Family & Divorce

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Divorce is rarely an easy or straightforward process. Emotions often run high as families navigate significant changes involving finances, parenting, and the future. While some level of conflict is expected, prolonged and intense disputes can create consequences that extend far beyond the courtroom.

When thinking about the cost of divorce, people often focus on the most obvious and immediate expense: attorney fees. However, the hidden costs of a high-conflict divorce can be far greater, affecting mental and emotional well-being,…
Continue Reading High Conflict Divorce – The Costs, Challenges, and Options

July 27, 2026

In family court you will encounter a lot of voices – parents, their attorneys, maybe a child support attorney, and often, a guardian ad litem representing the best interests of the child.

In Wisconsin, a guardian ad litem (GAL) is another attorney in the courtroom, and what they determine to be in the child’s “best interest” is directly dictated by statute.

But the way that we do it here in Wisconsin is just one of the

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Continue Reading Beyond Best Interests: Rethinking Child Representation

One of the most rewarding parts of estate planning is guiding individuals and families as they prepare for the future. We discuss protecting children, preserving family assets, planning for retirement, and creating a legacy for the next generation. Occasionally, those conversations lead to the topic of a Marital Property Agreement (MPA), sometimes called a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement. When that happens, many couples become understandably uncomfortable.
A common reaction is:

“If we’re planning to spend the rest of…
Continue Reading Marital Property Agreements: Planning for the Future, Not Planning for Divorce

If your typical Wednesday involves writing a college tuition check in the morning and interviewing in-home nurses for your parents by lunch, then you are officially part of the “Sandwich Generation.” It is a role rooted in deep family loyalty, but let’s be honest: Being in the middle can feel more like a pressure cooker than a privilege. Between the emotional weight and the financial complexity, it is easy to feel like you are constantly reacting to the next

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Continue Reading The Sandwich Generation Survival Guide: Protecting Your Family and Your Sanity

  • July 21, 2026

     

    Guardians ad litem play an important role in adult, child, and family matters. A GAL provides recommendations to the court that shape decisions involving adult and minor guardianships, protective placement, physical placement, and legal custody, among other matters.

    If you already are a guardian ad litem (GAL), thank you for using your skill, knowledge, and experience in making best-interest recommendations for the vulnerable populations whose cases you are appointed in.

    GAL work can be incredibly

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Continue Reading Guardian ad Litem Work: Challenging, Meaningful, and Needed

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Learn who must report income changes, what counts as gross income, and how Wisconsin’s updated law could affect your support obligations.
Each year, Wisconsin law requires parents with a shared placement arrangement and a court order for child support, maintenance, or family support to exchange financial information, including documentation of their gross income. This requirement helps ensure that support obligations remain fair and allows parties to determine whether they need to adjust support. However, the payor…
Continue Reading New Rules for Reporting Income Changes in Family Court

Can a Witness Write a Letter Instead of Testifying in Family Court? The short answer: probably not. 
Family law matters include and are not limited to divorces, child custody, child support, paternity, guardianship, termination of parental rights, and adoption. Family law cases involve what matters most: one’s children, finances, and dignity. As a result, the parties involved often find themselves in disputes.

The Role of Witnesses in Court
At a hearing, a court…
Continue Reading Understanding Witness Testimony in Wisconsin Family Law

Many grandparents play an important role in their grandchildren’ s lives. However, Wisconsin law does not automatically grant grandparents the legal right to spend time with their grandchildren, also known as visitation rights. In most cases, courts presume that fit parents are able to determine who can spend time with their children.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court case, Michels v. Lyons, found that a grandparent who wishes to have visitation rights to a grandchild in opposition to a fit parent’s…
Continue Reading Do Grandparents Have The Right To Visitation In Wisconsin?

In the realm of Wisconsin family law, “service by publication” is often viewed as the procedural safety net of last resort. Under Wis. Stat. section 801.11(1)(c), when a spouse cannot be located after “reasonable diligence,”[1] the law allows for notice to be published in a newspaper to satisfy due process. However, for practitioners dealing with spouses residing in countries that criminalize defamation for revealing secret of family life, this procedural requirement creates a dangerous paradox: complying with Wisconsin…
Continue Reading Conflict of Laws: The Perils of Divorce by Publication and International Laws

Put yourself in the shoes of a Wisconsin family court judge. Your first case of the day is a custody dispute where one parent is appearing pro se—representing themselves without a lawyer. You see self-represented parents nearly every day, and do not expect perfection, just preparation, honesty, and someone who can stay focused on facts instead of emotion.

The pro se party arrives on time and well-organized, but as they begin to unpack their documents you catch a glimpse…
Continue Reading Representing Yourself In Family Court? Read This First

If you are a same-sex couple wanting to build a family, you may wonder, what is legally required? How do I protect our parental rights? What happens if something is not set up correctly from the beginning? When should we consult a lawyer?

Here is the short answer: in Wisconsin, both surrogacy and adoption are available paths for same-sex couples, but neither is as smooth as it should be. Each path requires careful legal planning to make sure your…
Continue Reading Pursuing Surrogacy or Adoption for Same-Sex Couples

Maybe your schedule has changed. Maybe your child is struggling with the current routine. Or maybe something about the other household has shifted in a way that raises concern.

In Wisconsin, modifying child custody depends on timing. If it has been less than two years since the initial order, you may need to show that the current arrangement is harmful to your child. After two years, you must show a substantial change in circumstances and that the proposed change…
Continue Reading How to Modify Child Custody and Placement in Wisconsin

Prenuptial agreements, also known as Marital Property Agreements, have become increasingly popular before couples marry. Postnuptial agreements are also an option during marriage. These agreements are used to specify how you and your partner want your assets held during the marriage and what happens to those assets in the event of divorce or death when you want to do something different than what the law would otherwise provide for. Understanding the law and future financial choices helps you both…
Continue Reading What Does It Mean to Sign a Prenup?

To safeguard the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, Miranda prevents prosecutors from introducing statements made by suspects under custodial interrogation unless law enforcement informs the suspect of certain now-familiar rights. [1] Specifically, a person under custodial interrogation “must be warned that he has a right to remain silent, that any statement he does make may be used as evidence against him, and that he has a right to the presence of an attorney, either retained or appointed.” [2] The…
Continue Reading Wisconsin Supreme Court: 12-Year-Old Boy was in Custody During School Police Questioning

May 11, 2026Divorce by Affidavit: What Wisconsin Family Lawyers Need to KnowDivorce by affidavit offers a more flexible path for uncontested divorce cases in Wisconsin, particularly for clients facing scheduling, mobility, distance, child care, or emotional barriers to appearing in court. Tiara Oates outlines the requirements, benefits, and possible drawbacks of using this new process.By
Tiara Oates

As of Oct. 31, 2025, divorce by affidavit (2025 Wisconsin Act 40) can be used to finalize uncontested divorce

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Continue Reading Divorce by Affidavit: What Wisconsin Family Lawyers Need to Know

Many individuals walk into family court believing the odds are stacked against them due to their gender. Some men believe women are favored in family cases, especially those involving children. At the same time, some women feel they have to go to extreme lengths to have their concerns taken seriously in court.

While implicit bias can play a role in any court decision, the belief that one’s gender alone determines the outcome of their case is highly unlikely.
The…
Continue Reading Family Court Doesn’t Favor Mothers – Here’s What They Actually Care About