collaborative law

  • The New Corporate Transparency Act – What All Small Businesses Need To Know

    ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices Hours

    The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) went into effect on January 1, 2024. This is a significant change in federal law that will impact nearly every business that is operating through a legal entity such as a corporation, limited liability company (including single member limited liability companies), limited partnership, or other similar entity that is created by filing with any state’s secretary of state (“Company” or “entity”). All companies should be prepared to comply with the new federal reporting requirements by filing an informational report with the Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) unless they are specifically exempt. The report discloses the company’s beneficial ownership information as it relates to the company and its owners and principals. This informational filing needs to be updated…

  • Unmarried Parties and the Collaborative Process

    ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices Hours

    Many couples today choose not to get married, but instead live together in a committed relationship as married couples do, having children and purchasing a home, without the benefit of marriage. Although this decision not to get married may work well for the couple while they are happy, if the relationship breaks down, it is far more difficult for the couple to separate and secure Court orders to address all of their issues. When a couple who is married chooses to separate, the Family Court in New Hampshire will address all issues the couple needs addressed, including parenting, support and the division of assets and debts. However, when a couple who is unmarried chooses to separate, the Family Court can only address parenting and child…

  • PMMLaw Volunteers to help the NH Bar Association’s LawLine

    ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices Hours

    Lawline is a free service provided by the New Hampshire Bar Association every second Wednesday of each month from 6pm-8pm. Callers can contact the bar association and speak with a volunteer attorney to get general advice, and be directed to necessary resources to help them solve their legal problems. Lawline is a volunteer service that requires law firms and attorneys to volunteer their time for free to help others. On March 8th, the partners of PMM law, Cathy McKay, Rory Parnell, David Stamatis, and associate, Julia Hawthorne, volunteered for Lawline to provide free advice and connect folks to helpful resources. At PMM Law, we care very much about the community and consistently volunteer to take pro bono cases from 603 Legal Aid that qualify. PMM…

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    How to Find the Right Attorney for You?

    ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices Hours

    Over a month ago, Newsweek ran an article that discussed one woman’s divorce experience. After a long-term marriage, the author compared her experiences to the five stages of grief. However, she found grief too elegant of a term. Instead, she likened the divorce process to “feeling like a contestant on Wipeout: completely battered, generally off balance, and surrounded by utter chaos.” In her recollection, the author discusses feeling grief, exuberance, blame, sadness, hate and ultimately, indifference. Divorce attorneys are all too familiar with these emotions and more. However, how do you know when you have found the right attorney for you? Any divorce attorney will understand that divorce is a hurricane of emotions. However, a good divorce attorney will serve as a mooring in that…

  • Who Keeps the Engagement Ring When You Split?

    ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices Hours

    Sadly, despite the best of intentions, not all engagements lead to marriage. It begs the question: If the engagement is broken off and the couple doesn’t get married, who gets to keep the bling? An engagement ring, or wedding ring, is often an item whose sentimental value far exceeds its actual monetary value. Sentimental value, however, can get thrown out the window during a divorce when both parties are trying to split their marital property. Still, the real value of a wedding or engagement ring can be significant enough for concern. A jewelry piece of any kind can be a high-value asset, but not many people look for a bargain when they’re purchasing a representation of their love and commitment. So how do rings factor…

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    Is Divorce Seasonal?

    ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices Hours

    ‘Tis the Season for Divorce?Research from the University of Washington has suggested that divorce filings in some states consistently peak in the months of August and March. The study noted that divorce filings may be driven by a “domestic ritual” calendar and suggested that the increased filings may be the result of unhappy spouses realizing that the holidays or vacations did not live up to their expectations. Unhappy couples often think that holidays or vacations are good times for them to mend their relationships. They seem to develop an optimistic approach thinking that things will be better in the relationship if they have a nice holiday or vacation together, as a family.In New Hampshire, the attorneys at Parnell, Michels & McKay have experienced a similar…

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    Divorce: A Personal Perspective

    ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices Hours

    With almost 50% of all marriages in the United States ending in divorce or separation, most people you encounter will have one ‘crazy’ family story or another. Sadly, when I was 13 years of age, my parents decided it was time to end their marriage and get a divorce. At the age of 13, I did not fully understand why they were leaving each other and the circumstances around it. Nothing too bad was going on, in reality, they just weren’t in love with each other anymore and wanted to separate. Of course, they had their moments, but from what I have seen throughout my life, most divorces are very difficult.At such a young age, my parents did not expose me to the legalities surrounding…

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    Considering Premarital Cohabitation In An Equitable Division of Property

    ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices Hours

    In August of 2016, the New Hampshire Supreme Court issued a decision In the Matter of Munson and Beal which gives the Court the clear ability to consider the parties’ premarital cohabitation in the determination of an equitable division of marital property.Every discussion about the division of marital property begins with what is marital property. Many clients come into our office with the belief that assets titled to that party individually or assets that the party brought into the marriage are not marital assets. This is wrong. In New Hampshire, RSA 458:16-defines marital property as all assets titled to either party individually or to the parties jointly. This means that all assets are marital assets, no matter how they are titled. The statute also requires…

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    Closing of Supervised Visitation Centers Complicates Contested Parenting Cases

    ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices Hours

    The Greater Nashua Supervised Visitation Center is expecting to close its doors at the end of the year due to a lack of federal funding. This closure further reduces the options available to parents needing supervision of their parenting time. Since the 2014 closing of the Manchester YWCA supervision center, only a handful of supervised visitation centers remain in New Hampshire. In 2016, Focus on Families opened in Manchester, filling part of the void. However, due to the limited hours each of the centers offer for supervision services, there is often more cases needing supervision than time available to supervise. With the closing of the Greater Nashua Supervised Visitation Center, the shortage of available supervision will only increase. Supervised visitation centers serve an important role…

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    Co-Parenting Dos and Don’ts

    ByParnell, Michels & McKay Law Offices Hours

    Several months ago, this blog discussed the value of good co-parenting. All too often, the media plagues its consumers with disheartening narratives like the vindictive ex-wife or the deadbeat dad. Unquestionably, Family Law is a field bursting with deep-seated emotions. The most important thing for any parent is their child. Parents want to make sure their kids are safe and secure, both financially and physically. Parents want to ensure their children grow up healthy, happy, and successful. They want a better life for their children. In fact, what is often lost in the media’s tropes are the impact such narratives have on children. These tropes can arise from toxic co-parenting. A consistent and constant problem in a number of cases before New Hampshire’s Family Courts…