Family Law

• Divorce
  Attorney Amanda Vanderhorst has been awarded Boston Magazine Top Lawyer for 2022 for Divorce and Family Law.
• Child Support
  Linda A. Ouellette is a Partner at Kates & Barlow, with over thirty years experience focused exclusively in family law and probate litigation. She is well-known for her formidable trial skills, particularly in cases involving complex financial matters and custody issues. She wrote the brief for the prevailing party in the case of J.S. v. C.C., 454 Mass. 652 (2009), the seminal Massachusetts case concerning the treatment of subchapter S distributions in child support cases. She also successfully represented the appellant in the case of Akinci-Unal v. Unal, 64 Mass. App. 212 (2005), establishing precedent for the exercise of long-arm jurisdiction over out-of-state litigants in divorce matters.
• Child Custody and Visitation
  Mr. Barlow holds an AV Preeminent rating by Lexis Nexis/Martindale-Hubbell, the highest possible peer review rating in both legal ability and ethical standards. Mr. Barlow has been listed in Woodward and White’s Best Lawyers in America for Family Law for more than a decade. He has been recognized as a Massachusetts Super Lawyer since 2006. He is the Founding President of the Greater Boston Family Law American Inn of Court. Mr. Barlow is a Founding Member of the American Academy for Certified Financial Litigators ("AACFL") and sits on its Advisory Board. Mr. Barlow has earned the AACFL designation as a Certified Financial Litigator. He has accepted judicial appointments as a Discovery Master, Guardian Ad Litem, and as counsel to a soldier serving in Iraq. Mr. Barlow has written articles on family law topics and is a frequent lecturer on a variety of subjects including the introduction of expert testimony at trial, high conflict child custody cases, jurisdictional issues, trial advocacy, paternity, payment of college expenses, the Guardian Ad Litem process, and child removal actions. He has been a guest lecturer at Suffolk University Law School and Harvard Law School. Currently, Mr. Barlow is serving on the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education Curriculum Advisory Committee for Family Law.
• Adoption
• Paternity
  Mr. Heneghan is a Managing Partner at Kates & Barlow, specializing in family law, including divorce, complicated custody issues, child support, modification of judgments, and appeals. He has extensive court experience and training with respect to custody cases that include court-appointed Guardian Ad Litem investigations and/or the Department of Children and Families (formerly the Department of Social Services). He also has far-reaching experience in family law litigation involving removal of children from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, complex jurisdictional issues, de facto parents, and paternity cases. Mr. Heneghan brings in-depth knowledge and experience to issues involving the division of marital assets, child support, alimony, and other complex financial matters.
• Premarital Agreement
  Amanda Vanderhorst is a Managing Partner at Kates & Barlow, focusing her practice exclusively in the area of family law. She represents individuals in divorce, the drafting and negotiating of prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, paternity, removal, modifications, contempt proceedings, guardianships of children and adoptions. She is an experienced litigator and effective negotiator, guiding her clients through complex personal and financial issues including business valuations, executive compensation, closely held corporations and the treatment of trust property within the division of the marital estate. Ms. Vanderhorst represents clients across the Commonwealth in Probate and Family Courts in Middlesex, Norfolk, Essex, Plymouth, Bristol, Barnstable, Dukes and Suffolk Counties.
• Guardianship
  At Kates & Barlow we practice exclusively in the area of Family Law. When you’re facing complex personal and financial issues arising from separation, divorce, child custody, pre- or post-nuptial agreement, guardianships and other Family Law issues, you want a legal team with the depth of experience to help you reach a successful resolution of your case. You'll find that team at Kates & Barlow.
• Spousal Support
  Amanda Vanderhorst is speaking at the 2nd Annual MCLE Domestic Relations Financial Summitt 2023 on February 16, 2023. She will be on the panel for New Child Support Guidelines - A Year (Plus) Later - Features, Implication, Best Practices, and the Interplay with Alimony and College Contribution.
• Child Abuse
  Handling high-conflict custody disputes, child removal actions, and incidents and allegations of spousal and child abuse and alienation

Trusts and Estates

• Probate
  Prior to joining Kates & Barlow in 2018, Ms. Kravitz served as a Judicial Law Clerk (2017-2018) to the justices of the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court in the Suffolk, Middlesex, and Essex divisions. ​Ms. Kravitz drafted and performed research on an assortment of complex issues, including those pertaining to divorce, property division, and child support. She also provided legal and factual analysis and drafted both memoranda and decisions for the justices on all areas of family and probate law.

Finance Law

• Tax Law
  At Kates & Barlow, we have decades of experience working in all aspects of family law including litigation; negotiations; understanding complex compensation structures; working with experts on business valuation, forensic accounting and complex corporate and tax issues. We have extensive experience in high-conflict custody cases; mental health issues; cases involving substance abuse; and more. We have built a dedicated team of attorneys and support staff to keep you fully informed about the progress of your case and ensures seamless representation throughout the legal process.