Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly quoted Elizabeth A. Roberts about a court ruling she obtained awarding joint custody to a de facto, same-sex parent.
A Massachusetts Probate & Family Court judge in a case of first impression granted shared custody of two children to a woman who jointly raised them during and after a same-sex relationship with their biological mother.
Ms. Roberts, who represented the woman seeking joint custody, said in the article, "Any time you can see an intact family preserved in the eyes of the law is a good day. As lawyers, it's very rare that you get to [address] a gray, unsettled area of the law."
The judge found that "[b]oth parties have been equal parents to the children throughout their lives and should be afforded equal parental rights upon their separation. The Court finds the authority to make such an award in the Court's equity jurisdiction."
Ms. Roberts concentrates her practice on domestic relations law, assisting clients in a wide range of family law matters, including divorce, child custody, prenuptials, postnuptials, adoptions, removal cases, and unmarried partners.