BOSTON – Following a unanimous vote of the Boston Bar Association governing body, the 32 member Council, the BBA endorsed the alimony reform recommendations set forth in a report produced by a joint task force of the BBA and the Massachusetts Bar Association.
The recommendations would not apply in cases where the parties have dependent children, or in cases where, but for alimony, the recipient of alimony would become a public charge. Nor would the recommendations apply when the recipient of alimony has a mental or physical disability, is of an advanced age, or for compelling and related reasons lacks the ability to exercise marketable skills including those reasons related to abusive conduct of the payor spouse during the marriage.
The report endorsed by the BBA recommends four classifications of alimony or spousal support, and seven deviation factors.
Co-chaired by David Lee of Lee & Levine, representing the BBA and Denise Squillante of Denise Squillante, P.C. representing the MBA, the joint task force also included Rachel Biscardi (WBA), Patience W. Crozier (MLGBA), Gene Dahmen (BBA), David Eppley (BBA), Veronica J. Fenton (MBA), Linda S. Fidnick (MBA), Honorable Robert W. Langlois, and Honorable Robert A. Scandurra.
