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.
We are family law attorneys. Our primary focus and purpose is to represent clients in family law matters including divorce, custody disputes, child support matters, premarital agreements, paternity, legitimation, modification, contempt, and many other family law related issues. So why embark on a “blog”? The answer is that we do not want to get left behind. The world is changing and we want to make sure we change with it. Years ago, very few firms had their own website. Kessler & Solomiany, LLC. was one of the first family law firms in town with its own website, and we have spent many hours and many dollars ensuring that our website was appropriately updated and managed.
The advent of e-mail and the internet has meant a change for all of us. Many people now get their information on line and one of the ways to get information on line is through blogging. We do not intend to spend a significant portion of our resources or time developing the blog; however, we recognize that it is an important part of our duty to the public and to our clients to remain and continue to be leaders in the field. Opening our minds and eyes and ears to current topics in our field of expertise is something we feel is important to us and to the community.
It is our intention to monitor family law both in Georgia and nationwide and to comment on it as and when it may be appropriate for a firm of 30 family law professionals such as ours. We invite your comments and feedback as well as criticisms as we attempt to stay with the times and develop a leading family law blog for Atlanta, and surrounding communities.
