FAMILY LAW - PALIMONY

A label that came into being in the Marvin Mitchelson days, this is an issue that is rapidly disappearing from the legal scene. The reason: In the states in which Ms. Feigen practices, there are formal arrangements into which same-sex couples may enter: Domestic Partnerhips, Civil Unions and in Massachusetts, Marriage. In some rare circumstances, Ms. Feigen addresses “palimony” for one member of a dissolving live-in arrangement. For example, if the couple never thought about becoming domestic partners but have acted for a long time as though they are and then they decide to split, it could be very unfair for the individual who, for example, stayed home to raise the children not to get any maintenance (alimony) or child support. As always, Ms. Feigen tries for fairness and will challenge any judge who denies it.