07.12.07

Adding to the Stress of Divorce

Posted in Divorce Law, Family Law at 3:15 am by Administrator

In this article from the Boston Herald, we see what can happen when emotions run high during a divorce. In addition to the stress of his divorce, this young man will have to deal with the court system on other fronts – dealing with the twin charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and intimidation of a witness. Luckily, it did not get more serious.

This article lists some of the steps one can take to handle the stress of a divorce. We recently blogged on a related topic as well.

The Mwangi Law Office specializes in business and family law, including Massachusetts divorce law and Massachusetts prenuptial 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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07.04.07

Divorce Capital of the U.S.A.

Posted in Divorce Law, Family Law at 10:46 pm by Administrator

Here is an interesting article stating that Clearwater, Florida is the divorce capital of the United States. It is apparently easier to get divorced in Florida than it is in many other states. Unlike Massachusetts, Florida does not impose waiting periods on couples that are seeking to get divorced. 

The Mwangi Law Office specializes in business and family law, including Massachusetts divorce law and Massachusetts prenuptial 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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07.02.07

Seeking An Additional Payout 30 Years After Divorce

Posted in Divorce Law, Family Law at 2:36 am by Administrator

In this article from the Daily Telegraph in the UK, there is an interesting discussion about a case where a husband was ordered to make an additional payout to his ex-wife almost 30 years after their divorce.

You may notice that many commenters seem surprised that this situation could occur. However, this decision may not be as outrageous as it seems at first glance.

One would have to look at the Settlement Agreement between the parties to see if it permitted the wife to return and ask her husband for additional fnds if there was a material change in her circumstances. If it did, then the husband needs to blame his lawyer for not explaining the Settlement Agreement to him clearly. 

In Massachusetts, one way to obtain more certainty that the division of assets and liabilities in your divorce is final would be by ensuring that the Settlement Agreement “survives” as an independent contract between the parties.

The Mwangi Law Office specializes in business and family 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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Preparing For Divorce

Posted in Divorce Law, Family Law at 2:17 am by Administrator

Here is a good article describing some of the steps one can take in preparation for a divorce. A summary of ten steps to take in preparation for divorce can also be found in this article. In particular, we like the fact that both articles describe steps that may result in a less acrimonious divorce.

The Mwangi Law Office specializes in business and family law, including Massachusetts divorce law and Massachusetts prenuptial 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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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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06.14.07

Who Else Wants to Sue New York City?

Posted in General at 8:35 pm by Administrator

The New York Sun has a very interesting article on New York City’s chief lawyer – Michael Cardozo. According to the article, New York City currently has 665 lawyers dealing with 31,545 pending lawsuits!

The Mwangi Law Office specializes in family and business law, including Massachusetts divorce law and Massachusetts prenuptial 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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06.12.07

Do the Massachusetts Child Support Laws Violate Christian Values?

Posted in Family Law at 4:19 am by Administrator

Here is an article we suspect will be controversial. The author of the article implies that the child support laws in Massachusetts violate Christian values. What do you think?

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