As a Wisconsin family lawyer, practicing widely in Dane County, Sauk County, and Columbia County, I view my role as solving the client’s problems. Can those goals be accomplished by assertive vs. aggressive lawyering, and is there a difference? I recently commented on a linkedin.com listserv http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=138155946&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile with the title of “Aggressive Lawyering is Counterproductive.” I agreed […]
A guardianship grants non-parents certain rights to care for a child. These usually include the right to make healthcare, travel, education, and financial decisions, as well as maintaining “care, custody, and control” of the minor. As a Wisconsin family lawyer, I assist clients obtain minor guardianships. I also help parents defend against them when they are […]
Could Wisconsin child custody disputes soon involve investigation into a child’s Halloween candy bag? According to the National Confectioner’s Association, 81% of parents eat some of their children’s Halloween candy. 26% are sneaky enough to wait until their children go to sleep before creeping stealthily to the candy bag and taking those yummy KitKats. http://www.candyusa.com/Resources/PRdetail.cfm?ItemNumber=5148&RDtoken=5700&userID=3542. How long […]
Yes, but it is not guaranteed in a Wisconsin divorce. Wisconsin law allows a judge to order one spouse to assist in paying the other’s attorney’s fees in family cases (divorce, child support, paternity, etc.). This usually happens in one of three instances: (1) when one spouse has access to greater assets or income than the other; (2) […]
According to Wisconsin rules, a parent earning more than $84,000 pays 20-40% reduced child support. Payers in what would probably be considered the middle class pay the full calculation. Does this make public policy sense? Is the obligation to support a child somehow different for wealthy parents? Under this system, the child of a high-earning parent is deprived of income that he/she could […]
Pets are treated as property in Wisconsin divorce cases. However, research continues to demonstrate that at least some animals have more complex emotions and intelligence. A recent study found that dogs may have emotions similar to humans http://news.yahoo.com/scans-reveal-striking-similarity-between-human-canine-minds-162147298.html. As a dog owner myself, this is not really surprising. However, those feelings are increasingly supported by scientific […]
I ran across this article recently, http://divorce.com/mandatory-sex/, and found the contrast between Wisconsin divorce law and French law amusing. There is no possible way this ruling could ever happen in a Wisconsin divorce. First, Wisconsin follows the “no fault” divorce rule. But perhaps most interesting to me was how one would place a value on […]
Due to the new federal health care law (the Affordable Care Act, a/k/a Obamacare), Badgercare’s income limits will change effective 1/1/14. If you or your children receive health insurance through Badgercare, you should already have received several letters regarding these changes. You can find this information at http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/em/CustomerHelp/bcpletters.htm The same is true of Wisconsin’s Health Insurance Risk-Sharing […]
A judge cannot force a parent to work, but can force a parent to look for work in order to pay Wisconsin child support. Usually, this is done by requiring the unemployed parent to submit a certain number of job applications each month, and document those applications to the judge. If the parent refuses to do […]
Wisconsin maintenance law does not set specific limits on the amount or duration of spousal support (maintenance) after divorce. The court instead applies numerous factors to a request for maintenance before making a discretionary decision. Other states set specific limits on spousal support. Texas, for example, limits support to 5 years in marriages of 10-20 […]
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