The Law Offices of Christine G. Debernardis, Esq.

10/16/2026

It’s the little things that people do for us that make hard work worthwhile. 🌺
A client just delivered this beautiful cake as thanks for my work on his case. Apparently, at some point during my representation, I told him how much I love super sugary and flower cakes. This might be the most thoughtful gift I’ve ever received! 

09/26/2026

Often things happen that makes a parent think that they are no longer required to pay child support. A daughter joins the military. A son drops out of college. A child graduates high school and is going to college part time and working part time but still living with one parent. You, as the child support obligor (the payer of child support) think to yourself “can I stop paying child support now?” “Do I have to go to court?” The answer is “it depends.” If you are looking to terminate your parental rights, that's another matter entirely. Visit this link for more information.

If you are ordered to pay child support, or if you are ordered to receive child support, you likely have an agreement, or a Court order, with a detailed clause that is dedicated to child support. This child support clause dictates how much is to be paid, when it is to be paid, by what method it is to be paid and for how long it is to be paid. The clause is often rather detailed.

Clear legal answers on family law for parents and spouses in NH & MA. Get trusted guidance from family law attorney Christine G. DeBernardis.

09/26/2026

⚡ PREPARE NOW FOR POSSIBLE POWER OUTAGES

Residents along Coastal New Jersey, Long Island, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Cape Cod, and Eastern Massachusetts should take some time now to prepare for possible power outages as winds increase.

Charge phones and battery packs, secure outdoor objects, have flashlights and fresh batteries ready, fuel generators before conditions deteriorate, and make sure you have enough food, water, medications, and other essentials for at least a couple of days.

If you use a generator, never operate it indoors, in a garage, or near windows or doors. Stay well away from downed power lines and report outages to your utility provider.

Prepare early.... don’t wait until the power is already out.

Northeast Weather Alert

09/25/2026

There is a lot of press recently about texting while driving all over our country but particularly in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Many states have banned texting while driving. There are commercials on TV about texting while driving. There are signs on the roads about texting while driving.

In September 2010, the Safe Driving Law in Massachusetts became effective. This law created a series of both civil and criminal violations for use of a mobile phone by a teen or by a p***c transportation operator, improper use of a mobile phone by an adult operator, texting while driving and causing injury after texting while driving. Though there were other sections related to medical issues and age issues, the texting component seemed to be the most talked about one.

Can what you have to text wait? Is it worth an injury or death? The safe driving law in Massachusetts went into effect in 2010...

09/24/2026

A beautiful “thank you” from a wonderful client!

09/24/2026

What are temporary orders in Massachusetts?

​When a divorce begins, rarely do the parties consider temporary orders in Massachusetts to be a necessity, however they ask the court for many things. When the divorce begins, the parties rarely sit in a position to agree on a parenting plan, child support, health insurance, payment of expenses, etc. After all, most people are getting divorced because of a failure in the marital relationship that makes decisions an already a difficult accomplishment. Emotions are usually raging. One party may have recently vacated the home. One party may want the other out of the marital home. There may be a disagreement about how to parent the children. Payment of debt may be at issue. Temporary orders address all of these topic areas on a temporary basis to help the parties work through the issues as the case moves forward.

When a divorce begins, rarely do the parties consider temporary orders in Massachusetts to be a necessity, however they ask the court for

09/23/2026

If you are wondering how to establish paternity of your child, chances are, you have read up on some of the variety of ways and may have become confused on the right path to take. There are a number of valid ways you can go about this and there are good reasons on why you should. Seeking paternal rights is a personal decision. This article focuses on an overview of the process.

If you are the legal father of a child, establishing paternity can be rather simple. If you sign the birth certificate as the father, paternity is established. If you execute an acknowledgement of paternity to file with the clerk of the town where the child was born at some point after birth, paternity is established. If you file a court action to establish paternity, and the court later deems you the father, paternity is established.

This, of course, is an important legal step in the process, for once you establish the rights of paternity, you may then seek custody, visitation and support of the child.

You may wonder how to establish paternity of your child. There are a number of ways in both NH and MA. With an experienced attorney, this process can become much smoother and easier.

09/22/2026

In August, I wrote about the Parent that Used to Be Absent. This is a follow up article to that post about re-establishing parenting time and what to realistically expect when trying to do so.

NH, MA family lawyers at the Law Offices of Christine G. DeBernadis, Esq provide solutions in difficult situations. Call us for a free phone consultation.

09/21/2026

I recently received a question on our website about how much input a GAL (Guardian Ad Litem) has with a judge during a divorce and custody case. That's a complex issue so rather than write a quick answer to the question, I decided to write about it here on our blog.
What is the role of a Guardian Ad Litem in Massachusetts?

The role of a Guardian Ad Litem is simply to seek the best interest of the child during any type of court proceedings. This allows the GAL to

09/20/2026

Whether you are simply contemplating the idea of divorce or in the middle of a full-on legal battle, your best bet with your social media accounts is to disconnect them. Turn them off. Shut them down. Stop posting. Make it impossible for people to post to your account. “Go dark.” Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google. Shut them all down. Every Single. One. Of. Them. Simply put, divorce and social media do not mix.

I know…you think I am overreacting. You see these social media sites as a harmless way to keep family and friends apprised of your goings on; swap photos of pets, kids or the like; plan get togethers; chat and keep up with friends. Sure, the social media sites do exactly that. But in harmless ways, or not-so-harmless ways, your social media can come back to bite you.

When in the middle of a divorce or separation, divorce and social media do not mix. Your best bet with your social media accounts is to disconnect them.