Milwaukee Family Law Attorneys Blog | Wisconsin Child Custody Lawyers

Some wonder if child custody fight is worth it

On behalf of Brazil, Thelen & Benske, S.C. posted in Child Custody on Thursday, May 16, 2013.

When a person becomes a parent, many would say that their lives have changed drastically, and that they would do anything for their children. Sometimes two parents decide to get a divorce, and because both parents have an interest in their children's lives, they fight over who should have custody of the children, either sole custody or shared.

This type of situation can be very emotionally charged. Both parents want their children to be a part of their lives, and they fear that giving up custody to another parent would hurt the relationship they have with their children. In some situations one parent may have significantly more money to file appeals and battle for custody. These situations can be difficult and sometimes end with one parent just giving custody to their ex.

Many parents want to help pay for college, even after divorce

On behalf of Brazil, Thelen & Benske, S.C. posted in Child Support on Thursday, May 9, 2013.

College tuition rates have been skyrocketing in recent years. Even before rate increases, college educations require financial savings and discipline. Many parents start planning for their child's college education from the day they are born. Depending on how many children they have, they might have multiple accounts with varying amounts of money in them.

But what should happen when parents decide to divorce? During the divorce process the parents might want to discuss with their attorneys how they can support their children through college. While this isn't child support in the traditional sense, parents still might be wise to work out an agreement between each other to help supprot their children by helping to pay college tuition costs.

Parental alienation common in Milwaukee divorce

On behalf of Brazil, Thelen & Benske, S.C. posted in Family Law on Thursday, May 2, 2013.

When two people go through a divorce, it not only has an emotional affect on those two people, but also any children that the two had together. Sometimes children and parents experience Parental Alienation Syndrome. Although this isn't a recognized psychiatric syndrome, it is described as a situation when a child is intentionally estranged from one parent.

In these cases, children decide that they don't want to talk or have contact with one of their parents as a result of conclusions drawn from their Milwaukee area divorce. They might reject any ideas of positive experiences that they have had with that parent, and blame them for the divorce. Sometimes these behaviors are exemplified by another parent, resulting in the child coming to unfounded conclusions.

Milwaukee child custody could be influenced by digital messages

On behalf of Brazil, Thelen & Benske, S.C. posted in Child Custody on Wednesday, April 24, 2013.

People across the country are fascinated with new means of digital communication. They are constantly updating statuses, checking in at businesses, uploading pictures and texting friends. All of these things help us socialize in the 21^st century, but they could also be detrimental if a person is going through a divorce. During a divorce, many aspects of a person's life will be evaluated, especially if they are in child custody dispute with their ex.

These cases might involve a judge seeing pictures that were posted to social media or sent through email or text communications between two parents. It is important to remember that everything in text or online could become public, and scrutinized throughout the divorce process. This isn't meant to scare a person into never posting online or never sending a text message.

How should someone use their cash from a Milwaukee divorce?

On behalf of Brazil, Thelen & Benske, S.C. posted in Divorce on Thursday, April 18, 2013.

Divorce situations are full of many different decisions. Some of the largest decisions surround a person's property division. Many times couples share property during their marriage and the property is legally owned by both people. This property is sometimes sold, or sometimes one partner pays the other for half of the value of the property. There are also accounts involving cash or a value of investments.

These situations can result in one former spouse receiving a cash payment from another spouse. Because this might be a significant value, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars, the person receiving the payment might not know what to do with the cash. They might have ideas about how it should be spent or saved but just aren't sure.

What happens when a Powerball winner owes back child support?

On behalf of Brazil, Thelen & Benske, S.C. posted in Child Support on Thursday, April 11, 2013.

A man in another state won a major financial surprise late last month. The Powerball jackpot made him $152 million richer after taking the lump sum and paying taxes. From that amount was subtracted child support that he owed to the mother of three of his children. According to a report, the man owed $29,000 in back payments, but paid $30,000 to the mother.

The children may also now be living with their father after his big win. But not every family is lucky enough to win the lottery, and the odds are against someone being able to pay child support because of a lottery win. In cases where someone can't make payments or a custodial parent isn't receiving the payments that they need to help raise their children, they might be wise to speak with an experienced family law attorney.

Divorce may come with range of emotions

On behalf of Brazil, Thelen & Benske, S.C. posted in Divorce on Thursday, April 4, 2013.

One day, a person might feel happy that they are finally going through with a divorce, but the next day, they might feel regret or sadness that something that lasted so long, didn't work out in the end. This is a very common occurrence for people who are going through a divorce. They often want to get through their divorce and get on with their new life.

During the path of divorce, many family and friends will find out, and many will offer advice. Some might have opinions that aren't helpful. This is a time when it is important for a person going through a divorce to focus on themselves. They need to take advice carefully, and maybe only from people that they trust a lot. A divorce attorney can help a person build a support network and help them through the legal process of divorce.

Financial adjustments can be necessary after Milwaukee divorce

On behalf of Brazil, Thelen & Benske, S.C. posted in Divorce on Friday, March 29, 2013.

Divorce can be a turbulent time in a person's life. It can also be a time when a person understands that they are moving forward and looking to the future. The future might not be the same as they had once envisioned, but with a little planning, a person can still live a lifestyle that they desire.

Financial planning and adjusting one's personal finances is an important step to take after a divorce. Some people might seek out the help of a financial planner, but others might take it on themselves to make adjustments after a Milwaukee Divorce. People who do their own financial planning should remember to look at the ownership of their accounts, their beneficiaries, estate plans, and insurance needs, along with their budget and retirement contributions.

Couples that aren't married can still have family law issues

On behalf of Brazil, Thelen & Benske, S.C. posted in Family Law on Friday, March 22, 2013.

When a couple ends their relationship, there is often a lot to work out. Couples may hire divorce attorneys, work out asset division, child custody, alimony and child support. However, if a couple is never married, but has children and property together, a breakup can be equally as complicated as a divorce.

Although they might not be legally married, some couples may still have agreements where they live together, one person has their name on the mortgage, and one of them stays at home for a few years to raise their children. When they split up, one of them might be stuck trying to figure out what job they can do to earn an income because they haven't worked in years while they raised the kids. Or if both of them work, but only one has their name on the mortgage, that person might be panicking to figure out how to pay a mortgage with a single income.

Don't forever regret doing your divorce yourself to save money

On behalf of Brazil, Thelen & Benske, S.C. posted in Divorce on Wednesday, March 13, 2013.

When most people think of getting a lawyer involved in any dispute, immediately the dollar signs and red flags of contentious arguments rise up and make them think twice. However, when thinking twice about legal services for your divorce, you may want to at least explore a consultation with an attorney you feel comfortable with.

A divorce can be an emotional time in which reason and self-control are thrown out the window. That is never the right mindset in which any Milwaukee resident should be making emotional and financial decisions that will have repercussions for years to come, if not the rest of your life. Having an attorney who gets that entering into divorce proceedings are extremely tough on all involved and that their job is to make it as easy as they are able while taking into account all interests, especially those of the children, can greatly help in helping during this transitional phase of life.

Milwaukee Family Law Blog