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Family Law Litigator, Mediator and Collaborative Law Attorney.3 Ways to Close the Deal.Michelle M. Raymond concentrates her practice in the areas of family, divorce and probate litigation, collaborative law and mediation.  Ms. Raymond provides mediation and litigation services for all family-related disputes, including, but not limited to: divorce, child support, post-divorce controversies, parenting plans, paternity matters, separation, marital mediation, estate or guardianship matters, open adoptions, will contests and non-traditional family issues.  In addition, she works with families in the areas of adoption and parent coordination.  Her mediation services offer a cost-effective alternative for family, business, employer and civil issues.. By combining her experience with mediation, collaborative law and litigation, she is able to provide clients with a wide range of options appropriate for their needs and goals. She provides her clients with clarity in difficult times.  She believes in a team approach to find practical solutions to complex problems.. Ms. Raymond is partner and shareholder of Doherty, Ciechanowski, Dugan & Cannon, P.C., a full service law firm located in Franklin, Massachusetts. In addition to her community service, she is past Chair of the Women’s Success Network and a member of the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation and Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council.

Experienced Attorney, with a demonstrated history of excellence in the practice of law, the leadership of teams, and the financial success of organizations. Strong legal professional skilled in cannabis regulations and compliance, legislative policy for children and families, litigation, negotiation, mediation, multi-disciplinary cooperation, and child welfare.. Before pursuing a law degree, garnered significant contract and business experience through entrepreneurial and professional positions, including Management Consultant, Director of Operations, Non-Profit Director, and Human Resources/Accounting Administrator.

I am an attorney who is concerned that service in the legal industry is almost gone.  To help bring service back, one client at a time, I am not only willing to do housecalls, I ENCOURAGE THEM!  My office does not bill for every minute that may be considered billable to keep my client's legal bills down to a more affordable level.  I am willing to make retainer payment arrangement and am very flexible.  Does this mean that I get taken advantage of by some clients?  Absolutely.  However, I did not become an attorney to become rich.  My decision was more about enjoying what I do and helping others.

In 1994, I founded Amherst Mediation Services. My decision to offer mediation as an alternative to the traditional litigation system stemmed from my years of experience in the Probate and Family Court and in particular my concern that in many ways the court system was not the most efficient and best equipped system for handling family crisis such as divorce. Mediation offers participants more control over their own destiny and works to increase rather than discourage communication. Mediation is also far cheaper and often far quicker than traditional litigation. However, mediation is not appropriate in every situation. I continue to provide my clients with legal services. In my capacity as an attorney I provide services which are professional, courteous and sensitive to my clients' financial needs, emotional needs and family situation.. In my ongoing effort to provide my clients with the widest range possible of solutions that meets their needs, in 2004 began offering collaborative law as yet another alternative approach to resolving divorces and other domestic relations issues. In the collaborative law model, I represent my clients just as I would in the traditional litigation approach. The primary difference however is that both lawyers and both clients sign a contract that the matter will be handled without resorting to the courts to resolve disputes. If a client decides to utilize the courts during the divorce process, both attorneys must withdraw and both clients need to retain new attorneys.. I now focus my practice almost exclusivley on helping clients through mediation.  I offer services througout Hampshire, Hampden, Franklin, Berkshire and Worcester counties including such towns as Amherst. Northampton. Springfield, Pittsfield and Worcester.

As founder of the Law Office of Leila J. Wons, P.C., I focus primarily on domestic relations matters, including divorce, child custody and support, paternity, modifications of prior and foreign judgments, contempts, same-sex family law matters, mediation, collaborative law and restraining order hearings.. In December 2010, I was fortunate enough to assist in the preparation of and sit second-chair at the oral argument of Smith v. McDonald,  a paternity and removal case argued before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.. I am an active member of the Worcester County Bar Association, volunteering my time as an Attorney Representing Children, and Guardian ad Litem. As a trained Mediator and Collaborative Law practitioner, I also provide clients with information relating to Alternative Dispute Resolution so that they may find ways to resolve their family law conflicts outside of contested litigation.

Attorney Briones has over two decades of experience representing clients in Federal and Massachusetts Courts including Civil, Criminal and Probate and Family Court.   Prior to attending law school, Sarah worked for a large insurance Company in Boston. During law school, she worked for a well known personal injury firm also in Boston and was hired as an Associate upon graduation. After working there for several years, Attorney Briones opened her own practice where she has been ever since. Her success relies upon word of mouth referrals and she insists that every client is treated with respect and integrity.

