IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
• WHAT'S NEW? Webinar, Staff News
• CASE SUMMARY: Gazelle v. Gazelle — Foreign Assets in Divorce
• ARTIST OF THE QUARTER: Luanne E Witkowski
• MINDFULNESS MATTERS: Divorce and Children
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UPCOMING QUARTERLY ZOOM WEBINAR |
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Hot Topics in Immigration
Thursday, October 5, 2023
2:30–3:15pm EST
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The upcoming quarterly Zoom presentation will feature Attorney Shiva Karimi and Attorney Danielle Huntley Webb who will discuss hot topics in immigration law. They will also highlight specific circumstances which could trigger the need to engage knowledgeable immigration counsel to advise in your family law matter.
Attorney Shiva Karimi is a frequent speaker on both immigration and real estate related matters for judges, attorneys, and non-attorneys, and has given presentations at the Boston Municipal Court Department Judge’s Conference, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, the Boston Bar Association, the Massachusetts Bar Association, Boston College Law School, and the Iranian Association of Boston, among others.
Attorney Danielle Huntley Webb, founder of Huntley PC in Boston, MA, focuses her practice on religious workers, extraordinary ability visas, millennial-owned businesses, startups, high net worth individuals, and federal litigation. She has been named to Massachusetts Super Lawyers from 2020 to 2023. A Boston College and Boston College Law School graduate, she resides in Southern New Hampshire with her husband and two dogs, Luna the Great Pyrenees and Jed the Great Dane.
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STAFF NEWS
Farewell Liam!
We hate to see him go, but Administrative Assistant Liam Healy is off to North Carolina to start the next chapter of his life. He is studying for the LSAT and will be applying to Law School while living in NC. Best of luck and we wish him well!
Welcome Megan and Ava!
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Megan Rinke is a 3L at New England Law | Boston, and she is joining Peridot Family Law as our new Law Clerk. Megan worked as a student attorney for New England Law, and she has a wealth of intern experience in the legal field. Megan is very interested in working in the family law field. We are excited to have her on board for the next semester!
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Ava Gallone is coming to us from Rhode Island, where she interned with the Rhode Island Worker’s Compensation Court. Ava received her Paralegal Certificate from Boston University this year, and she will be graduating with her B.S. in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University in May 2024. We are thrilled to have Ava here to fill Liam’s shoes as our new Administrative Assistant/Law Clerk!
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NEW CASE SUMMARY
Ayca Celikkol Gazelle v. Guy Scott Gazelle, Massachusetts Appeals Court, (2023) No. 22-P-829.
DIVORCE
How do foreign assets and exchange rates impact Alimony and Property Division in a Massachusetts Divorce?
Summary by Jess Landry, Esq.
The Massachusetts Appellate Court recently affirmed a trial judge's decision concerning a couple's Turkish assets in an alimony award. The Wife challenged the currency exchange rates used by the trial judge to convert the value of Turkish assets into US dollars for the division of assets and the calculation of alimony. The Wife argued that the judge should have used exchange rates from the date of judgment in 2020, instead of applying rates from 2016 or 2017, as the lira's value had significantly declined. The Wife contended that this resulted in her receiving less than her intended share of the marital estate, leading to an incorrect alimony calculation. Additionally, she requested that the alimony be periodically adjusted based on changes in exchange rates. The Court held that the Wife's arguments were based on a flawed assumption that changes in exchange rates fully accounted for differences in asset values...
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ARTIST OF THE QUARTER
LUANNE E WITKOWSKI
Luanne E Witkowski’s artwork will be the next featured exhibit at Peridot Family Law beginning October 1st through the end of 2023.
Luanne’s works are in collections throughout the United States and abroad. She has been a member of the Kingston Gallery in Boston since 2005. Her organizational affiliations include the United South End Artists, Mission Hill Artist Collective, and the Provincetown Art Association and Museum. Witkowski is a recipient of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Lifetime Achievement in Art & Commerce Commendation, UMB Faculty Award, and Wellfleet Boathouse AIR.
In addition to her studio practice, she is the Assistant Design Studio Director, adjunct faculty, and LR-MFA Mentor and 2019 AIR at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She teaches Creative Thinking in the Critical & Creative Thinking (CCT) graduate program at the University of Massachusetts-Boston.
Luanne works in a wide range of media and reflective social practice. Using mixed materials and processes her constructions, paintings, prints, and multi-media exhibits are reflections on observations of the natural world and humanity through her experiences creating environmental and site-specific installations. Luanne’s pieces reflect her curiosity and interest in ephemera vs eternal, and she also produces ‘portraits of place’.
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MINDFULNESS MATTERS
DIVORCE AND CHILDREN
by Sarah Zweerink
Going through a divorce is often painful and stressful for adults; even more so when children are involved.
As an adult, it helps to remain flexible, open and honest with children about the process. That being said, adults must also maintain appropriate boundaries with their children so as to protect them from hearing too much information, which can harm them.
We are happy to share that we have added a new page of helpful resources to our web site on the topic of Divorce and Children.
Web Resources, Books and Videos
We have compiled books that parents can use to help discuss the process with their children in a healthy way, such as Two Homes by Claire Masurel (for young children) and Divorce Helpbook for Teens by Cynthia MacGregor.
by JoAnne Pedro-Carroll and videos such as The Impact of Divorce on Children ( Dr. Tamara D. Afifi at TEDxUCSB) that provide guidance for parents on the range of emotions and behaviors children may go through when their parents divorce.
Parenting Coordinators
And finally, we offer information about Parenting Coordinators, trained individuals who have experience working with and supporting children. They can be appointed by the Court or selected by the parents, serving as an advocate for the children when parents are struggling to co-parent during and after the divorce process.
At Peridot Family Law, we care about you and your children. If you are in need of additional resources for you or your children, please reach out and we will try to point you in the right direction. If you are in need of competent and caring family law legal services, we are available to help.
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Peridot Family Law team: Cynthia Runge meets with Peter Fitzgerald (left), Ava Gallone and Megan Ripke.
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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