Comprehensive Family Law & Probate Services

Our attorneys are skilled at negotiating the terms of and drafting prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, as well as litigating the fair and reasonableness of such agreements at execution and/or their enforceability at the time of divorce.  Both parties to a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement need separate, independent counsel (from different law firms) and each party must make a full disclosure of their financial circumstances (income, assets, liabilities, interests in trusts and expectation of inheritance) in the process.  Case law in Massachusetts requires that such agreements provide consideration for both spouses, such as is required in any contract, to be found fair and reasonable at the execution (signing) of a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement and enforceable at divorce.

Our attorneys are experienced in the negotiation of divorce and paternity (children of never married parents) cases from the filing of a complaint through trial and appeal on all aspects of custody, parenting plans (visitation) spousal support (alimony in a divorce matter), child support, and the make-up and division of the marital estate (in a divorce matter).  We have the capacity to handle a case in the discovery phase and the experience to take issues to trial when a judicial resolution is required. Our pragmatic approach and legal advice focus on an individual client’s particular circumstances by guiding the client through their options at every step of the process.

There are some cases that cannot be resolved through negotiation and require a judicial resolution.  When that happens, our well-respected attorneys passionately advocate in the courtroom, where integrity and reputation matter most.  A trial in the Probate and Family Court can be a very involved process, sometimes taking place over several months if not years.  We aim to be methodical about our trial preparation and presentation, while also being pragmatic about what is relevant under the case law and therefore appropriate for trial.

Our practice includes representing both beneficiaries and fiduciaries in probate controversies and fiduciary litigation.  If there is suspicion of a “bad actor” exerting undue influence over a person executing a will, a will contest in the Probate and Family Court is sometimes necessary to have the will found invalid and the disposition of the estate revert to a prior, sound will or intestate (per statute) distribution.  Occasionally, a trustee will need instructions from the Court on how to administer a trust, and the trustee will seek guidance via a complaint for instructions.  Beneficiaries of a trust may also seek the removal of trustees for improper conduct or bad accounting.  Our legal team handles all of these types of cases through filing of an action to trial, on behalf of the beneficiary or the fiduciary

Attorney Hacker is a trained mediator and conciliator who regularly serves as a neutral, helping parties resolve their matters out of court.  Attorney Hacker also serves as a guardian ad litem in category F (custody evaluation) and category D (probate matters) cases, as an Attorney Representing Children (ARC), and as a Special Master on Discovery issues. 

We represent clients in guardianship and conservatorship actions in the Probate and Family Court.  Our attorneys represent clients seeking to care for a person who is in need of a guardian (to manage medical and personal care) and/or a conservator (to manage financial affairs) due to a lack of the respondent’s mental competency to make their own financial or personal decisions. We also routinely represent the person objecting to a guardianship and/or conservatorship petition who does not believe that they need assistance. .  Additionally, we handle the administration of estates, including probate of wills, intestate estates, and accounting proceedings.