The Bay State’s law is seriously hostile to breadwinners, but also exceedingly vague, giving ex-spouses reason to contest and appeal every issue. Reform in the state legislature is perennially getting derailed by lack of lawyer support:
Guy Ferro, the Connecticut family law attorney, says they won’t [work against their own financial interest]. Indeed, when a committee of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers tried to draft alimony guidelines, other attorneys successfully pushed to spike that initiative. Ferro says the thinking was: “If a person can go to guidelines and plug in a number to show what they have to pay in alimony and for how long, what do they need lawyers for?”
[Boston Magazine via Above the Law]
7 Comments
I have never understood what my brother attorneys see in family law. Emotionally upset clients, money runs out, no one to collect from, calls all the time. So what clients can plug in their alimony amount? There still is plenty of property and children to fight over.
Can I “divorce” my parents and legally oblige them to pay my for the rest of my life? You know, like they did the first 18 years of my life. A boy gets accustomed to such things. If divorcing women can do it, why not kids entering adulthood? I am accustomed to it dammit! Now pay me! Now!
Now coming to an arena in your town, Family Court – The Musical:
This is a good example of why I’m always telling others that people should never vote for a lawyer who is running for the legislature. In fact, I believe that lawyers should be constitutionally ineligible to hold office either in State legislatures or the Congress.
Putting lawyers in charge of writing the laws is probably the single biggest reason why we have so damned many laws, and such ridiculously convoluted ones at that. Job security. (Can you tell that I’m not a lawyer myself?)
Having detoured into family law due to the economy, I’m really thinking divorce should be illegal. If you were stupid enough to marry and have children with the person you now contend is an unfit spouse/parent, then you should be stuck with them. I’m only half kidding.
My uncle is an attorney and he totally despises the corrupt divorce bar.
Last night, Fox News 25 did a chilling exposé on MA alimony law. You can see it here.
http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/special_reports/paying_alimony_forever_081209