If you face interstate custody issues, contact Kowalski, Wilson & Vang, LLC. We have noticed an increase in custody disputes between parents that reside in different states. This is most likely due to the fact that families are more mobile, and that parents are often moving for employment. The Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement […]
Effects of Domestic Violence on Children
In the United States, more than 15 million children live in a home in which domestic violence has occurred.* If you are a parent and a domestic violence survivor who is considering a divorce, legal separation or paternity action, protecting a child from the effects of domestic violence in the home can be a significant […]
The Impact of Domestic Violence on Legal Custody Orders in Wisconsin: Follow-Up
This blog entry will provide a more in-depth discussion about the ways domestic violence can impact legal custody determinations, in Wisconsin. When domestic violence is part of a relationship, making decisions together as parents can be impossible, and it stands to reason that a parent who has abused the other should not make major decisions […]
Parenting Solutions for High-Conflict Parties
If you are in the midst of a divorce or legal separation in Wisconsin, you already know that emotions can run high and that the process can be quite stressful, for parents and for children. After the divorce or separation is final, there is typically a cooling-off period, during which the family settles into the […]
Guardians ad Litem and Custody Studies
In the state of Wisconsin, when parents cannot reach an agreement on custody and placement of their child, the court will appoint a Guardian ad Litem to the case. The Guardian ad Litem, or GAL, is a family law attorney appointed to represent the best interests of the child. The role of the GAL is […]
Discovery in Wisconsin Family Actions
If you are involved in a Wisconsin divorce, paternity action, or a dispute about legal custody, physical placement and support of a minor child, you have probably heard about the discovery process. A party to a Wisconsin family action, such as a divorce, may choose to undertake formal discovery, to find out more information about […]
Legal Custody
Misconceptions exist, as to what legal custody of a child is and means. Many times, in a divorce or paternity proceeding, a parent will come into the divorce or paternity process asking for “full custody.” There is no such term, under Wisconsin law. Also surprising to parents at the outset of a divorce or paternity […]
Establishing Paternity
When the parents of a child are unmarried, it would be beneficial for the father to establish legal paternity. If paternity is not legally established, the mother has sole custody and placement of the child, and the father has no legal rights. This is the case even if both parties know who the biological father […]
Removal of a Child Out of State
Parents with shared physical placement of their children, should keep in mind the laws establishing requirements of notice. Wisconsin Statute 767.481 provides rules concerning how to give proper notice in cases in which a parent wishes to move a child either 150 miles away from the other parent or out of state. The moving parent […]
Domestic Violence and Custody Determinations
For initial determinations of custody in a divorce, Wisconsin law states that the court must presume that it is in the best interests of a child for the child’s parents to have joint legal custody, or decision-making power. In other words, the State believes that it is best, by default, for children to have significant […]