Essex County Family Court

    MA 
    CHILD CUSTODY:
    Parenting Plans
    Enforcement
    Family Court
  
                      Essex County, Massachusetts Family Court 

Peabody, Massachusetts 01960
Massachusetts Counties

                Lynn                

                Lawrence                

                Haverhill                

                Peabody                
              
                Methuen                

                Salem                

                Beverly                

                Andover                

                Gloucester                

                North Andover                

                Saugus                

                Danvers                

                Marblehead                

                Newburyport                

                Swampscott                

                Ipswich                

                Amesbury                

                Lynnfield                

                Middleton                

                Salisbury                

                Georgetown                

                Boxford                

                Hamilton                

                South Hamilton                

                Rockport                

                Newbury                

                Groveland                

                Merrimac                

                Topsfield                

                Rowley                

                Manchester                

                Wenham                

                West Newbury                

                Essex                

                Nahant                

                Byfield                

        Welcome! On this page you'll find the following information for Essex County, Massachusetts:
Where to file for child custody in Essex County
How to find or contact the Essex County Family Court
Whether the court offers childcare for days you must visit the court building
Where to find Essex County child custody forms and court fees
How to learn more and find a lawyer

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Where To File for Child Custody in Essex County, MassachusettsIn Essex County, child custody is handled by the Essex County Probate and Family Court NAME OF COURT Essex County Probate and Family Court

              COURT WEBSITE ADDRESS Right Click to Copy Address...
COURT PHONE NUMBER    978-744-1020
COURTHOUSE ADDRESS
Essex County Probate and Family Court
36 Federal Street
Salem, MA 01970

                  GoogleMap
                
COURTHOUSE HOURS
Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. excluding court holidays.
COURTHOUSE CHILDCARE
                                  No Childcare Available                                
Essex County Child Custody Forms
                          & Fees
            Massachusetts Child Custody Forms Used in Essex County              
            
                            https://www.mass.gov/guides/pr
                      
Essex County Child Custody FormsMore Info...
Family Court Fee              More Info...
If you can't afford Essex County court filing fees, you may ask for a waiver. To learn more, see the court's Waiver of Court Fees information.
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Get Help With Massachusetts Child CustodyBefore you file legal papers, take some time to familiarize yourself with the resouces offered by your local court. Most courts now offer at least some materials and forms to help you understand and manage your child custody case. Even if you plan to work with a lawyer, it's smart to do some research before you turn things over. When you're ready to find a lawyer, the resources below can help you locate a child custody attorney near you.
Essex County Family Court Self-Help MaterialsMore Info...
Massachusetts Resources for Making a Parenting PlanMore Info...
Essex County Free or Low Cost Legal HelpMore Info
Essex County Child Custody Lawyers
Related Articles for Essex County MassachusettsHow to Get Custody of a Child
	How Courts Make Child Custody Decisions
How to Find a Child Custody Lawyer
How to Get Parenting Plan Help
          
How to Enforce a Child Custody Order
How to Claim a Child on Your Taxes
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Child Custody Find Your Family Court ▼

Get Help Finding a Massachusetts Child Custody Lawyer
Get Help Finding a Massachusetts Child Custody Lawyer
If you want to find a good child custody lawyer, consider starting with these sources:
- Family and friends. Ask people you know and trust whether they have hired a family lawyer in the past -- or if they know someone else who has. If you hear a name once, that could be a starting point. If you hear the same name many times, put that person on your list of lawyers to call.
- Other lawyers. If you know and respect a lawyer who works in another of the law -- for example a business or estate planning lawyer -- ask if they know a good family law attorney (or whether they’re willing to ask around on your behalf).
- Counselors or therapists. If you’re seeing a counselor or therapist -- especially a marriage counselor -- ask for lawyer recommendations.
- Professional associations. If you don't get any good personal referrals, turn to professional associations for family lawyers. Many good family lawyers belong to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML). You can also contact the Massachusetts Bar Association for family lawyer referrals.
More Information for Massachusetts Residents

To learn more, including:
- how to find free or low-cost legal assistance, and
- interview questions to ask a professional before you turn over your case
See How to Find a Child Custody Lawyer in Massachusetts.

Consult With a Massachusetts Child Custody Attorney

Serving Peabody, Massachusetts.

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What Is Physical vs. Legal Custody of a Child?

