Blog Posts in 2016

Six Modern Divorce Trends

Divorce trends have begun to change in recent years, including a number of trends that once held steady for quite a long time. One of the leading theories as to why these changes have come about is the millennial generation, who are growing up, marrying, and making decisions on divorce. In this blog, we examine six of these divorce trends and why they may be emerging. Divorce Is Decreasing We hear ...

Attorney Deborah Miller Tate Comments on Federal Domestic Relations Decision

Mass Lawyers Weekly recently turned to Attorney Deborah Miller Tate for her insight into a Massachusetts case which saw federal court rejection of one woman's claim to allegedly hidden marital assets. Ultimately, the woman's claim, which was presented as a breach of contract suit, was rejected due to suspected "forum shopping." Attorney Tate was asked to speculate why the plaintiff in this case ...

November is National Adoption Month

Throughout the United States, November is being celebrated as National Adoption Month. Numerous adoption professionals and agencies are participating in community events to encourage awareness of adoption opportunities and the vital need for adoption throughout the country. Adoptions occur in many different forms and contexts including foster parent adoption (following the DCYF termination of ...

New Trend In Custody: Nesting, Sharing A Single Home

The Wall Street Journal recently reported on a new trend in custody arrangements which is gaining ground throughout the country. Parents who separate sometimes jointly maintain the marital home, have the children live in it, but rotate their scheduled visitation with the children at the home. This allows the children to remain in their home without disruption to the children caused by transporting ...

How is a common law marriage established in Rhode Island?

Rhode Island is one of few states that recognize common law marriages . The Rhode Island Supreme Court first recognized the validity of common law marriage in the seminal case Holgate v. United Electric Rys. Co., 47 R.I. 337 (1926). Since rendering its Holgate decision, the Supreme Court has expanded upon and reaffirmed the validity of common law marriages in its subsequent case law. Establish a ...

Attorneys Deborah Tate & Stephen Prignano to Give Domestic Law Seminar

McIntyre Tate LLP is proud to announce that Attorneys Deborah Tate and Stephen Prignano will both be speaking at an upcoming December seminar hosted by the Rhode Island Bar Association. The one-day event is titled "Domestic Law Practice in Rhode Island." "Domestic Law Practice in Rhode Island" will cover a range of family law topics, from divorce mediation and child custody issues, to practical ...

Three McIntyre Tate Attorneys Named New England Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters for 2017

McIntyre Tate is pleased to announce that three of its partners, Jerry McIntyre, Deborah Tate and Stephen Prignano, have been named New England Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters for 2017 in the area of Family Law . In fact, only five Rhode Island family law attorneys have been named Super Lawyers for 2017. McIntyre Tate is proud to have three of these five Rhode Island Super Lawyers as partners of ...

NY Court Awards Sole Custody to Father after Mother Attempts to "Brainwash" Child

In a recent New York decision, the father of a 12 year old girl was awarded sole custody of the child when it was determined that the mother had made intentional efforts to alienate the child from her father, such actions deemed by the Court to be “so inimical to a child’s interests as to raise a strong probability that the offending parent is unfit to be a custodial parent”. The Court relied on ...

Social Media Evidence Becoming Important in Divorce and Custody Cases

Social media has transformed the way people communicate. People use social media to keep friends and family updated on events in their daily routines, from the mundane to the extraordinary. They use social media to promote their business or profession, or to post photos or videos of themselves or others to share with on-line communities. Indeed, many utilize social media to communicate aspects of ...

Social Media Evidence Becoming Important in Divorce and Custody Cases

Social media has transformed the way people communicate. People use social media to keep friends and family updated on events in their daily routines, from the mundane to the extraordinary. They use social media to promote their business or profession, or to post photos or videos of themselves or others to share with on-line communities. Indeed, many utilize social media to communicate aspects of ...

Partanen v. Gallagher: Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts holds that the absence of a biological relationship with a child does not preclude a finding of presumed parentage

In a landmark decision, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts held that a person may establish herself as a child’s presumptive parent in the absence of a biological relationship with the child. Karen Partanen and Julie Gallagher were in a committed, nonmarital relationship for twelve years. Using in vitro fertilization, and with Partanen’s “full acknowledgment, participation, and consent,” ...

Attorney David J. Strachman Quoted in Bloomberg News

McIntyre Tate LLP partner, David J. Strachman, was quoted in Bloomberg News on the newly enacted Justice Against the Sponsors of Terrorism Act. Congress enacted this statute to expand the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and allow terrorism victims to sue state sponsors of terrorism. The statute targeted Saudi Arabia after intense lobbying by 9/11 victims who long have sought justice for the death ...

