Milwaukee Divorce Law Blog

Milwaukee residents who own businesses may have a little hesitancy about getting married. These business owners love their soon-to-be-spouses, of course, but they do not want to risk the health of the businesses they have worked so hard to establish in the event that they are to divorce.

One good way that some business owners choose to ensure the ongoing integrity of their businesses is to seek out a prenuptial agreement before marrying. One family law expert called prenuptial agreements "the most cost-efficient and reliable pre-marital contract that can protect your business in the event of a divorce."

Milwaukee parents who are divorcing their spouses may understandably have concerns about how the separation is going to affect their children. While it is not true that a divorce is automatically going to traumatize a child, it is good to pay attention to your child's well-being during what will be a time of great transition.

To reduce the impact a divorce and subsequent child custody arrangement may have on children, some parents are turning to a trend called "nesting." Basically, the children stay put in one house and it is the parents who shuttle back and forth.

There is quite a bit of drama playing out in family law courts across the nation (with Milwaukee being no exception) over whether grandparents have any right to be involved in their grandchildren's lives. This is an issue that may hit home if a Milwaukee grandma or grandpa becomes the odd person out after a child gets a divorce, dies, loses child custody or signs away parental rights and (inadvertently or otherwise) winds up shutting the grandparent out of the grandchild's life.

Legally, parents and parents alone have a Constitutional right to raise their children. However, all 50 states have passed laws that allow non-parent third parties (such as grandparents) a certain degree of contact with a child in certain circumstances. (Naturally, the appropriate circumstances differ from state to state). All of those laws were put into question, though, by a 2000 Supreme Court ruling that said such laws could not cut too deeply into the rights of a competent parent

Milwaukee music fans, take note: after 27 years together, the cofounders of the iconic 1990s band Sonic Youth are getting a divorce.

Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore have been called "indie rock's 'It' couple." Together, they founded one of the most respected punk bands of the last decade and had a solid 15-year career of hits. They also attracted attention because they were a rare example of artists who were able to work closely with one another while still maintaining an apparently harmonious personal relationship.

People in Milwaukee have no doubt heard others make the argument that it is too easy to get a divorce these days. However, it is equally certain that there are those in Milwaukee who know -- either from personal experience or from knowing others who have divorced -- that in some relationships, the best thing for both partners is to end the marriage.

Given that people tend to have passionate (and contrasting) ideas about divorce, there is likely to be a stir over a piece of anti-divorce legislation that has been drafted by a group of people who want to add "speed bumps" to the divorce process. The "Second Chances Act" has not yet been adopted by any state, including Wisconsin, but its supporters are traveling around the U.S. singing its praises in hopes that state legislatures will take up the issue.

Many Milwaukee residents probably know J. Crew, the clothing company beloved by Michelle Obama and other clotheshorses. If so, they are probably familiar with the face of J. Crew, Jenna Lyons. J. Crew has made Lyons, its president and creative director, a prominent fixture of its marketing campaigns. She usually appears in advertisements with her son to convey the message that it is possible to be a modern, career-oriented professional and parent -- and to look great all the while.

The focus of that marketing strategy might need to change, though. Lyons recently filed for divorce from Vincent Mazeau, her husband since 2002, and is reportedly leaving him for a relationship with a woman.

The reasons behind a divorce are often private (as they should be, since is a deeply personal decision). This is not usually how it goes with celebrities, however, since people are so interested in every detail of their lives. But the case of popular crime novelist Elmore Leonard bucks that trend. Reporters in his native Detroit only recently learned that Leonard his wife of 18 years are separating and the reasons behind the divorce are (surprise, surprise) a mystery.

If Leonard's name is not familiar to people in Milwaukee, his work certainly is. Over his 60-year career, he has written dozen of crime bestsellers. Several of his works, including "3:10 to Yuma" have been turned into hit movies. He has also written screenplays for the FOX TV show "Justified."

As we have reported before, the divorce rate among those over 50 is moving up as divorces overall are holding steady. Those numbers seem to disprove the conventional wisdom people in Milwaukee have that divorce is only for young people who rushed into ill-advised unions. That people over 50 are splitting up in eye-catching numbers, then, may not be new, but it is such an interesting trend that researchers keep studying it in hopes of better understanding the social forces that are driving this trend.

One researcher recently said she believes the increase in Baby Boomer divorces is due to the increase in professional opportunities for women over the past few decades. When many Baby Boomers were first married, women did not have as many professional opportunities. These days, of course, that has changed. This has led many women to realize they desire a career and could support themselves without a spouse's income. This is not to say it is impossible to have a career and a marriage, but in at least some cases, it has led women to think they want something other than a marriage and a life at home.