Episode 3 – Atty Justin Kelsey, Skylark Law & Mediation, Southborough, MA
In this episode, we explore how new sets of guidelines have impacted the award of alimony. They use to say that getting alimony in Massachusetts was like winning the lottery, so it was no surprise when alimony guidelines were completely overhauled in 2011 and became law in 2012. We finally had formulas and durational limits to help divorce professionals determine how much alimony should be and for how long it should be paid. However, this was not a one-size-fits-all fix and alimony continues to be a highly contested issue in many cases. The same can be said about the new Child Support Guidelines that were implemented at the end of 2021, but these guidelines do give us some options and direction when calculating both an alimony order and a child support order.