Navigating a "Gray Divorce"

"Gray divorce " is the term given to the rising trend of divorces occurring later in life for many couples. Over the last few years, our divorce attorneys have seen an increased number of older and elderly couples filing to dissolve their marriage—even into their 60’s and beyond. While these divorces can ultimately improve the lives of each spouse, they do come with inherent challenges that must ...

Life Insurance in Divorce

An untimely death after a divorce can leave the surviving spouse in a dire financial situation. For this reason, the judge may sometimes order one or both spouses to maintain a certain amount of life insurance to protect the other in the event that tragedy should strike. In this way, the other person would be financially protected in the even they are forced to take over responsibilities, such as ...

Life Insurance in Divorce

An untimely death after a divorce can leave the surviving spouse in a dire financial situation. For this reason, the judge may sometimes order one or both spouses to maintain a certain amount of life insurance to protect the other in the event that tragedy should strike. In this way, the other person would be financially protected in the even they are forced to take over responsibilities, such as ...

Life Insurance in Divorce

An untimely death after a divorce can leave the surviving spouse in a dire financial situation. For this reason, the judge may sometimes order one or both spouses to maintain a certain amount of life insurance to protect the other in the event that tragedy should strike. In this way, the other person would be financially protected in the even they are forced to take over responsibilities, such as ...

Life Insurance in Divorce

An untimely death after a divorce can leave the surviving spouse in a dire financial situation. For this reason, the judge may sometimes order one or both spouses to maintain a certain amount of life insurance to protect the other in the event that tragedy should strike. In this way, the other person would be financially protected in the even they are forced to take over responsibilities, such as ...

Three McIntyre Tate LLP Attorneys to Present at National Business Institute Course

Next month, Attorneys Stephen M. Prignano, Robert Parker, and Robert Sgroi will be a featured speakers at "Advanced Issues in Family and Divorce Law," a 2-day practical course presented by the National Business Institute (NBI). Attorney Prignano's segment, titled “Advanced Discovery and Evidence in Divorce,” will cover a range of topics on the subject, including tracking down hidden assets , ...

Stephen Prignano Quoted About Rhode Island Rules of Professional Conduct

Attorney Stephen Prignano was quoted in Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly on how a ruling pertaining to the Rhode Island Rules of Professional Conduct will influence how “conflict of interest” disputes will be reviewed in the future. A judge recently disqualified a firm for abandoning a long-time client in order to hire attorneys to represent a party suing that client - the court found that the firm's ...

Two McIntyre Tate LLP Attorneys Honored by Best Lawyers®

McIntyre Tate LLP is proud to announce that not one, but two of our attorneys have been honored by Best Lawyers® this year. For their outstanding reputation family law and commercial litigation, Attorneys Deborah Miller Tate and Stephan M. Prignano have both been included in the 23rd Edition of "The Best Lawyers in America." Best Lawyers is considered the oldest and one of most respected legal ...

Gay Custody Disputes

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article that highlights a growing issue nationally and in the Rhode Island legal community. Increasingly, we are seeing the relationships of gay couples (married and non-married) disolving and impacting their children. Naturally there are issues that are unigue to gay couples, and this article discusses custody disputes when only one member of the couple ...

Stephen Prignano selected to edit Rhode Island chapter of the Media Law Resource Center's book

Stephen Prignano has been selected to edit the Rhode Island chapter of the Media Law Resource Center's Libel and Privacy Law Survey. The publication is a 50-State survey of the latest developments in the law of defamation and privacy as it impacts the employer-employee relationship. Stephen will be keeping the Rhode Island chapter of the survey up-to-date on an annual basis with the latest ...

Deborah Tate selected again for The Best Lawyers in America

McIntyre Tate LLP partner Deborah Tate was selected for the 10th year for inclusion in the The Best Lawyers in American 22nd edition. This exhaustive and rigorous peer selected honor demonstrates that Ms. Tate is one the the best lawyers in her specialty and demonstates that she has been proven to be a consistent and dedicated member of the Rhode Island legal community.

McIntyre Tate obtains sucessful ruling in Ninth Circuit

McIntyre Tate LLP partner David J. Strachman recently obtained a successful ruling in the Ninth Circuit Court of appeals on behalf of American terrorist victims. Previously at the district court he obtained an attachment of almost $9,000,000 in Iranian assets held by an American defense contractor Cubic Defense Systems which was due to be paid to the Islamic Republic of Iran. The decision in Cubic ...

McIntyre Tate obtains sucessful ruling in Ninth Circuit

McIntyre Tate LLP partner David J. Strachman recently obtained a successful ruling in the Ninth Circuit Court of appeals on behalf of American terrorist victims. Previously at the district court he obtained an attachment of almost $9,000,000 in Iranian assets held by an American defense contractor Cubic Defense Systems which was due to be paid to the Islamic Republic of Iran. The decision in Cubic ...