Nicholas Halks is one of the top domestic relations trial attorneys in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, specializing in handling high stakes divorce & child custody litigation. A small sampling of his recent trial victories include:
1.) Winning Sole Legal & Physical Custody for a Mother, andreducing Father's parenting time due to his mentally abusive behavior after a three day highly contested trial;
2.) Winning a 60-40% division of complex assets (international real estate) for a Husband in a Twenty-Year Marriage including Husband retaining his pre-marital retirement assets after a four-day trial,
3.) Winning Physical Custody and disparate division of assets (domestic & international real estate and bullion) for a Mother in an Abusive Marriage after an eight-day trial (Successfully Defended Victory on Appeal);
4.) Winning Physical Custody, Increased Child Support, and Equal Division of Husband's premarital Assets in a Short Term Marriage;
5) Winning $260,000 in damages (including punitive) after a nine-day jury trial in the Superior Court for a woman being sexually harassed by her employer, (Successfully Defended Victory in Appellate Court and Supreme Judicial Court) The appellate case created an exception to the law which enhanced protections for workers suffering from sexual harassment in smaller sized workplaces;
6.) Winning a removal ("relocation") trial where the parties shared physical custody, winning sole physical custody for a Father after a two day trial;
7.) Winning 60% of the marital estate for a Wife who was the victim of adultery in a long-term marriage;
8). Winning a Five-Year Restraining Order and Sole Legal Custody for a Woman the Victim of Physical Abuse;
9.) Settling an Age/Gender Discrimination matter for $407,000
Having conducted approximately seventy civil trials to judgment/verdict, Halks is experienced with litigating a case from start to finish, including defending the victory on appeal. Seven of those trial were appealed by the losing party but Halks sucessfully defended all seven on appeal. Coupled with his high energy, prowess, and oral persuasion skills, Halks is an extremely formidable lawyer, whose reputation for excellence is well known in Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, and Suffolk Counties. He has also conducted approximately seventy five (75) restraining order hearings, winning the great majority of same, in order to both protect victims of abuse and vacate false claims utilized by parents to gain advantages in custody matters.
Although Halks is more than capable of winning at trial, he is also a shrewd and skilled negotiator, who is willing to sit down and hammer out an amicable agreement without the need of the Court. A litigator at heart, Mr. Halks enjoys the "Arena," better known as the Courtroom, as that is where he excels based on his superior oral and written communication skills, honed by hard work and experience. Halks is entirely capable of achieving maximum results with or without a battle in a Courtroom.
Halks is the Winner of the AVVO Client's Choice Award for Seven Straight Years, as well as numerous other awards.
He is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association, Norfolk Bar Association, Middlesex Bar Association, Lawrence Bar Association, Justinian Law Society of Massachusetts, Newburyport Bar Association.
He is also appointed by the Court as a trained-conciliator to resolve difficult cases for the Middlesex, Norfolk, and Essex Counties.
He received his J.D. from The Massachusetts School of Law, where he was the Editor of the Student Journal, The Verdict, and host of the televised debate show, Final Adjudication. Before graduation, he was the winner of two CALI Awards for Excellence. He earned his B.S. from the University of South Carolina where he attended on academic scholarship. Nicholas is also a graduate of Central Catholic High School, and grew up in nearby Andover, Massachusetts. When he is not working, he enjoys spending time with his family, horse riding, tennis, and the outdoors.