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Helpful Articles: During A Divorce

What you need to know, do, and what to expect during a divorce.

March 30th, 2021

When can we legally sell or refinance the house in a divorce?

The Answer Depends on Your Goals (and Your Relationship with your Spouse). Whether or not you sell or refinance your house will depend on several considerations: Does one of you want to keep living in the house? Can that person afford the house on his or her own? How good is your credit? Can you…
March 30th, 2021

Is it illegal to change locks during a divorce?

No. It is not illegal to change the locks . . . however, it can get complicated. Changing Locks During Separation or Divorce Legal Separation and Divorce are virtually the same in Wisconsin. They both legally end a marriage and the legal process is nearly identical for both. Therefore, this article applies equally to legal…
March 22nd, 2021

What Happens With Stimulus Payments in a Divorce?

Are you and your spouse living apart? Are you wondering where your stimulus check will land? What happens if your spouse takes your check? And do parents have to share stimulus money received for the children? Why did we each get stimulus checks for the same child? Learn the answers to these questions and more!…
February 22nd, 2021

What Happens to an Adopted Child During (and After) a Divorce?

The Same Thing as a Biological Child. Did you and your spouse adopt a child? Did you adopt your stepchild and make him your own? Are you worried that adopted children may be treated differently in a divorce? Parents of adopted children need not fear! Read on for reassurance about how your relationship with an…
February 15th, 2021

Who Gets the Dog in a Divorce?

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? Read on to find…
January 25th, 2021

Child Custody vs. Child Placement: What is the Difference?

Custody and Placement are two family law concepts that are often confused or used interchangeably. However, they are very different and are, in some ways, not even related! In Wisconsin, child custody refers to the right of a parent to make major decisions for the child. Major decisions include such things as consent to marry,…
January 25th, 2021

How Does the Court Decide the Custody and Placement of Children?

Karp & Iancu S.C. explains the factors a court or Guardian ad Litem considers when determining placement and custody of a child and helps you understand which factors might be most important in your case. From the concept of joint decision-making to the goal of maximizing time with each parent, keep reading to learn how…
January 22nd, 2021

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…
January 8th, 2021

How Long Does It Take to Get a Divorce?

A Minimum of Four to Six months (or More). It takes a long time to get divorced in Wisconsin. In fact, it takes longer in Wisconsin than in almost any other state. This is because Wisconsin has a mandatory 120-day “cooling off” period between the time a divorce is filed and the time it can…
July 21st, 2020

Financial Disclosure Statements in an Uncontested Divorce

In an uncontested divorce, the parties agree to end the marriage without litigation. Sometimes, they may even have laid out what each spouse will walk away with from the marriage. So why does each spouse have to share financials with each other? Why You Need a Financial Disclosure Statement There are two reasons for this.…
March 18th, 2020

COVID-19 Pandemic & Divorce: What You Need To Know

We've Temporarily Taken Our Practice Digital Thanks to technology, our attorneys can still offer the same award-winning service to their Milwaukee-area clients despite the current pandemic. Fill out the form below to set up a free no-pressure online divorce consultation. Prefer to call? (414) 453-0800 During this time, our staff and attorneys continue to operate…
June 28th, 2019

How low can you go?

Sometimes when people are going thru a divorce, they start to fight over the most petty and sometimes silly things. I thought it might make for an interesting blog to discuss some of the things that I have seen over the years and things you should definitely NOT be arguing about when going through a divorce.…
April 30th, 2019

150 miles or 100 miles? Which Wisconsin law applies?

I receive a fair number of phone calls and on line inquiries about what a person is required to do to move away following a divorce. What notice is required? Do I have to file a motion? What reasons do  I need to move? How long will the process take? How much will it cost?…
April 29th, 2019

When does a divorce agreement become binding?

There is a fair amount of misconceptions about the legalities of agreements when going through a divorce. Today's blog, tackles some of those myths and resolves the question when and how does  a divorce agreement become binding? Handshake deals.  Informal agreements between the parties, what are commonly known as a "handshake deal" clearly are not legally…
April 25th, 2019

Child Custody Calculator in Wisconsin

CALCULATING CHILD CUSTODY IN WISCONSIN Is there a way to calculate who gets custody of minor children when going through a divorce in Wisconsin? There are basically two forms of placement of minor children in Wisconsin when going through a divorce; a. Primary Placement. This traditional placement arrangement puts the children primarily in one parent's home…
March 2nd, 2019

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…
February 4th, 2019

When do “variable costs” apply in Wisconsin?

What are "variable costs?"  Wisconsin DCF 150 (29) defines "variable costs" as the reasonable costs above basic support costs incurred by or on behalf of a child, including but not limited to the cost of child care, tuition, a child's special needs, and other activities that involve substantial cost.   2. When do "variable costs"…
December 3rd, 2018

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…
October 4th, 2018

When a woman is married and pregnant from another man.

Many times in family law cases, we see situations where a woman becomes pregnant while still married. The husband by law, is presumed to be the biological father of the child. It complicates the divorce. If either the mother or her husband raise the issue with the trial court that the husband may not be…
May 29th, 2018

Dismissing a divorce

  Every once in awhile, someone will file a divorce or legal separation and then change their mind about it. How does one properly go and dismiss a divorce or separation case that has been filed with the court? Voluntary notice of dismissal. If you haven't yet personally served your spouse, or if they have…
May 20th, 2018

Name on a birth certificate.

There probably isn’t a day that goes by where I read a question posted on Avvo or 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…
May 16th, 2018

Bringing false charges of abuse in a divorce

It has happened numerous times in my career, that at the onset of a divorce action, one of the parties is accused of abuse, whether it be domestic violence against their abuse, or in some cases, child abuse. These allegations are brought contemporaneously with the divorce or separation filing, usually to get an upper hand…
May 1st, 2018

Who gets the Diamond Ring?

When getting a divorce, who gets to keep the diamond engagement/wedding ring? When a couple are engaged and do not get married, in Wisconsin, the law is the ring gets returned to the person who bought it, irrespective of who broke off the engagement. The ring must be returned. What happens in a divorce case?…
March 27th, 2018

“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…
March 22nd, 2018

What to expect at a divorce pre-trial conference?

On some of the law related web sites, such as AVVO and, individuals going through a divorce not represented by attorneys, frequently ask what is a pre-trial conference and what is going to happen at the pre-trial? When  and how scheduled? The pre-trial conference is typically scheduled following the 120 day statutory waiting period.…
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