Family Law in the Digital Age
Text messaging. Electronic billing. Social networking. Smart phones. Not only are such innovations becoming part of the daily lives of most Americans, they are also reshaping and reforming the practice of domestic relations law. As the technology continues to develop around us, family law practitioners must continue thinking and learning about how such developments impact our various cases.
For example, it has become common practice for family law attorneys to request discovery documents and information regarding the opposing party’s social networking, online billing and email history. In many cases, such requests are coupled with the hiring of a private investigator specially trained in computer forensics. These efforts generally produce content-rich discovery and evidence which can have a great impact in a domestic relations case.
Obtaining this electronic information is really only half the battle, and frankly, the easier half. Submitting such information into evidence at Court requires a deft understanding of a rapidly-changing and relatively unsettled area of law. Thus, the family law attorney must stay apprised of the evolving state of the law on electronic and digital discovery and the client would be well-served by hiring such an attorney.