What Is Physical vs. Legal Custody of a Child?

Every child custody decision has two essential parts:

Physical custody determines where the children will live.

Legal custody refers to the right to make other important decisions for the children—for example, religious upbringing, medical care, and choices about education.

For more details about the different types of child custody and how they fit together, see How Does Child Custody Work in Massachusetts?

Consult With a Massachusetts Child Custody Attorney

Serving Peabody, Massachusetts.

Ads by Nolo/Martindale Attorney Network

Click Here to Connect With a Child Custody Lawyer serving Peabody, Massachusetts
What Is Joint vs. Sole Custody of a Child?

What Is Joint vs. Sole Custody of a Child?

While the terms physical custody and legal custody refer to types of decisions affecting your children, “joint custody” and “sole custody” refer to who makes those choices on behalf of the kids.

Joint custody refers to a situation where both parents make decisions.

Sole custody means that just one parent has control.

Note that these two types of custody can be blended, and that joint custody doesn’t necessarily mean a 50/50 split.

For example, parents could be granted joint legal custody—giving them both a say in important decisions about their child’s education, religious training, medical treatment, and the like—while one parent gets sole physical custody, meaning that the child will live with him or her and most likely visit the other.

For more details about the different types of child custody and how they fit together, see How Does Child Custody Work in Massachusetts?
What Is Split Custody?

What Is Split Custody?

Split custody means that each parent takes primary custody of different kids—think of the film “The Parent Trap,” where the parents separate the twin sisters as babies, raising one in California and one in Boston. Such arrangements are unlikely to lead to Hollywood endings and are usually disfavored, but there are rare situations in which split custody may make sense. For example, if the siblings aren’t close or if a particular child-parent relationship is unusually strained, an unconventional arrangement might be appropriate.

Before you ask for split custody, it’s wise to consult a counselor or custody evaluator—a therapist that specializes in softening the blow of divorce on children by evaluating the family situation and making recommendations. Your lawyer or your local court should be able to help you find a qualified custody evaluator in your area.
About This Website
About This Website
Here at Legal Consumer, we've been busy building websites to get people the legal answers and information they need. Our goal is to guide you to reliable, local information about your options.

We'll be adding new topics over time, but you can currently use our websites to find comprehensive information on:
- Child Custody (this website)
- Bankruptcy
- Unemployment Law
- Minimum Wage & Overtime Law
- Student Loans
- Obamacare (Health Insurance)
- Inheritance Law
On this website, when you choose your state or enter your zip code, you will quickly learn:
- how child custody works in your state
- how to find and use your local family law court
- how judges make custody decisions
- how to find a good child custody lawyer
- how to get help creating parenting plan
- how to enfoce a child custody or visitation order in your state
- and more.
We know that it's stressful to face difficult issues involving your family and we want to make it as easy as possible for you to find the answers you need.

Who We Are

Legal Consumer

Legal Consumer is a company that believes you should have access to quality information about the legal issues affecting your life. Whether you’re facing financial difficulties, family challenges, health concerns, or trouble at your job, we want to help you get the resources you need. Our websites are written by lawyers and designed to give you accurate, relevant information for your location.

Albin Renauer, Owner and Founder

Albin Renauer is an independent web and database developer and Webby Award judge. He first created LegalConsumer.com as an online companion to his book, How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, to help people file for bankruptcy.

After receiving his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 1985, Albin worked for various public-interest law firms in the Bay Area and as a staff attorney for Chief Justice Rose Bird of the California Supreme Court. He spent 17 years as an editor at leading do-it-yourself legal publisher Nolo, where he helped create numerous books and software programs, including the bestselling Quicken WillMaker. He also edited Law on the Net, the first online directory of legal resources, and was the architect of Nolo's Webby Award winning website.

Shae Irving, Writer and Editor

Shae Irving has been a legal editor and writer since 1994, when she joined the editorial staff at Nolo, specializing in estate planning, health care, and family law issues. For almost a decade, she was the managing editor of Nolo’s bestselling Quicken WillMaker software. Her books include Living Wills and Powers of Attorney for California and Prenuptial Agreements: How to Write a Fair and Lasting Contract. Shae graduated from Berkeley Law and briefly practiced at a large San Francisco law firm before becoming an editor and author. She began working with Legal Consumer in 2013.