IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
• WHAT'S NEW? Webinar, Professional Activities, Staff News
• CASE SUMMARY: J.D.M. vs. J.A.M — Contempt
• ARTIST OF THE QUARTER: Ashley Provencher
• MINDFULNESS MATTERS: Stress Management and Family Law
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I’m finishing this newsletter over Memorial Day Weekend. Summer is officially here! I can’t believe the school year is almost over and how quickly it has passed. Summer is my favorite time of year. It is a season when I can spend more time with my family, take trips and slow down just a bit. A time to catch my breath from the demands of a busy practice, to renew and recharge. That being said, we have been busy since the last quarter and have some news, updates, and upcoming programs to share with you.
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UPCOMING QUARTERLY ZOOM WEBINAR |
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No Money, No Honey, No Job —
What's Next?
Cynthia Runge Hosts Maureen Weisner, M.ED, PCC, CPCC
Thursday, June 8, 2023, 12:15pm EST
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Cindy will interview Maureen Weisner, M.ED, PCC, CPCC, Co-Founder of the boutique career-consulting firm ‘KICKSTART Your Transition’. Maureen herself specializes in working with individuals approaching transitions, particularly involving career change, divorce, education, and other work and life events. Her extensive knowledge involving business and corporate sales, as well as her experience in these fields, gives her the optimal skillset for career transition needs. Through this skillset, she has helped her clients plan and develop towards their aspirations while building a career blueprint that helps them process and guide them towards meeting their goals. You don’t want to miss Maureen’s presentation on June 8th or her amazing advice for kickstarting your own transition!
RECENT PANEL PRESENTATIONS
Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education Family Law Conference:
Self-care, Managing Time, and Civility Panel
On May 19, 2023, Cindy Runge and Barbara Richmond Co-Chaired a panel on wellness for the family law bar with Attorneys Jared Correia, Andrew Kang, and Eric Parker for Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) New England. The panel addressed methods for self-care, including effective use of technology, civility and dealing with the psychological impact of family law practice, especially during periods of high stress which occur during litigation.
Massachusetts Council for Family Mediation:
"The Crossroads of the Divorcing Homeowner" Panel Discussion
On Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at the Wellesley Free Library Cindy moderated a panel discussion about issues surrounding the “marital home”, which frequently becomes a major issue for many divorcing couples. Panelists included: Janice Berner, who presented on working with a CDFA during the mediation process; Le Doan and Edgar Kaplan, who spoke about the value of working with realtors during the divorce process. Richard Goulet, President of the Appraisers Group, who spoke about how working with an appraiser can be valuable to parties in mediation. John Marroni, VP of Residential Lending for Draper & Kramer mortgage Corp., spoke about how he and his group can be a resource to parties and their counsel especially when he is involved early on. Finally, Michael Pinta, an experienced real estate attorney provided valuable information about how real estate attorneys can help divorcing parties especially during the drafting of their separation agreements. The panelists provided valuable information and resources to the attendees.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Progeria Research Foundation Cure Cup Classic Golf Tournament,
Ipswich Country Club
On May 15, 2023 Attorney Shannon Barnes, who is Of Counsel to Peridot Family Law, participated in the Progeria Research Foundation’s Golf Cup Classic. Peridot Family Law was a sponsor for the event, which raised over $35,000.00 for Progeria Research. Shannon is an avid golfer and had a great time out on the green raising money for a worthy cause.
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STAFF NEWS
Congratulations Liam Healy!
This winter Liam joined Peridot Family Law as an Administrative Assistant. Liam graduated from Suffolk University with a Bachelor’s in Law this Spring, and is also gearing up to take the LSAT and apply to law schools.
Good Luck Sarah Zweerink!
Sarah has completed law school and will be taking the Bar Exam this Summer. We wish Sarah all the best in her future legal career!
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Stay tuned to hear more about our NEW Pet Dispute Resolution practice.
