Peter M. Barlow

pbarlow@katesbarlow.com
617.412.4210

In 2009, Peter M. Barlow and Robert J. Kates (1941-2013) founded Kates & Barlow, PC. In 1987, after four years of service in the United States Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps where he spent considerable time prosecuting court-martials, Mr. Barlow joined Widett, Slater & Goldman, PC to be part of Robert Kates’s Family Law Group. Over the next thirty years, Mr. Barlow has worked diligently to become one of the preeminent family law attorneys in Massachusetts. From 2005 to 2009, Mr. Barlow was a partner at Foley & Lardner LLP. Prior to that, he was a partner at the former firm of Goldstein & Manello, PC, and at Epstein Becker & Green, PC.

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.
 
Mr. Barlow has extensive experience in litigation, appearing predominately before the Probate & Family Courts throughout Eastern Massachusetts. He also has travelled to other states and countries to serve his clients. A substantial portion of his practice involves the use of many forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Experience and Expertise: 
  • Litigating cases involving the valuation of closely held corporations, trusts, residential and commercial real estate; the treatment of inherited property, attribution of income, enforceability of prenuptial agreements; and all aspects of alimony and child support
  • Negotiating and drafting comprehensive divorce, premarital, marital, cohabitation, paternity, and post-divorce modification agreements, including detailed parenting plans and complex property divisions involving closely held corporations, tax provisions, and support provisions
  • Handling high-conflict custody disputes, child removal actions, and incidents and allegations of spousal and child abuse and alienation
  • Discreetly representing professional athletes and other public figures in a variety of domestic and paternity-related matters
  • Preparing appellate briefs and arguments for the Massachusetts Appeals Court
  • Providing pro bono representation to indigent clients through his membership in the Massachusetts Senior Lawyers for Justice and Attorneys Representing Children
Bar and Court Admissions
  • Massachusetts
  • US Court of Military Appeals
Lectures 
  • AACFL webinar, "Attempts by Divorcing Spouses to Hide Money" - June 2019
  • MCLE Family Law Trial Advocacy workshop - June 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
  • MCFM Mediating Post Divorce Disputes - May 2016
  • MCLE 19th Annual Family Law Conference - April 2016
  • MBA 25th Annual Family Law Conference - October 2015
  • MCLE Family Law Trial Advocacy Workshop - June 2015
  • MCLE Trying Divorce Cases - October 2014
  • MCLE Navigating a Parental Alienation Case - July 2014
  • BBA High Conflict Custody Cases, panel member - January 2014
  • MCLE Trying Divorce Cases - Novermber 2013
  • MCLE Family Law Trial Advocacy Workshop - June 2013
  • MCLE Child Support and Child Custody: The Guardian Ad Litem Process – July 2012
  • MCLE Family Law Trial Advocacy Workshop – June 2012