The Worcester division of the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court has jurisdiction over all divorces and paternity matters within the county, along with issues relating to alimony, child support, custody, modifications, contempts, parenting plans, or temporary orders within the county in Fitchburg, Gardner, Grafton, Harvard, Holden, Lancaster, Leicester, Leominster, Rutland, Shrewsbury, Southboro, Sturbridge, Uxbridge, Warren, Westborough, Winchendon, and surrounding areas.
Learn About the Worcester Judges
The family court judges assigned to Worcester are First Justice Denise L. Meagher, Judge Lucille A. DiLeo, Judge Ronald W. King, Judge Leilah A. Keamy, Judge Susan D. Ricci, and Judge Gregory V. Roach.
No matter who your judge is, most matters are heard at the main courthouse at 225 Main Street, Worcester. Each judge will occasionally hear matters in Fitchburg or Westborough, but it is become more are more rare.
More so than in any other Massachusetts county, having a home-field advantage by getting a local family law attorney or divorce law firm is essential in Worcester County. You need a lawyer who has a better understanding of the working culture within the court than say, for example, a lawyer from Boston or Springfield. If your attorney is on his or her toes, they'll know each of the secretaries and clerks and be on friendly terms with each one of them. Along with Judicial Case Manager Michael Herman (who Attorneys Irwin M. Pollack and Maria Rivera-Ortiz claim to almost run the entire court), you must understand how secretaries and clerks are the gate keepers, and if you can't get past the gate keepers in Worcester, you are dead in the water.
Because the Worcester Family Court is So Busy, It Has Its Own Rules of Procedure
In Central Massachusetts, gone are the days of Ozzie and Harriet, til death do us part, and moms staying home baking apple pies. Statistics show that half of Worcester County marriages end in divorce, and at least one-third of all children are living apart from one of their parents. You're not alone.
The Worcester caseload is nearly 19,000 new divorce, separate support, modification, contempt, and restraining order filings each year. When you consider that there are only five full-time judges assigned to hear cases, you start to understand why, with 25 to 40 cases on a typical morning calendar (not including trials), your case will start with a probation officer with the hope of a full agreement on contested issues or, at least a partial stipulation, prior to seeing your judge late in the morning or after the 1:00pm lunch break.
When you and your lawyer take your case to mediation, it can take a half-hour - or three hours - depending on the number of issues you have to sort through, how much you disagree, how open you are to try to work things out, your emotions, and how well you and your attorney communicate.
Courtroom Strategy
Once you go back to see the judge, either on the day of your motion hearing or at a later court date - such as your Pre-Trial Conference or the trial itself - if there is an evidentiary hearing when witnesses are put on the stand, certain questions asked will call for an objection, which requires the judge to make a ruling on whether the question is legally permissible. Once you have heard the objection, wait until the judge's ruling before answering the question. Attempting to respond before or during the judge's ruling is a major mistake. The answer will be stricken, and you will have upset the judge. A series of violations will adversely affect your entire testimony. Objections that are sustained do not require an answer. Objections that are either denied or overruled do require an answer.
Attorney Rivera-Ortiz tells clients that he or she should be aware that an objection to a question should set-off an alarm in your mind that the question is of great significance, and how you should pay close attention to the question being asked.
Massachusetts Divorce Law Is Applied Locally
The basic law and rules are the same everywhere in Massachusetts, but each county handles cases a little differently, and has its own customs, policies and procedures. For that reason, it is very important that you get good information from an experienced divorce attorney who focuses his or her divorce and paternity law practice in Worcester County.
While our main office is just off of Main Street - across the street from the Worcester Probate & Family Court - we offer our clients an even stronger home-field advantage. With our offices in Fitchburg, Gardner, Leominster, Marlboro, and Uxbridge, our Central Massachusetts family lawyers provide the convenience and accessibility for ongoing client education as we practice, drill, and rehearse the strategic plan designed to improve your chances to prevail in your case and secure an equitable settlement in your marital dissolution.
For a free, no-obligation consultation, call (800) 970-LAWYER or contact us online. We meet with clients 7 days a week, and each of our attorneys carries a Blackberry which avails us to answer your questions by phone or e-mail anytime - not just during office hours.
