Author: WB Admin

Social Media Implications Relating to Family Law

Posted on by WB Admin

On behalf of The Law Office of Wickersham and Bowers posted in Family Law on Thursday, July 16th, 2020

Today social media has become part and parcel of our daily lives. So much so that it can be used in a court of law to prove certain facts. As in other parts of the law, social media has changed family law quite a bit. Here are some of the corresponding implications. 

Social Media Content Is Now Admissible In Court

Since social media has become an integral part of our lives, digital content can be presented to support or demolish certain facts and narratives of a particular case. When the content has been legally obtained, the judge will allow the content into evidence and if it contradicts formally made statements such as affidavits, it can raise some very serious credibility issues. These may build or damn your case altogether. 

Content That Can Impact a Family Law Dispute

It’s always important that people take extra care when posting content online. These photos, videos and posts can be used against you in a court of law and end up costing you the case. During a family law dispute, sharing certain type of data can be detrimental to your case. This includes sharing private information concerning your children, spouse or the court case. You can also get in trouble by posting content that depicts dangerous, antisocial behavior. In custody cases, this content can be used as evidence of showing that someone is an unfit parent or that they don’t deserve to have custody of the child. 

Child and Spousal Maintenance

In cases where one party is looking for parental support for a minor or even spousal support altogether, social media posts can be used to make a case. Often the court will order one party to pay a certain amount of money every month. From this order, a party may claim hardship which means that they cannot fulfill this obligation. To show that the other party is being untruthful, social media content such as photos of someone living lavishly can be used to support their claim. This can include digital content depicting holidays, new asset acquisitions, eating out can be very compelling evidence for your side. 

It’s important to keep track of what you post on various social media platforms. Always think twice before you post as a single post can do a lot of damage in a family law court. Call us today if you need help with your family law case!

Should Kids Be Involved in Estate Planning for an Elderly Parent?

Posted on by WB Admin

On behalf of The Law Office of Wickersham and Bowers posted in Estate Planning on Thursday, July 16th, 2020

Estate planning is often an uncomfortable topic for many people. Some think that planning their estates means that they are a step closer to the grave. Although it might be an uncomfortable to do, planning your estate can be instrumental in avoiding chaos after you have passed away. 

For the elderly, planning your estate should be a priority. That’s basically so that should anything happen to you; you’ll know that everything is in order. In cases where the parent is quite senior, having the children involved in the estate planning process and this is why:

Someone You Can Trust

People of advanced age are often taken advantage of by unscrupulous people in our society. As a parent gets older, their bodies or mental faculties might start to fail them. To ensure that all your day-to-day finances are taken care of, you will need to appoint a power of attorney. That power of attorney can be given to your child and as such they should be involved in the estate planning. 

In Cases Where There Is a Minor

In cases where the parent is elderly and they have children under the age of 18, a personal guardian should be appointed. To ensure that everything transitions as planned, it’s good to involve the child when making this decision. If something happens to you and the child is left without a parent, leaving that child to someone they know and trust will work out a lot better. As such you might want to speak to the kids about whom they feel most comfortable with. 

In Matters of Finance

When planning your estate, financial matters take up a huge chunk of the planning. Although it’s not a must to keep your children in the loop when it comes to financial matters, it’s always good practice to keep people in the loop concerning the state of things. If your children are adults, you can speak to them about the state of the finances and also let them know what you expect upon your departure. This is usually beneficial to the kids so that they can know what to expect upon your passing. 

All through this period of time, you should always have a trusted lawyer by your side. At Wickersham & Bowers, we ensure that all matters regarding your estate planning are handled professionally and diligently so that everything stays in order. 

Life Is Unpredictable

Posted on by WB Admin

On behalf of The Law Office of Wickersham and Bowers posted in Estate Planning on Tuesday, June 9th, 2020

Estate Planning and Will and Trust

The loss of someone we love is a tragic event. When this tragedy occurs in your family, you will require different things than others for your family. At Wickersham & Bowers, we provide you with a range of estate planning services that meet your and your family’s individual needs. We offer over sixty years of expert experience that will help you understand wills, trusts, and probate, and litigation.  

Planning Protects Your Assets

A key component is the ability to preserve the assets that you have spent your lifetime working toward, and you want to be able to determine what is going to happen to them when your life ends. Having an estate plan lets you have the power over your assets even beyond your experience and life. With our team of experts, we can guide you through this process with compassion and understanding as we listen to your wishes in a testamentary document that is enforceable. If it is a family member’s estate, we help you through the complicated process quietly but efficiently understanding well that this is a difficult time, and you need to mourn and heal. 

When developing a will or trust, you will see that we help you evaluate your options and find a plan that will please you and honor your wishes and be in the best interest of your family. For those wishing to protect their finances and the assets that they have accumulated, a trust may be the best option to utilize. A trust will help manage both during your life and help it to transition smoothly in the event of your passing on. Wills, however, are well known for being the most common estate plan as it will designate how your assets and finances are being distributed among your loved ones and family. A will helps families avoid court procedures and disputes. 

Let Us Help You Plan for Your Family’s Protection

Having an attorney guide you is beneficial to you and your family as Wickersham & Bowers put your family’s interests first. To schedule a consultation, call our offices, and we can speak at your earliest convenience to create a plan that works for you. 

