Criminal charges can have a devastating effect on your family. Criminal charges can often lead to divorce, Abuse Prevention Orders (commonly known as a Restraining Orders), modifications (changes) to previous child custody orders, and familial estrangement.
Do you find yourself charged with Assault & Battery on a Family/Household Member such as your wife or husband?
Or maybe your girlfriend or boyfriend has taken out an Abuse Prevention Order against you?
Or maybe you are faced with Possession with Intent to Distribute and your ex has decided you should no longer see your children because of the criminal charge?
At Sweeney & Associates, we handle both criminal law and family law matters. Often times the criminal charges our clients face lead to family law issues, whether the parties are married, in a relationship, or have split up. We can help you no matter what the criminal or family law issues involve. Contact us today for a free consultation at mail@rsweeneylaw.com or (617) 328-6900.
One of the common issues we deal with involveswhen two people have children, then they get into a physical argument, and one party takes out a Restraining Order against the other party in District Court or Boston Municipal Court. Part of the Restraining Order will then state that you cannot have contact with your children. For example, Jane and Jake have two children, and Jane takes out a restraining order against Jake. Jane can request Jake stay away and have no contact with their children. If the restraining order is taken out in District Court, Jake will not be given any rights to see his children. In these cases, we can file an Emergency Motion for Parenting Time (formerly known as visitation) in the Probate & Family Court requesting the court modify the Restraining Order to allow Jake a certain amount of parenting time with his children. Otherwise, you will not be able to see your kids while the Restraining Order is in place. If you have been served with a restraining order or abuse prevention order do not wait! Call us today so that we can help establish a parenting time schedule for you with your kids.
We also see a lot of cases where a spouse is charged with Assault and Battery against the other spouse. The alleged victim then files for divorce in Probate & Family Court trying to use the criminal charge as leverage in the divorce for not only purposes of parenting time or visitation with the parties’ children, but also for purposes of dividing the marital assets such as the home, bank accounts, and property. It is a common tactic for a spouse to try to gain leverage in a divorce by filing criminal charges. At Sweeney & Associates we can represent you in defending against the criminal charges and in family court. We will fight to make sure you receive a fair divorce settlement and maintain the relationship you have with your kids by fighting for your parental rights.
In other cases that we see, a juvenile has found himself in some legal trouble and one parent blames the other, whether it be for not supervising the juvenile closely enough, committing crimes with the juvenile such as getting high, or allowing the juvenile to have parties involving alcohol at their home. This can lead to one parent seeking to change the custody arrangement to prevent the other parent from having unsupervised visits with the child or preventing the other parent from seeing the child at all. Whether you are the parent whose rights are being restricted or who is fighting for custody to keep your child safe, we can help you.
We understand how difficult it is to face criminal charges which put your liberty and freedom at risk while at the same time facing your spouse or partner in Probate & Family Court who is fighting you for custody of your children. We can help you whether you are facing criminal charges, need assistance in Probate & Family Court, or if your criminal charges have led you to face family law issues. Contact us at Sweeney & Associates today for a free consultation at mail@rsweeneylaw.com or (617) 328-6900.