couple have no children, have been married a short time (e.g., a couple of years) and have little in the way of assets – for both parties to have to appear in court before a judge in order to get divorced. Also, why isn’t it possible for couples to file for divorce electronically in Massachusetts as it is in some other States? These are only a couple of examples that come to mind when we start to think of the ways in which Massachusetts is lagging other States on this front.

Arizona, for example, makes it considerably easier for couples to divorce. Arizona provides for shorter residency requirements and also has electronic filing procedures. As a result, in other states up to 75% of couples are able to represent themselves in divorce. In Massachusetts, however, the numbers are significantly lower and many couples are forced to spend considerably more time and money. These complicated procedures also use up limited court resources and hold couples up from moving on with their lives. 

The move towards simplifying divorce is gaining steam worldwide. This recent article from a website based out of Amsterdam, for example, shows that the trend towards simplifying divorce procedures continues to grow across the globe. We believe that the time has indeed come for Massachusetts to review its divorce laws and procedures.

The Mwangi Law Office specializes in family and business law, including Massachusetts divorce law.

Advertising. In accordance with rules established by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. This web site must be labeled “advertising.” It is designed to provide general information for clients and friends of the firm and should not be construed as legal advice, or legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances. This web site is designed for general information only. Unless and until you enter into a formal agreement with Attorney Mwangi, he is not your attorney and you do not have an attorney-client relationship with him. All Rights Reserved.

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02.20.07

More on Late-Life Divorces

Posted in Divorce Law, Family Law at 6:47 pm by Administrator

We have noted more articles in the press on the growing phenomena of late-life divorces. As we mentioned in a previous discussion on the subject of late-life divorces a few weeks ago, late-life divorces present unique legal issues. For example, older couples have often accumulated larger sums of assets than younger couples. In addition, older couples may face visitation issues with grandchildren.

This recent article from a regional paper in Massachusetts includes a good discussion of this growing late-life divorce trend.

The Mwangi Law Office specializes in family and business law, including Massachusetts divorce law.

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02.12.07

The Pain of Contested Divorces

Posted in Divorce Law, Family Law at 1:39 am by Administrator

Divorce is obviously one of the more painful life experiences a person can go through. This is especially so when the parties are unable to come to an agreement on the major issues before trial. As a result, we strongly urge many of our clients to be as amicable as possible when interacting with their spouse – particularly when there are minor children involved.

We found the divorce proceedings mentioned in the case of this Foxboro family particularly distressing. 

The Mwangi Law Office specializes in family and business law, including Massachusetts divorce law.

Advertising. In accordance with rules established by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. This web site must be labeled “advertising.” It is designed to provide general information for clients and friends of the firm and should not be construed as legal advice, or legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances. This web site is designed for general information only. Unless and until you enter into a formal agreement with Attorney Mwangi, he is not your attorney and you do not have an attorney-client relationship with him. All Rights Reserved. 

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02.01.07

China Halves Divorce Rate

Posted in Divorce Law, Family Law at 5:45 am by Administrator

As you may have seen in the news, China will begin calculating its divorce rate in accordance with international norms. Under the new methodology, China’s divorce rate will be half what it was.  

As an fyi, Massachusetts has the lowest divorce rate in the U.S. The divorce rate in Massachusetts is 2.4 per 1000 population. You can read more about the Massachusetts divorce rate here.

The Mwangi Law Office specializes in family and business law, including Massachusetts divorce law.

Advertising. In accordance with rules established by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. This web site must be labeled “advertising.” It is designed to provide general information for clients and friends of the firm and should not be construed as legal advice, or legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances. This web site is designed for general information only. Unless and until you enter into a formal agreement with Attorney Mwangi, he is not your attorney and you do not have an attorney-client relationship with him. All Rights Reserved.

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Is January the Most Popular Month for Divorce in Massachusetts?

Posted in Divorce Law, Family Law at 5:43 am by Administrator

Boston.com recently had an interesting article questioning whether January is the most popular month for divorce filings in Massachusetts. The article seems to conclude that January is not more popular than any other month.

The Mwangi Law Office specializes in family and business law, including Massachusetts divorce law.

Advertising. In accordance with rules established by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. This web site must be labeled “advertising.” It is designed to provide general information for clients and friends of the firm and should not be construed as legal advice, or legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances. This web site is designed for general information only. Unless and until you enter into a formal agreement with Attorney Mwangi, he is not your attorney and you do not have an attorney-client relationship with him. All Rights Reserved.

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Ongoing Backlog in Some Massachusetts Probate Courts

Posted in Divorce Law, Family Law at 5:41 am by Administrator

We have noticed that some probate courts in Massachusetts are continuing to experience a serious backlog when assigning court dates for divorce hearings. For example, one of our recent clients was assigned a court date of June 7th even though we filed the divorce papers during the last week of January. Thus, the client will have to wait over four months to appear before the probate court! Anyone facing a deadline (e.g., those who want to remarry by a certain date) should factor these delays into their plans when preparing to file for divorce in Massachusetts.

The Mwangi Law Office specializes in family and business law, including Massachusetts divorce law.

Advertising. In accordance with rules established by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. This web site must be labeled “advertising.” It is designed to provide general information for clients and friends of the firm and should not be construed as legal advice, or legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances. This web site is designed for general information only. Unless and until you enter into a formal agreement with Attorney Mwangi, he is not your attorney and you do not have an attorney-client relationship with him. All Rights Reserved.

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01.30.07

A Growing Trend – Late Life Divorces?

Posted in Divorce Law, Family Law at 5:17 am by Administrator

There seem to be more articles written about late-life divorces in the press these days. This is definitely a trend that bears watching. Late-life divorces (also known as “grey-hair” divorces) can elevate the importance of certain issues that may not be as important in a divorce between younger couples.

For one thing, there is often more at stake financially for both parties. This is the case because the parties to a late-life divorce often do not have their best earning years behind them. Thus, the division of assets and liabilities in a late-life divorce is extremely important in these cases.

Interestingly, women initiate the majority of late-life divorces (as noted in this article on late-life divorces by the AARP) – dispelling the myth that late-life divorces are primarily initiated by men who leave their spouses for younger women.

The Mwangi Law Office specializes in family and business law, including Massachusetts divorce law.

Advertising. In accordance with rules established by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. This web site must be labeled “advertising.” It is designed to provide general information for clients and friends of the firm and should not be construed as legal advice, or legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances. This web site is designed for general information only. Unless and until you enter into a formal agreement with Attorney Mwangi, he is not your attorney and you do not have an attorney-client relationship with him. All Rights Reserved.

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