Posts Tagged ‘Marriage’
Prenup: No Longer Binding?
After spending nearly half a million dollars and three years fighting a bizarre prenuptial agreement, a Long Island woman has won an “unprecedented” case against her estranged millionaire husband, Peter Petrakis. Elizabeth Cioffi-Petrakis had to prove in court that she was coerced into signing the prenuptial agreement that her husband threw at her only four…
Read MoreSkype Aids in Proxy Marriages
Proxy marriages are on the rise. Web chat programs such as Skype allow for these marriages to occur more easily and for the bride and groom to exchanges vows from around the world. In the United States this practice is used, but infrequently and most often by members of the military in order to ensure…
Read MoreSocial Media, Marriage and Divorce in China, 140 Characters at a Time
Marriage and divorce are huge decisions and both are not made hastily. At Fields and Dennis, we deal with the repercussions of divorce on a daily basis, finding resolutions to some of the most difficult situations. Divorce is not something easily decided upon by our clients, but sometimes it is the only solution. In our…
Read MoreMCFM 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…
Read MoreMarriage Foundation Recommends Mediation
“Judges do not traditionally speak out about the social issues that manifest themselves in their courts,” wrote Lesley Garner, Telegraph journalist and former advice columnist. So it’s somewhat surprising that Sir Paul Coleridge, a senior family court judge in the UK founded the Marriage Foundation, a campaign that promotes, among other things, mediation prior to…
Read MoreVery Happy Spouses Usually Don't Divorce
A recent column in The New York Times Magazine affirms the age-old notion that generosity is a positive character attribute, especially in marriage. So for those of us who have not achieved the ratio of “at least five positive things for each negative interaction” with our partners, it’s worthwhile to note the difference between being…
Read MoreMarriage: What's it Good For?
In an earlier post, I noted a recent poll that reflects changing American attitudes toward marriage and, in particular, reflects a marked increase in cohabitation. The other day I happened upon a Time magazine piece, “Marriage: What’s it Good For?”, which further detailed the poll. And since the ability to synthesize those results with a…
Read MoreWill Will and Kate Sign a Prenup?
According to an article in the Guardian News, “prenups still seem a bit too un-British.” There is apparently, “no evidence that a British royal has ever signed a prenup before.” A prenuptial agreement might make sense for Kate Middleton, daughter of business millionaires, and Prince William of Wales, who will be the first King of…
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