NB: we did not obtain a release from Murray, hence the rear view.
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NEW CASE SUMMARY
J.D.M. vs. J.A.M., 22-P-499; Memorandum and Order Pursuant to 23.0,
case may be cited for its persuasive value, but not as binding precedent.
CONTEMPT
Evidentiary hearings in contempt matters.
In this case, the appeals court remanded a case to the Probate & Family Court concerning a finding of contempt. In this matter, the plaintiff ex-husband filed a Complaint for Contempt alleging that the defendant ex-wife had prevented him from having parenting time with his children; was trying to alienate him from his children and was placing tracking devices on the children’s possessions.
The defendant’s attorney requested an evidentiary hearing, but the Court said it would need to be heard on another date. The defendant’s attorney then proceeded to state that he would be “happy to present the case and see what you think about it,” but added that the facts are in dispute. The Judge said she would hear the case on representations of counsel. Throughout the hearing, the defendant’s attorney raised repeated objections to an affidavit as well as the absence of an evidentiary hearing...
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ARTIST OF THE QUARTER
Our next Artist of the Quarter is Ashley Provencher, who will be exhibiting her work at Peridot Family Law beginning on July 10, 2023 through September 30, 2023.
Ashley’s interest is the ocean and her love for it in all its forms. She loves to emphasize the colors and energy that come from the ocean. She’s inspired by the friction and layers — where surface planes meet where the colors meld and clash, flowing back and forth between movement and stability. She wants to bring you to the space your memory and imagination takes you to. She claims that the ocean never gets boring to her and remains a continual place of challenging growth for her.
Besides finding Ashley’s work in galleries and adorable boutique stores around the U.S. you will see Ashley’s artwork featured in distinguished hospitals and corporate collections, including The Children’s Hospital in Boston and Waltham, The East Boston Neighborhood Health Center both in their East Boston and Winthrop locations, and The Allston Brighton Health Center.
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MINDFULNESS MATTERS
STRESS MANAGEMENT AND FAMILY LAW
This quarter, I am Chair of a wellness panel for the Massachusetts Bar Association entitled, “Managing the Madness”. I am always excited to speak about wellness as I always learn something new that I can incorporate into my personal and professional life. Below is some information about the June 6th Zoom program. I hope you can join us!
MASSACHUSETTS BAR ASSOCIATION PANEL
Managing The Madness: How To Effectively Deal with the Stress of
Family Law Practice
On June 6th, 2023, 12:00–1:00 PM EST – by Zoom, Cindy will lead a panel of experienced family law practitioners and a licensed clinical psychologist to speak about effective ways to manage the stress of highly charged and emotional family law matters. The panel will discuss tips and tools for managing stress and wellness.
· Dr. Tracey Meyers: Will discuss the effects of stress on the mind and body and how to combat it.
· Attorney Eric Schutzbank: Will discuss the intricacies of trials and the impact on one’s energy. In addition, Eric will address dealing with difficult clients and their emotions while managing the adversarial nature of the litigation process.
· Attorney Karen Levitt: Will discusses different frames for collaborative and mediation cases. She will address the intricacies of collaborative/mediation cases and how these cases can be just as stressful as other family law cases.
· Attorney Melissa Dragon: Will present how to manage your schedule with as little stress as possible. Will speak about and provide tips to manage the stressors of family law practices, including breathing techniques, meditation, and yoga.
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Peridot Family Law staff: Cynthia Runge meets with Peter Fitzgerald (center) and Liam Healy (right).
Peridot Family Law is a full-service family law firm based in Boston, Massachusetts. Our goal is to help our clients transition through their family law matter in the best possible way. We do this by listening to our clients' goals and objectives. We meet our clients where they are in the process and offer practical, reasonable solutions to produce a positive outcome for their situation.
Cynthia Runge, Founder and Sole Member.
Admitted to the bar in Massachusetts and New York.
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Follow Peridot Family Law on LinkedIn. |
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