From the use of social media as evidence in divorce cases to protecting your client in parental alienation cases, from learning how to locate wiretaps without special equipment to representing an emotionally abused spouse in a high-conflict divorce, Family Lawyer Magazine has had its fair share of interesting reads in 2018.
We’ve put together a list of our 10 most popular articles from 2018. Take a look to see which articles you might have missed when they were first published; your colleagues found them interesting, and we hope that you will, too.
Although we can’t promise you’ll make the Top Ten for 2019, we invite submissions from family law attorneys, judges, mediators, financial analysts, business and custody evaluators, therapists, relevant technology and software experts, and other divorce professionals. Your content can be in the form of an article, podcast, video, or even infographic. If you’re interested in learning more, click here.
Congratulations to all the authors who made the 2018 list!
Family Lawyer Magazine’s Top 10 Most Read Articles of 2018
10. How to Draft a Persuasive Closing Argument in Five Easy Steps
By Kimberly A. Quach, Family Lawyer
Drafting a closing argument is hardly brain surgery, but sometimes we treat it that way because we want it to be excellent. These steps provide some ways to help the lawyer quickly draft a compelling closing argument by treating it as a brainstorming exercise. There are very few times when practicing law feels like artistry; the closing argument is one of them.
9.The Uniform Deployed Parent Custody and Visitation Act
By Mark E. Sullivan, Family Lawyer
The Uniform Deployed Parent Custody and Visitation Act is a vast step forward in providing standard steps, rights, and procedure to use when a military parent leaves on unaccompanied military business, and states should give serious consideration to its passage.
8. Development and Introduction of Exhibits
By Lynne Z. Gold-Bikin and Stephen Kolodny, Family Lawyers
Almost anything can be an exhibit if it will advance the cause and lead to proof of the case. Beyond the standard tax returns, financial statements, expert reports, photos, and report cards, other items may prove to be small – but important – pieces of your case. Each piece, or little brick, that can be proven definitively leads to the credibility of the ultimate wall of proof that you will argue at the end of the case.
7. Representing the Emotionally-Abused Client in High-Conflict Divorce
By David T. Pisarra, Family Lawyer
Representing a client who has been emotionally abused requires bringing them back to a place where they can take strong action. Lawyers need to help clients overcome their hesitancy to provoke the abuser. The targeted spouse will need a clear strategy for the fallout, and oftentimes this is where new technologies are our best tools. Here are some useful strategies for dealing with the targeted spouse in a high-conflict divorce when the abuser has a personality disorder.
6. Protecting Your Clients in Parental Alienation Cases When the Courts Don’t
By Plinio J. Garcia, CEO & Consultant, Major Family Services
Attorneys should no longer tolerate parental alienation because of the damage it does to children and the cycle of abuse it supports. Alienating parents, who are represented by law firms that are more concerned about billable hours than about the psychological effects of alienating behavior on innocent children, must be stopped. Here are useful strategies, technologies, and services your client can utilize to ameliorate the effects of parental alienation.
5. Private Investigators Share Some Tricks of the Trade
An Interview with Nicholas Himonidis, Rob Kimmons, TJ Ward, and Joe Gill
We recently interviewed four leading private investigators – Nicholas Himonidis, Rob Kimmons, TJ Ward, and Joe Gill – and asked them to share their experiences, insights, and tips on their practices and strategies, the latest technology in their field and their work with family law cases.
4.When Clients Fail to Change Beneficiary Designations
By Leslie A. Shaner, Estate and Family Lawyer
As the law currently stands, when a deceased ex-spouse fails to change his/her beneficiary designations/survivorship elections, and the proceeds of a nonprobate asset are paid to someone other than the living ex-spouse, an attorney has support for their position regardless of whether they assert that the deceased party did or did not intend for the proceeds to be paid to the living ex-spouse. Here is an analysis of state and federal law dealing with what happens when clients fail to change their beneficiary designations after divorce.
3. How to Locate “Bugs” and Wiretaps Without Special Equipment
By Skipp Porteous, TSCM Specialist
A reputable TSCM (Technical Surveillance Counter-Measures) specialist will tell you that most wiretaps and bugs in homes can be found with only a visual inspection. The key is to know what to look for so you can help your clients protect themselves.
2. Custody Evaluations and Parental Alienation: Podcast
Podcast with Family Lawyer Allison Williams and Forensic Psychologist Erik Dranoff
Family Lawyer Magazine’s Editorial Director Diana Shepherd interviews family lawyer Allison Williams and forensic psychologist Erik Dranoff about the role custody evaluations play in the divorce process.
1. Social Media in Divorce Proceedings
By Judge Michele Lowrance and Family Lawyer, Pamela J. Hutul
The only thing that does not change is change. Lawyers must modify and change the way they prepare for highly conflictual cases in these changing times. To do so, they need to understand and know the right questions to ask about social media.
