- DivorceWe specialize in litigating divorce and family law cases in Worcester, Middlesex and Norfolk counties. Over the years, we have earned our reputation as premiere divorce and family law attorneys in Central Massachusetts.
- Child Support“Joe was recommended to me from a friend when I was in need of a Family Law Attorney to help resolve a difficult family law case. My case entailed resolving child support and guardianship issues for two emancipated special needs children. Joe was able to quickly and efficiently gather nearly 10 years of the case history and resolve an otherwise contentious and complex case through mediation. My case was largely settled out of court and avoided a costly and lengthy legal process. Joe was professional, available and provided a great attention to detail and communicated well with me throughout the case. I would strongly recommend Joe McManus and his legal team to help resolve family law matters in Massachusetts. I look forward to working with him in the future.”
- Child Custody and VisitationHe has conducted hundreds of divorce related investigations involving child custody matters, parenting plans and removal cases, beginning in 1978 when he served the Worcester Probate Court as a Probation Officer and for the last 26 years as a Guardian Ad Litem.
- Adoption
- GuardianshipAttorney McManus has thirty years of experience in the Worcester Probate Court handling adoptions, guardianships, divorces, equity complaints, estates, will contests, contempts, modifications, restraining orders and removal cases.
- Wrongful DeathWe handle pedestrian and bicycle accidents in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. Pedestrian and bicycle accidents often result in catastrophic injuries or wrongful death claims. Most of these accidents occur outside of a crosswalk or designated bicycle lane. Under these circumstances, insurance companies will often try to blame the injured party. Generally speaking pedestrians are entitled to the right of way, and the same is true of bicyclists as long as they follow the rules of the road.
- Restraining OrderWe handle divorce cases as well as post-divorce modifications, complaints for contempt, custody and visitation cases, restraining orders and removals.
- Premises LiabilityWe handle premises liability cases in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire, including slip and fall and trip and fall injuries. Contrary to popular misconception, the owner of a premises is not liable for injuries that a visitor sustained while on his premises solely by virtue of the fact that he is the owner. In order to prevail in a premises liability case, the injured party must prove that the defendant violated a duty owed to the injured party, breached that duty and that breach caused the victim’s damages. Generally speaking, a landowner has a duty to keep the premises in a reasonably safe condition and breaches that duty when he has failed to repair or warn about a defect that he knows or should have known about. However, the scope of the duty that a landowner owes to an injured party depends on what the victim was doing on the land at the time of the fall. For example, a landowner owes a higher duty to keep the premises safe for a customer than for someone who just has permission to use the land. In addition, premises liability cases are often defended on the theory of comparative negligence. This means that the defense attorney and insurance company may argue that even if the landowner was negligent, the victim was more negligent than the owner because he didn’t look where he was going.
- Personal InjuryAttorney McManus is passionate about advocacy and utilizes his courtroom skills to assist his clients during difficult times. Whether it is a serious personal injury or a difficult divorce. Attorney McManus is dedicated to pursuing and attaining justice on behalf of each and every client.
- Medical MalpracticeWe handle traumatic brain injury cases in Massachusetts and Connecticut. TBIs can result from any type of trauma to the head. A person can sustain a brain injury from a motor vehicle or motorcycle accident, slip and fall or trip and fall or medical malpractice.
- Auto Accidents
- Dog BitesWe handle dog bite and dog attack cases in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. In all three states, the owner or keeper of a dog who injures another person is strictly liable for the victim’s damages and losses. This means that if you have been injured by a dog, you do not need to prove that the dog owner was at fault. As long as you were not teasing, tormenting or abusing the dog, the owner or keeper of that dog is responsible to compensate you for your injuries. Some of these cases, therefore, turn on whether you can prove that the responsible party was indeed the owner or keeper of the dog under the applicable law. Other times a dispute arises as to whether the owner or keeper’s insurance company is responsible to pay for these losses under the applicable insurance policy, which sometimes exclude damages caused by certain breeds. The main issue in most dog bite and dog attack cases, however, is the value of the damages suffered. Commonly these damages include permanent scarring and emotional distress.
- Estate Planning
- Wills
- Trusts
- Probate
- Bankruptcy