Craig Higgins graduated from the Massachusetts School of Law with a Juris Doctor and was admitted to the practice of law in Massachusetts. While in Law School, Craig interned for the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys, Access to Justice program in the Lawrence District Court and for the Lennon Law Office, opportunities that molded him for the practice. In serving the public, often in high stress situations, he fostered a talent for making quick, strategic decisions and cemented his core values at the very early stages of his career. During his internship for the Access to Justice Program, Craig quickly developed a great sense of the inner workings of the Court system while devoting his time to assisting the public with various concerns and questions. All while maintaining an active Real Estate Salesperson License and actively assisting in the home buying and selling transaction process, gaining hands on experience which he has brought to his practice of law.. While interning with Access to Justice, Craig solidified his devotion to serving the public and quickly fostered the core values required of a talented attorney: hard work, compassion, empathy and a passion for applying this knowledge to helping people. He adapted to the needs required of his cases and his supervisors, and continued on with his sights set on passing the Massachusetts Bar Exam.. While in Law School, Craig gained practical hands-on trial experience by participating in the Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Advocacy Competition, where he was on the team that placed #4 in the United States and #1 in the Northeast Region. This experience of trying a homicide case is what fostered the interest and intrigue of the criminal justice system and defending the rights of those accused of crimes. During his work experience, Craig attended several traininigs in regard to courtroom case development and the investigative phases, including but not limited to: Juror Voir Dire, Admiralty Law in Practice,  Trial Preparation strategies. Among his accomplishments, Craig earned the CALI- excellence for the future awards in Legal Remedies and in Appellate Writing and Advocacy.. Currently, Craig’s areas of expertise range from criminal defense to family law, including but not limited to divorce, child custody and support cases, contract disputes and litigation, franchise litigation and transactional work. As a lawyer with an eye for the community, Craig continues to work diligently with non-profit law programs such as the Bar None Program, Bar Association Pro Bono Projects to provide pro-bono legal services to Worcester and Marlborough persons in need.

Upon graduating Suffolk University, Attorney Manning began her career at a Law Firm which specialized in Social Security Disability.  Since then she has earned a Law Degree and opened her own practice and for the last 25 years she has been dedicated to winning each and every case!

I've been advocating for men and women in courtrooms throughout Massachusetts for more than three decades.  I know that thorough preparation is the key to obtaining positive results for my clients.  Preparation translates to a position of strength at trial and throughout the negotiation process.. I have been concentrating in domesitic relations litigation since the late 1990s.  Although I am passionate about litigation, I am also a certified divorce mediator. I really enjoy helping folks settle their disputes without the anxiety and expense that flows from litiation.  I believe my litigation experiences in divorce and family law give me an edge over other divorce mediators. I've been in the court room and I've seen how the judges handle cases, time and time again.  As your mediator, I am able to draw on those experiences in helping you and guiding you through the mediation process toward a positive end result.. I zealously represent people in divorce matters, paternity actions, child custody disputes, actions for court permission to relocate out of state with children, alimony and child support modifications, and contempt actions.  I zealously represent men and women concerning restraining orders, domestic abuse charges, criminal defense litigation and personal injury litigation.  I've had the pleasure of speaking at a number of educational engagements over the years, concerning litigation, divorce, custody, alimony and asset valuation. In 2018 I became a member of the United States Virgin Islands Bar.. I am fortunate to work with a great team.  Our clients come to us in times of crisis. Together, we offer our clients something special -  frankness, understanding, guidance, practical advice and most importantly, zealous representation. Our attornies and support staff are responsive, courteous and professional.. Our goal is to assist you in navigating through the legal process, making informed, intelligent decisions and developing sound strategies in order to increase your likelihood of success in reaching a positive end result. Information regarding what our clients think about us as well as a sampling of our actual results, are available on our website.   We look forward to helping you, so please give us a call.

I am an attorney with years of experience in business litigation and bankruptcy law. I have also served as principal and assistant principal for approximately 15 years in public schools in Massachusetts. I have worked closely with teachers, administrators, special education advocates and attorneys, and parents on a variety of School Law issues.

I PROVIDE FAMILY LAW SOLUTIONS TAILORED TO YOUR INDIVIDUAL NEEDS.  MY OFFICE ON ROUTE ONE IN TOPSFIELD PROVIDES A COMFORTABLE MEETING PLACE WITH AMPLE FREE PARKING.   I have practiced in the Massachusetts courts since 1986 and in the New Hampshire courts since 2004. My practice areas include divorce, division of assets, alimony, child support, child custody matters, guardianship matters, grandparent visitation, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, and interstate jurisdictional conflicts. I am trained and experienced in using a variety of techniques toward the resolution of family law conflicts, including traditional client representation, negotiation, litigation, collaborative law practice and mediation. I am certified by the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court as a Category F Guardian ad litem. I am trained and certified as a family law arbitrator by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.. I am licensed to practice in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York. I am a fellow of the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. I am a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Essex County Bar Association, the New Hampshire Bar Association, and the Greater Newburyport Bar Association. I serve as a volunteer conciliator for the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court through the Essex County Bar Association.  I have served as a lecturer and a speaker on family law topics, including the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education programs, Cutting Edge Issues in Northern Massachusetts Family Law (2015), Practicing Family Law on the Border of Massachusetts and New Hampshire (2017-program chair), and The Family Lawyer's Discovery Toolkit (2018).

Attorney Matalas has been practicing law in Massachusetts since 2013. A graduate of Suffolk Law, Jason has a varied legal background which includes estate planning, consumer protection litigation, and employment law.. Since opening this office, Jason has focused on Family Law matters and bankruptcy.. He handles both high-conflict and uncontested divorce actions as well as modifications of child support and maintenance/alimony, disputed parenting matters such as visitation schedules and primary residence, adoption proceedings, child custody and domestic violence proceedings.. Jason is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association and American Bar Association. In addition to being a divorce attorney in Peabody, Jason is also actively involved in his community. He is a member of the Essex County Bar Association with past volunteer experience in the Volunteer Lawyers Project and Lawyer for the Day program.