Mandatory mediation in elder law can save court resources and reach creative solutions that preserve family relationships and allow the elder’s voice to be heard, says Julie Short.

Recent Wisconsin Supreme Court oral arguments in Michels v. Lyons dissected the constitutionality of a grandparent visitation statute. Tiffany Highstrom and Sara Vanden Brook discuss the court’s recent oral arguments regarding the statute and cases involved.

​2003 Wis. Act 130 created a rebuttable presumption that when one party engaged in domestic abuse, joint or sole custody to the abusive parent is contrary to the child's best interest. Rather, the safety and well-being of the abused parent and child become paramount concerns when determining custody and placement. Research shows that this has not countered the trend toward joint legal custody and more equalized physical placement.

When you represent noncitizen clients, immigration issues may overlap with family law issues. Cassel Villarreal details one particular issue – the I-864 Affidavit for Support, where a citizen sponsor agrees to financially support their immigrating spouse – and how it comes to play in divorce.

From initial client interviews to postjudgment actions, Family Law in Wisconsin: A Forms and Procedures Handbook covers all aspects of family law. State Bar of Wisconsin PINNACLE’s best-selling reference is newly supplemented for 2018.

May parties stipulate to a lower standard for modification of custody and placement in the initial years following a judgment? James C.W. Bock explores case law and legislative intent involving the “best interest of the child” custodial standard.

Called the "fastest-growing foster care initiative," kinship placement and adoption is on the rise. Kaitlyn Dvorak discusses what guardians ad litem should keep in mind about the benefits and challenges of recommending placement with family members.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has accepted certification of a case involving the standard for determining court-ordered grandparent visitation, giving the court the opportunity to clarify this area of law.

The Wisconsin Legislature recently made significant changes to the law that governs when one divorced parent seeks to relocate far the child’s other parent. Tiffany Highstrom details the new procedures and standards applicable under the Act.

Jim Mathie discusses how perspective taking can help to solve difficult puzzles in mediation.

The formula for determining variable child support costs for shared placement between parents will change July 1, along with other child-support related rules. In this article, an attorney with the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families explains the changes.

Dividing retirement accounts during a divorce is not a straight-forward process. To avoid post-divorce litigation, it is vital to do the proper work on the front end, says David Kowalski.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court could hear a case, on bypass from the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, to decide whether a grandmother is entitled to additional visitation time with her granddaughter, including an annual weeklong vacation.

Governor Walker signed "Sara's Law," named after Attorney Sara Quirt-Sann, who was one of four people killed in a shooting spree in Marathon County March 22, 2017. Quirt-Sann was representing the shooter's estranged wife in their divorce case.

The Family Law Section is offering 12 scholarships to its Annual Family Law Workshop in Door County, on Aug. 2-4, 2018, at the Stone Harbor Resort and Conference Center in Sturgeon Bay.

With many family law litigants going without counsel, we need to be relevant to assist clients and add value to the divorce process, writes Margaret Hickey. One way to do that: Knowledge of elder law.

Wisconsin's domestic partnership status ends on April 1. While current registrants retain their status and benefits, other same-sex couples can sign up by March 30.

Following the establishment of the Speaker's Task Force on Foster Care, a new legislative package of 13 bills, called Foster Forward, was introduced. Megan DeVore talks about the Foster Forward bills and their potential to bring significant changes to the child welfare system in Wisconsin.

There are many unknowns about who will benefit from the new tax bill just passed by Congress. What it does for sure is hurt individuals getting divorced in maintenance situations.

Limiting the scope of one's representation does not cure an unwaivable conflict of interest, such as representing both parties in a divorce.

Two Republican legislators are sponsoring legislation that would make it easier to modify child custody and placement orders.

A man challenged a divorce decree, as well as property and maintenance awards, arguing that he and the petitioner were never validly married despite evidence that a Hmong marriage took place at a Thai refugee camp in 1980.

Whether your family law client is essentially self-represented or has hired you to do everything in the divorce, Family Law in Wisconsin: A Forms and Procedures Handbook gives you vital information.

One advantage of the collaborative divorce process is it affords clients the opportunity to “expand the pie” rather than just divide it. That is, it gives clients a broader range of possible solutions that increase the value of complicated assets, such as pensions. The help of a neutral financial professional can be a key to more “pie.”

Many legal issues in family law can be resolved by applying a mathematical formula, such as for setting child support or spousal maintenance. When determining marital property for purposes of division, gifted or inherited property is excluded, unless excluding it creates a hardship for the noninheriting spouse. Determining “hardship” is an issue that requires a lawyer’s advocacy skills rather than a math equation.