Archive: 2012

Court of Appeals Decision Creates Family Law Problems

Published: Wednesday, December 26th, 2012

At first blush, a recent Wisconsin Court of Appeals decision in Montalvo v. U.S. Title and Closing Services doesn’t appear to affect family law cases at all, but it does.

Personal Service and Jurisdiction

Published: Wednesday, December 26th, 2012

The Wisconsin Court of Appeals issued a decision, Montalvo v. U.S. Title and Closing Services, LLC, seems to hold that personal service is required, even if the spouse had substantial contacts in the state and the requirements for service by publication were met.

Wisconsin’s Domestic Partnership Law

Published: Friday, December 21st, 2012

A day late (due to the blizzard), perhaps legally wrong but politically correct, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals upheld the state’s Domestic Partnership law in Appling v. Doyle.

Forensic Fraud Investigation

Published: Thursday, December 20th, 2012

Discovering the fraud is not easy. Therefore, good divorce lawyers keep contact information for fraud investigators like Tracy Coenen,

Frivolous Appeals by “Frequent Filers”

Published: Wednesday, December 19th, 2012

As reluctant as I am to ever compliment the court of appeals (it’s more fun to criticize!), I must play fair and give credit where credit is due.

Merit Selection Would Solve for Problems with Judicial Elections

Published: Wednesday, December 12th, 2012

It would be nice if Wisconsin bar associations would adopt resolutions similar to the Kansas Bar Association’s resolution calling for merit selection of appellate judges.

High Court to Decide Same-Sex Marriage

Published: Friday, December 7th, 2012

My biases are in favor of striking downthe Defense of Mariiage Act (DOMA). First, it would be good for my business! But, more importantly, I fail to see how allowing two people who love each other to declare a commitment for each other is a bad thing for society.

Interpreting a Stipulation in a Divorce Case

Published: Wednesday, December 5th, 2012

Be careful of what you may say and listen carefully to what the other side says — and speak up if the other sides misstates the agreement.

CLE Seminar: Tax and Tax Fraud Issues in Family Law

Published: Tuesday, December 4th, 2012

On January 11, 2013, I will be speaking with CPA Al Dassow of Clifton Gunderson LLP, Middleton on “Tax and Tax Fraud Issues in Family Law.”

Eighth Time Disciplined Equals 60 Day Suspension

Published: Wednesday, November 21st, 2012

Once again, the Wisconsin Supreme Court illustrates the lax discipline it imposes on lawyers in this state.