Helping Parents Maintain Healthy Relationships With Their Children Through Thoughtful Custody Plans

Under Massachusetts law, any custody arrangement must serve the best interests of the child first. Both parents have rights that must be considered in these cases, however. Working with an experienced child custody lawyer who is familiar with the laws and has the ability to protect your parental rights is essential.

Representing Mothers And Fathers With Custody And Related Matters

At the law firm of Manzi & Seccareccio, P.C., our attorneys represent mothers and fathers in all aspects of child custody matters. We know these can be among the most emotional and contentious aspects of a contested divorce.

We have been successful helping divorcing couples in Lowell, Dracut and throughout Massachusetts, as well as in southern New Hampshire reach parenting time agreements that everyone supports.

Understanding Physical And Legal Custody

In every case, there are two types of custody that need to be established: physical custody and legal custody. Physical custody refers to where the child will live and which parent will be the primary caregiver. Legal custody refers to each parent’s involvement in the decisions that are made regarding such issues as the child’s education, religious upbringing, medical care and other matters.

The other major component of a Massachusetts child custody proceeding is determining visitation rights for the noncustodial parent. Unless there is clear evidence to indicate it would not serve the best interests of the children, visitation is customary in custody cases. We work hard to establish visitation that provides the full level of access to the children that our client wants and deserves.

• Child custody
• Removal
• Physical custody vs. legal custody