Starting this past Monday, thirty-eight courts in Massachusetts began cutting hours for clerks and registers due to budget cuts, staff shortages, and backlogs. The reduction in hours are said not to affect court sessions and that staff offices will be available for emergencies. The following district courts will have restricted counter and telephone coverage: Attleboro, Barnstable, East Brookfield, Fall River, Framingham, Haverhill, Ipswich, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Natick, Newburyport, Palmer, Somerville, Springfield, Stoughton, Taunton, Uxbridge, Waltham, Westborough, Woburn and Wrentham. The Western Division of the Housing Court and the Springfield Divisions of the Juvenile Court and Land Court will similarly have restricted counter and telephone coverage. All Probate & Family Courts will have restricted hours after 3:00 P.M. Source: The Patriot Ledger: " 38 Massachusetts courts reduce public office hours because of budget cuts "

Many of our clients or potential clients are concerned about whether their court records will be made available to the public. In most instances court records are available to the public, with some limited exceptions. This includes the contents of case files, pleadings and motions. In family law (divorce, paternity, guardianship) cases some materials are not public, such as findings of non-paternity in a paternity suit. In addition you can request that certain information be impounded such as an individual's address (impounded by the judge "upon good cause shown" -- which may be harder to show than one might imagine). Additionally, family law case files automatically impound some materials, such as financial statements, child support guideline worksheets, and reports of a guardian ad litem, probation officer or court clinic. Practically speaking, the availability of the public portions of your case file does not necessarily mean that any member of the public will a...