Addressing Children's Issues in Divorce and Paternity Cases 2025

  • OnDemand seminar
  • Children and the Law
  • New Lawyer
Up to 7.5 Credit Hours
View schedule
Addressing Children's Issues in Divorce and Paternity Cases 2025

Endorsed by the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Wisconsin

Find lasting family solutions

A divorce is challenging for the whole family, especially for children caught in the middle. Lawyers who work on custody, placement, paternity, or juvenile guardianship cases play a vital role in shaping outcomes that prioritize a child’s wellbeing. Addressing Children’s Issues in Divorce and Paternity Cases provides intelligent strategies for handling these cases with care and confidence.

Whether you’re starting on a custody and placement case, managing post-judgment litigation, or somewhere in between, you’ll gain valuable insights into working with parents, guardians ad litem, child specialists, custody evaluators, and the court system.

8:30 am
Starting a Case

Adam Onkels

  • Information gathering at initial meeting
  • Addressing life choices with clients
  • Parenting Plans under Wis. Stat. § 767.41(1m)
  • Temporary orders
  • Early-stage mediation
  • Child Specialist / Coaches in Collaborative cases
9:30 am
Introducing the Guardian ad litem

Lisa M. Friedrich

  • Appointment of a GAL
  • Home study
  • Mental health / AODA / DV assessments
  • Tips on getting successful outcomes with GAL
  • Trial preparation
10:15 am
Break
10:30 am
Addressing Mental Health Needs during the Divorce Process

Karla Angel, John Binkley

  • Children’s emotional and developmental needs
  • Parent’s mental health needs
  • Minimizing conflict within the family
  • Introducing significant others
  • Setting families up for success
  • What mental health professionals want attorneys to know
12:00 pm
Lunch (on your own)
1:00 pm
Trial Strategies: Making the Most (or Least) of a Custody Evaluation

Margaret W. Hickey

  • Working with a custody evaluator
  • Preparing expert witnesses, or preparing yourself to showcase the expert witness
  • Coordinating with a positive home study or guardian’s ad litem recommendation
  • How to deal with a negative home study or guardian’s ad litem recommendation
2:00 pm
Settling Cases

Aislinn Penkwitz

  • The basics of negotiating and settling children's issues
  • Preparing your client for mediation
  • Basic considerations for custody and placement agreements
  • Tips and considerations for mediation
  • Final agreements and court orders before final judgmen
2:45 pm
Break
3:00 pm
It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over: Post-judgment Custody & Placement Issues

Daniel P. Bestul

  • Modification of placement and custody orders
  • Moving/Removal
  • Common issues: School choice, teenagers, and “Use it or Lose it” cases
3:45 pm
Maintaining Your Sanity (LAU Credit)

Margaret W. Hickey

  • Keeping your objectivity
  • Dealing with high conflict parents and/or opposing counsel
  • Avoiding comp
4:30 pm
Program Concludes

Sponsored by

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  • Understand custody and placement in paternity and divorce cases
  • Learn techniques to address children’s needs in parenting plans
  • Recognize the rights and responsibilities of parents or guardians after separation or divorce
  • Gain tips for making the most of custody evaluations and expert witnesses
  • Hear best practices for addressing common post-judgment issues
  • Discover strategies for maintaining your objectivity and preventing burnout
  • Family law attorneys
  • Children’s and juvenile law attorneys
  • Guardians ad litem
  • New lawyers
  • Paralegals

YLD Discount!

Young Lawyers Division members receive a $20 discount on tuition.* Discount applied automatically upon log-in.

*Young Lawyers Division Members are State Bar member attorneys 36 years of age or younger, or within five years of admission to the State Bar of Wisconsin. If you’ve opted out of YLD, you will not receive this discount. The $20 discount only applies to in-person, live webcast, and webcast replay versions of this seminar – not CLE OnDemand. YLD members with Ultimate Passes, other CLE passes, or PINNACLE discounts are not eligible for this discount.

Book Bonus!

Family Law in Wisconsin: A Forms and Procedures Handbook
Save 15% on Family Law in Wisconsin: A Forms and Procedures Handbook.* From initial client meetings to post-judgment matters, the Handbook can help you streamline your family law practice while sparing your clients undue stress. Use discount code CA3781 when you order online or by calling (800) 728-7788.

*Discount applies to both print and digital Books Unbound editions of this title and cannot be applied to previous purchases. Offer valid through 12/31/26. For Books Unbound users, discount may be applied to purchase of individual Books Unbound title only and may not be used on the purchase of libraries. Discount cannot be combined with any other offers.

BYP

The Build Your Practice Series from State Bar of Wisconsin PINNACLE® introduces you to the fundamentals of various practice areas. Gain the tools and information you need to develop a new area of practice and expand your firm's offerings. Build Your Practice Series programs are endorsed by the State Bar's Young Lawyers Division.