The legal custody of a child born to unmarried parents is granted to the mother, by default. This is because the legal status of the biological father must first be established. Simply placing a male’s name on the child’s birth certificate is not enough. A male who believes that he is the father of a […]
Unmarried Parents
WISCONSIN DIVORCE AND FAMILY LAW: WHAT ARE SOME TAX ISSUES THAT AFFECT MY DIVORCE?
Wisconsin is a marital property state, meaning that each spouse has a one-half interest in the total assets and income of the marriage. This rule requires some careful tax planning to achieve the best outcome. Following are some issues to consider: Couples generally file married joint tax returns during a marriage. However, after the separation, […]
WISCONSIN DIVORCE AND FAMILY LAW: HOW CAN A CHILD’S NAME BE CHANGED IF THE PARENTS ARE NOT MARRIED?
In general, an unmarried mother has the authority to place a newborn’s last name on a birth certificate. This can lead to bitter disputes between unmarried parents if the father disagrees with the child’s registered last name. The father must first establish paternity of the child. Then, he has two avenues to obtain a name […]
WISCONSIN DIVORCE LAW: AM I ENTITLED TO MAINTENANCE/ALIMONY AFTER DIVORCE?
There is no entitlement or guarantee to maintenance after a divorce. A spouse’s ability to receive maintenance (otherwise known as alimony) is based on several factors including the length of marriage, the spouses’ health, education, earnings and earning ability, the division of property, and contributions (financial, childcare, homemaking, etc.) to the marriage. If maintenance is […]
Wisconsin Family Law: Expectations of Parents in Divorce and Paternity Matters
For those that may have missed our newsletter article, I wanted to post a blog regarding a recent case, In Re Termination of Parental Rights to Guenevere T. (available at http://www.wicourts.gov/sc/opinion/DisplayDocument.pdf?content=pdf&seqNo=64253), in which the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that a father’s sporadic attempts to remain in contact with his young daughter did not prevent the termination […]
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