Divorce Wisdom: When Not to Listen to the Advice of Others

If you are going through a divorce, you are no stranger to the advice of loved ones who mean well, but ultimately may not know what is best for you and your unique situation. Your family and friends, after all, only want the best for you.  They are on your side one hundred percent, which…

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Mediation for Families

Mediation is a tool that can be invaluable to families. At Fields and Dennis, we are well-versed in all aspects of Family Law, and we often turn to mediation as an agreeable and less distressing means to an end.  There are many ways that mediation can benefit families at various stages of life. From divorce to estate planning and everything in between, mediation can be an…

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Family Mediation Quarterly: President’s Letter

Dear Mediators: The most recent professional development meeting, “Collaborative Law and Mediation Tools and Techniques: A Common Ground” was a product of the joint committee of the MCFM and the Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council chaired by our own Lynn Cooper.  The panelists, in addition to Lynn, were Dan Finn, Kate Fanger, Karen Levitt, and Lisa…

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MCFM President's Letter: The Genius of Family

On September 13, as most of you know, MCFM marked an important milestone – our 30th anniversary.  We honored the occasion with an event at the Endicott House in Dedham.  Thanks to the organizers (in alphabetical order – Lynn Cooper, Barbara Kellman, Diane Spears, Laurie Udell, and Fran Whyman,) it was a well-attended and unqualified…

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MCFM FPresident's Message

Dear Mediators: I am so honored that you, my peers, have elected me President and hope that, over the next two years, I prove worthy of the choice. For those of you who don’t know me, I have been practicing law for 21 years and the last 16 have been in the family law area.…

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MCFM Spring 2012 Family Mediation Quarterly Article by Attorney Fields

The most recent issue of the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation Family Mediation Quarterly features the following article I wrote called MASSACHUSETTS FAMILY LAW: A Periodic Review. Value of Inherited Nantucket Home Divided Equally. The Appeals Court upheld a Probate and Family Court judgment that divided equally between parties the value of the husband’s interest…

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Jonathan E. Fields elected president of the MCFM

On May 1, Jonathan Fields was elected President of the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation for a two-year term. He is honored to have been chosen by his peers in an organization in which he has served as an Executive Board member since 2005. The MCFM is a non-profit organization established over twenty-five years go…

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