REPRESENTATION

We represent clients in all aspects of legal disputes related to families and marriage, including:

• Prenuptial agreements
• Postnuptial agreements
• Divorces
• Separations
• Post-divorce modification actions
• Parenting plans
• Custody disputes
• Child support cases
• Paternity actions
• College education issues, during and post-divorce
• Contempt actions
• Appellate issues

Our goal in representing clients is to help our clients define their objectives, plan the best methods for attaining them, and then execute the approach that the client desires. We help clients discover necessary financial information and respond to discovery requests from the spouse or other parent. We prepare for and attempt to achieve desired terms to resolve the divorce, separation, or other disagreement related to the marriage through negotiation whenever possible. When negotiation fails to be successful for the client, we go to court to help the client in a professional manner to obtain what he or she wants. Hence, we represent divorcing spouses, parents arguing over educational costs for children and other matters after divorce, individuals contemplating marriage, and others in the probate and family court.

In addition to representing clients going through the court process, we also represent individuals who are using other mediators to help them settle family disputes, serving in an advisory role to the client going through the mediation process.

MEDIATION

John A. Fiske, Barbara Zicht Richmond, Susan J. Matthew, and Richard H. Rose serve as mediators of divorces, separations, and even contracts to help couples stay married. We believe that clients can often maintain more control over their lives, finances, and cost of dispute resolution in a mediated matter, and therefore serve as mediators to couples in any family-related dispute, either prior to, during, or after marriage and divorce. As mediators, we emphasize the value of listening, of specifically identifying what each party wants and needs for himself or herself in the divorce process, the needs of the children, and the ability to reach consensus.

For more information about the mediation practice of John A. Fiske, go to www.mediate.com/fiske.

ESTATE PLANNING

Susan J. Matthew and Richard H. Rose offer estate planning services including drafting wills, health care proxies, power of attorney and trusts as well as handling estate administration and other probate matters.

APPEALS

We represent clients before the Massachusetts Appeals Court and Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in appeals related to family law matters.

OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Regina Healy and John A. Fiske have pioneered many achievements in the fields of divorce, mediation, education, and civil rights, including writing and introducing legislation to create a joint petition for divorce under Section 1A of Chapter 208 of the Massachusetts General Laws, making all communications in mediation confidential under Chapter 233, Section 23C of the Massachusetts General Laws, and, most recently, a bill to replace the words “custody and visitation” with “parenting plans” and similar more humane and neutral terms, and making attendance at public schools subject to non-discrimination on the basis of gender under Chapter 76, Sections 5 and 16 of the Massachusetts General Laws.

We are all engaged in various activities to provide and promote legal services for the poor, legal education for lawyers, expanding the use of mediation, and other community services. We believe public service to be part of being a lawyer’s obligation to the community and as a member of the bar.