Meet our Intern - Kristyn Stoia

We have a new member of the Skylark Team:

Kristyn Stoia is currently a Freshman at Boston College majoring in English and is also pursuing the Pre-Law track. Outside of academics, she can usually be found at the barn riding for the Equestrian Team, or in the stands during athletic games playing for the BC Band. Kristyn has a keen interest in Law and is looking forward to her first experience in the legal profession.

During her time at Skylark, Kristyn will be working on making the website more accessible for clients and visitors alike. Modifications will be made to make the website better accessible for those who are visually impaired, hearing impaired, and any other impairments that can limit access to our resources. The user experience for every individual who visits our website is a major aspect of our ethos, so making the appropriate adjustments to our website is an endeavor that we’re looking forward to accomplishing.

The inspiration to undertake this project initially game from Haben Girma, who is a disability rights lawyer and advocate and was the very first deaf-blind graduate of Harvard Law. She travels the world sharing her message of equal accessibility for everyone. Haben addresses the importance of the user experience for individuals of all different capability levels. After having the pleasure of hearing her speak at a conference in New Orleans, we were influenced to take on an accessibility project of our own in the pursuit of making our legal services and our online resources more accessible for everyone.

We’re eager to hear what we can do to make the website more accessible for each and every person. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with suggestions of how we can accomplish accessibility for your individual needs.

Comments

What is the purpose of the Divorce Nisi waiting period?

In Massachusetts the statutory waiting period after a Judgment of Divorce and before the divorce becomes final (or absolute) is called the Nisi period. After a divorce case settles or goes to trial, a Judgment of Divorce Nisi will issue and it will become Absolute after a further ninety (90) days. This waiting period serves the purpose of allowing parties to change their mind before the divorce becomes final. If the Judgment of Divorce Nisi has issued but not become final yet, and you and your spouse decide you don't want to get divorced, then you can file a Motion to Dismiss and the Judgment will be undone. Although many of my clients who are getting divorced think the idea of getting back together with their ex sounds crazy, I have had cases where this happened. In addition to offering a grace period to change your mind, the Nisi period has three other legal effects: 1. The most obvious effect of the waiting period is that you cannot remarry during the Nisi period, be

New Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines (2021): Big Changes, Little Changes, Typos & some Unexpected Results

UPDATE: The court has released a web calculating version of the 2021 MA Child Support Guidelines Worksheet . It resolves some of the typos referred to below, but the unexpected calculations still apply. Every four years, per federal mandate, the Massachusetts Probate & Family Court revisits the Child Support Guidelines through the work of a Task Force appointed by the Chief Justice. The 2021 Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines were recently posted. They take effect on October 4, 2021. If you are interested in a training on all of these changes to the new Child Support Guidelines: DMTA Presents the 2021 MA Child Support Guidelines Update – Attend this event to learn the key updates you need to know for your mediation clients. Presented by Justin Kelsey of Divorce Mediation Training Associates and Skylark Law & Mediation, PC . For a full comparison of all the tracked changes between the 2018 and 2021 Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines you can download a pdf sho

Does a Criminal Record affect Child Custody?

If one of the parents in a custody case has a criminal record, the types of crimes on their record could have an effect on their chances of obtaining custody. In custody cases the issue is always going to come down to whether or not the best interests of the child might be affected. In the most extreme case, in which one parent has been convicted of first degree murder of the other parent, the law specifically prohibits visitation with the children until they are of a suitable age to assent. Similarly, but to a less serious degree, in making custody and visitation determinations the court will consider crimes that would cause one to question the fitness of a parent. These types of crimes would obviously include any violent crime convictions which could call into question whether the children would be in danger around a parent who has shown themselves to resort to violence when faced with conflict. In addition, drug and alcohol abuse offenses would call into question a parent&#

Search This Blog