Family Law

Rackemann, Sawyer & Brewster has an extensive family law practice, representing clients in divorce and modification proceedings, contempt hearings, paternity actions, guardianships and negotiating and drafting pre-nuptial agreements.  Our clients include a wide range of professionals in the medical, legal, banking, computer and accounting industries.  We litigate matters in all probate and family courts in Massachusetts, and are experienced in representing clients in alternative dispute resolution vehicles (including mediation and conciliation). We are also skilled in the burgeoning arena of same-sex marriage and divorce, along with other non-traditional relationship issues.

Divorce Proceedings

We work to aggressively protect our clients’ interests in divorce, modification and other Probate Court proceedings.  Experienced in litigation, our lawyers work to obtain court orders and judgments to protect our clients’ interests, including for example, custody and visitation, child support, and preservation and division of marital assets, or modifying existing support and custody orders.  Clients also rely on us to deal with complex divorces which involve valuation of closely-held businesses, limited partnerships, real estate, trusts, pension benefits and other retirement plans, copyrights and patents.  The negotiation of a pre-nuptial agreement may involve estate planning for children from a previous marriage, while the dissolution of a marriage can have a substantial impact on heirs.  We have the resources to deal effectively with these and other complex issues.

In all cases, we work closely with the firm’s corporate, real estate, trust and estates, and tax attorneys.  For example, our tax lawyers can help provide detailed analyses to minimize unfavorable tax consequences, which sometimes result from a divorce after assets are divided and orders are put into effect.  Divorce decrees also often entail qualified domestic relations orders or qualified medical insurance child support orders that require sophisticated interface with an employer’s pension or insurance benefits functions.  When necessary, we consult with other outside experts, including licensed mental health professionals, closely-held business valuation experts, and certified real estate appraisers.

Family Court Disputes

Divorce proceedings often involve complex custody issues, and we can offer clients the services of an attorney who has been appointed by the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court as Guardian ad litem, Discovery Master and Arbitrator.  With years of practical knowledge in complex family law issues, we can effectively collaborate with expert witnesses in fields ranging from tax and accounting to child psychology, to make sure that each issue is properly analyzed and litigated. 

Dispute Resolution

Family law clients benefit from our lawyers’ years of experience in resolving the most contentious disputes, combined with up-to-date knowledge of the latest trends and changes in this dynamic area of law.  As members of a full service firm, we recognize and understand how other areas of the law, such as tax law and estate planning, may impact the outcome of a family law case.  Because we know that each client’s family law matter is unique, we focus on developing the right strategy to create a successful resolution tailored to every individual’s needs.  Our attorneys are experienced in the negotiation, mediation and arbitration of family law matters, so we are often able to resolve a family law dispute without the expense of a trial.  If litigation proves to be the most effective strategy, we have the experience and the access to expert witnesses to represent clients in all areas of family law litigation, from emotionally charged child custody disputes to complex property division cases.