Co-parenting in Boston, without the 10 p.m. scramble

The school email. The $120 receipt. The pickup you have to confirm again. Hand Civly any of it as it arrived and it lands on one calendar both houses read — and if you ever need the record for a matter in Suffolk County Probate and Family Court, it's already there. You won't be building it at 10 p.m.

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Boston family court information

Custody and family law cases in Boston are handled by the Suffolk County Probate and Family Court in Suffolk County. Massachusetts custody matters are heard in the Probate and Family Court system; the governing custody statute is Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 208, § 31. Civly exports a complete, timestamped PDF of your messages, calendar and expenses that you can hand to your attorney.

Boston co-parents navigating Massachusetts's strong emphasis on the child's best interest standard use Civly to keep detailed records for Suffolk County Probate Court.

How custody works in Massachusetts

Massachusetts courts determine custody based on the best interests of the child and may grant shared legal and/or physical custody.

Massachusetts custody cases are filed in Probate and Family Court. Married parents address custody through divorce proceedings, while unmarried parents file under ch. 209C in the same court. The court may appoint a guardian ad litem to investigate the family situation and provide a written report with recommendations. Massachusetts does not have a mandatory mediation requirement, but the Probate and Family Court offers voluntary conciliation and mediation services in many divisions. Parents may also engage a parenting coordinator to resolve ongoing disputes.

Cases from Boston are filed in Suffolk County and heard in the Suffolk County Probate and Family Court. The court that hears your case is determined by where the children have been living, not by where either parent works.

For the full picture, see custody in Massachusetts.

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How Civly helps Boston parents

AI-powered message rewriting

Type what you really feel — Civly writes the calm version — the one you would not cringe at if it were read back later. Your vent stays private and never enters an export. What you send is what gets kept.

Shared custody calendar

Color-coded custody schedule built from your own parenting plan. Share a read-only link with grandparents, attorneys, or mediators.

Snap the receipt, skip the math

Snap a receipt or forward an email. AI extracts the amount. Your co-parent approves or disputes. Track every shared expense in Boston.

Frequently asked questions

You don't need their agreement to start

Set up the calendar, log what's owed, draft the message you have to send tonight. Invite them when you're ready — the shared parts switch on the day they join.

Start tonight — $79/year

30-day money-back guarantee. Available in every state.

Civly is not a law firm and this page is not legal advice. Custody law and the rules of evidence vary from state to state, and individual judges apply them differently. For advice about your own case, speak to a family law attorney licensed in Massachusetts. Civly launched in 2026 and is not named in many court orders yet — if your order already requires a specific platform, keep using it and ask your attorney before switching.