Divorce

  1. Addressing Clients’ Biggest Fears About Divorce

    Addressing Clients’ Biggest Fears About Divorce

    Divorce is life-changing, and clients often come to us with fears about the unknown. We aim to provide clarity and guidance from the first consultation to the final resolution. Our team at Karp & Iancu, S.C. understands that navigating this process can be overwhelming, but we are here to help clients feel supported and informed…

  2. How Long Does It Take to Get a Divorce in Wisconsin?

    A Minimum of Four to Six months (or More). If you are wondering how long a divorce takes in Wisconsin, generally, the earliest you can expect to finalize your divorce is 4 to 6 months after you file it. It takes a long time to get divorced in Wisconsin. In fact, it takes longer in…

  3. Handling Pet Custody and Ownership in Divorce Proceedings

    You’ve heard of unhappy couples “staying together for the children,” but what if those “children” are fur babies? Some pet parents care as much for their animals as other parents do for their human children. But is there such a thing as “pet custody?” Who gets the dog in a divorce? Pets are a huge…

  4. The Importance of Hiring a Family Law Attorney in Milwaukee

    People often ask, “Do I even need to hire a Milwaukee divorce lawyer?” The short answer is, “no.” However, you also don’t need to hire an obstetrician to deliver your baby. Nature will take its course with or without the doctor there. But sometimes it is nice to have someone who can intervene when there…

  5. Is it illegal to change locks during a divorce?

    No. It is not illegal to change the locks . . . however, it can get complicated. TL;DR Summary for Is it illegal to change locks during a divorce? Changing locks during separation/divorce: In Wisconsin, changing locks during a separation or divorce is not always straightforward and depends on the situation. For non-violent spouses: Use…

  6. May a Woman Use Her Former Surname After Divorce?

    Find out who is eligible for a name change upon divorce, how to change your name, and what your spouse can do to stop you. Also learn whether you can force your spouse to stop using your last name and what statute applies to name changes at the time of divorce. Yes. At the time…

  7. Pregnant during a divorce?

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  8. How to prove a parent is “unfit.”

    Almost every other phone call or on line inquiry we receive, concerns a post judgment custody issue where someone wants to prove or allege the other parent is “unfit.” The idea is they want to obtain primary placement of the children, and in many cases, also involves pre-judgment matters. How do you go about proving…

  9. Different placement arrangements in Wisconsin

    There is an old saying that “one size fits all,” but when it comes to placement of minor children in a  divorce, there are a myriad of different placement arrangements that might work for one family, and for the next family it could be a train wreck. What works for one, doesn’t necessarily equate in…

  10. Name on a birth certificate.

    There probably isn’t a day that goes by where I read a question posted on Avvo or Lawyers.com or we receive at our web site, about placing the father’s name on a child’s birth certificate to determine that they are the father. We are obviously talking about a situation here where the child is born…

  11. “I want 50/50 placement!”

    We meet with a lot of individuals going through a divorce who come  into the office and advocate that they want “50/50 placement.” To me, that is like nails on a chalkboard because it really tells us nothing. It is particularly annoying when they make the same advocacy to the guardian ad litem and/or the…

  12. Waiver of 6 month waiting period for remarriage in Wisconsin

    Periodically,  I am asked, if there is a way to waive the statutory 6 month waiting period in Wisconsin before one can get remarried. The law basically states that if you are divorced in Wisconsin, you cannot remarry anywhere in the world for a period of 6 months, and if you should do so, the…

  13. Recorded Telephone Conversations in Wisconsin

    TL;DR Summary Recorded Telephone Conversations in Wisconsin In Wisconsin, it is legal to record a telephone conversation without the other party’s consent if you’re part of the conversation. However, such recordings are inadmissible in civil court unless the other party is informed that the conversation is being recorded and gives their consent for it to…

  14. What to expect at a Wisconsin Domestic Abuse Hearing

    You have filed for a domestic abuse restraining order and the matter has been scheduled for a court hearing or you are on the receiving end of a domestic abuse restraining order and need to prepare for court. What can you expect at the court hearing? How long will it take? Will there be testimony?…

  15. Cohabitation can affect maintenance payments in Wisconsin

    Under Wisconsin law, when you are receiving maintenance payments (better commonly known as “alimony”) and if you get remarried, your payments automatically stop under Wisconsin law. What happens, if you live with someone instead? Do your payments automatically stop? Under the law in this state, cohabitation is a factor that the court can consider in…

  16. Failure to exercise placement under Wisconsin custody laws

    Under what authority can someone attempt to modify physical placement, based on the fact that one parent repeatedly and unreasonably fails to exercise their court ordered placement time with the minor children? This is not as uncommon a problem as you might expect. If you are the primary parent and have concerns when the other…

  17. Does a divorce court need to approve a settlement agreement?

    Someone posted a question at the one of the “ask lawyer” web sites whether the court has to approve a settlement agreement? Apparently, in a divorce, with both parties pro se, the parties had attempted to go into court to have their final marital settlement agreement approved so that they can could be divorced, and…

  18. How to Reconcile during the divorce

    In Wisconsin, there are two ways that a couple can try to reconcile during the divorce process. The first way, and the one that I routinely recommend to my clients who inquire about reconciling, is to enter into a 90 day agreement to put the divorce on hold while the parties work on their marriage….

  19. Selling off property in the middle of a divorce

    Someone asked me the other day if you need money, can you start selling off property in the middle of the divorce? The answer is generally no, as there is a statutory prohibition for doing so, once the divorce is filed. There are some exceptions and I will cover those as well. WI STAT. 767.117…

  20. Dating Before a Divorce is Final in Wisconsin

    TL;DR Summary Dating Before a Divorce is Final in Wisconsin Dating before your divorce is final can negatively affect both financial and custody decisions. Spending money on a new partner during the divorce can be considered “marital waste” and may lead to having to reimburse your spouse. If you have children, dating may impact custody,…