From now until the end of time, divorce attorneys will argue over money on behalf of their clients. It’s the Holy Grail of settlements. But what happens when your soon-to-be ex-spouse tells you one thing about his/her financial status and posts something else on Facebook?
Recently a Time magazine cover story highlighted examples of soon-to-be ex-spouses swearing they’re not making any money but posting pictures of new pricey purchases on Facebook and other social networks.
In an age of increasingly nasty divorces, lawyers eat up this kind of “airing the dirty laundry”, bringing it out of cyberspace and into the courtroom. My advice? Scour your Facebook page, LinkedIn profile, and Twitter account with a fine toothcomb. Do not leave anything behind that could possibly be used as leverage in a settlement. Additionally, change any password your soon-to-be ex-spouse would know, because any information that you can find through these sites may be used in court.
Once you are finished cleaning up your own social networking persona, it’s time to see if your soon-to-be ex left behind anything incriminating. Your lawyer should sit down with you and go through anything that you think could help in a settlement.
As our traditional ways of socially connecting continue to evolve, so will our ways of finding information which allows you to walk away from a divorce with the settlement you deserve.
Michael C. Craven is a well-known divorce attorney in Chicago, CPA and a partner of the law firm, Beermann Swerdlove, LLP (Formerly of Beermann, now a Partner at Harrison LLP) located in the Chicago area. He is highly respected among other divorce attorneys, judges and his clients. He also holds a Master of Tax Law Degree (LLM). For more information about his services, contact Michael at mcraven@harrisonheld.com or at Divorce Lawyers Chicago.