Taking Care of Your Family First

Posted on by WB Admin

On behalf of The Law Office of Wickersham and Bowers posted in Family Law on Tuesday, June 9th, 2020.

When you are looking to make the next step of your life a permanent one and seek a divorce, you need trusted attorneys who will help you through this time and who will benefit you and our family. At Wickersham & Bowers, we have over sixty years of experience that will help guide you through the legal procedures and law claims of divorce. We are compassionate and trustworthy, and have a results-oriented process that is individualized to you in all aspects of this procedure. We help couples and families take the steps necessary to protect their families while having the best protection through ethical services and legal counseling. 

Our Services

We offer the following services: 

  • Modification of court orders
  • Condemnation of real property 
  • Spousal support
  • Property division
  • A contested and uncontested divorce  
  • Contested and uncontested legal separation 

When you have children, they need to be taken care of. Plus, they need to be surrounded in a safe and caring environment full of support and love. Make this process easier on your family by letting Wickersham & Bowers support you. We help families create the best legal agreements to protect their child’s interests and make sure that they have the safety and love they need. 

Your Case is Unique

Each family, just as each couple, has unique circumstances and requires a more tailored approach, which is what we offer as a part of our family consultation. We offer services such as the following: 

  • Visitation
  • Child custody, including joint custody and disputes 
  • Family rights, including father’s rights, grandparent’s rights, and mother’s rights  

At Wickersham & Bowers, we understand that you need an expert team that can provide the best with confidence. Our personalized approach lets you work closely with trustworthy legal counsel. We will provide representation and you gain from the results from our legal team. Avoid do-it-yourself legal documents that you will find online, or any claims that you see on 

How to protect your family when life is uncertain.

Posted on by WB Admin

On behalf of The Law Office of Wickersham and Bowers posted in Estate Planning on Thursday, April 30th, 2020.

Of all the legal services that are necessary for a person to engage in over the course of their life, wills and estate planning is the one that seems to be the most neglected. It is understandable when you really stop to think about it. No one wants to face their own mortality and casually make plans and fill out documents for the inevitable coming of the end of life.

But putting off this aspect of personal and professional legal instructions has never been a particularly prudent action. And with the Coronavirus spreading and creating a global pandemic, the assurance of tomorrow or next year has never been less certain. 

This makes it even more urgent to enlist the services of an experienced estate planning firm such as Wickersham and Bowers to make sure that your end of life affairs are in order, while of course hoping that time is still far away.

Careful Planning During an Unpredictable Time

There is an old saying that goes “plan for the worst, hope for the best”. There is probably no better situation to apply that to than the one we currently all find ourselves facing. It is now more critical than ever to make sure that you and your families’ wishes are met should the unthinkable suddenly happen.

Ensuring Your Families’ Security

Take a moment and imagine the stress that so many families are going through right now with sick or dying loved ones. Many of them aren’t even able to visit their family or friends in the hospital or attend their funerals. 

Knowing how much of a soul-wrenching burden that must already be, imagine if they also had to deal with a situation in which none of their deceased loved ones final wishes and instructions were legally documented. No one wants to put their family through that.

Waiting Is Never an Option

A will and estate planning is something that should never be ignored, even in normal times. But with the Covid-19 crisis introducing a new and dangerous element into our daily lives, the possibility of even a young, healthy person falling ill and dying within a matter of days is possible. 

The legal experts at Wickersham and Bowers have been handling these types of matters for years and they will be glad to do the same for you. Don’t wait until it’s too late.

Contact us today for a consultation.

Divorce cases skyrocket due to coronavirus.

Posted on by WB Admin

On behalf of The Law Office of Wickersham and Bowers posted in Family Law on Thursday, April 30th, 2020.

People all throughout the world are living through truly unprecedented times today. A global health crisis coupled with various stay-at-home and shelter-in-place orders and the resulting severe economic and personal financial downturns are wreaking havoc on professional and personal lives. 

While it is easy to see the obvious casualties of this pandemic in the forms of jobs and investment portfolios, there will be many more negative repercussions of the coronavirus both now and in the future. For the purposes of today’s post, we will be focusing in on one in particular; divorce. 

And for those readers who may already be facing this life-changing event, the family law experts at Wickersham and Bowers are highly experienced in these matters and are having to take on record numbers of these clients as a by-product of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Unforeseen Effects of a Pandemic

This virus and the wave of destruction it has left in its path is the perfect example of how one, seemingly unrelated event, can have a profound impact on other areas of society or personal life. Divorce filings are skyrocketing as couples are forced to spend extended time together without the opportunity to take a break and spend a little alone time or socialize with friends.

Close Quarters and Cabin Fever

There have been plenty of clinical studies done on the effects of spending long periods of time cooped up in one place. The layman term for it is cabin fever or going “stir crazy”. When two people are constantly right on top of each other for days on end it does not matter how much they love each other; eventually they will grow tired of the other’s company.

Additional Anxiety to Existing Stress

And when you consider that many of these marriages may have already been on shaky ground due to financial troubles (which have only been amplified by the coronavirus) or any other reason, they simply cannot take the added turmoil and stress. If you find yourself in this situation, there is no reason to be ashamed or embarrassed. 

Unfortunately, it looks as though separation and divorce are going to be one of the lasting effects of Covid-19. But you don’t have to handle this alone, either. Simply get in touch with the experienced legal professionals at Wickersham and Bowers, they know how to help.

Contact us today for a consultation.

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