Episodi

  • Custody Wars: Why High-Conflict Cases Get So Ugly and How to Keep Yours From Spiraling with Attorney Lindsay Belmont

    Custody Wars: Why High-Conflict Cases Get So Ugly and How to Keep Yours From Spiraling with Attorney Lindsay Belmont
    Oct 20 2026
    In a custody case, a good legal outcome can still fall short of protecting a family. Attorney Lindsay Belmont of Nebraska Legal Group, who has spent over a decade in private practice and gravitates toward the most contentious custody cases, explains why fear of the unknown drives so much conflict between divorcing parents and what judges want to see from them instead. She breaks down how courts handle parental alienation, including a case where she proved everything on paper and the relationship still did not recover, and why she argues that neither mom nor dad should be presumed to deserve a particular custody arrangement. Belmont walks through how a child’s age shapes a parenting schedule, from a 2-2-3 rotation for young children to week on, week off for older kids, and what happens when a teenager refuses to follow a court order, including a judge’s blunt question to a father who wanted his 16-year-old forced to comply. The conversation also covers when courts interview children, why counseling for kids can be ordered over a parent’s objection, and why a CPS finding of “unfounded” or “insufficient evidence” is not the end of the road when abuse is alleged. Belmont closes with a candid look at whether divorce hurts kids and what she most wants parents to remember when the dust settles.
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    54 min
  • Dirty Money Tricks in Divorce: What Spouses Hide and How Attorneys Find It with Attorney Sarah Preisinger

    Dirty Money Tricks in Divorce: What Spouses Hide and How Attorneys Find It with Attorney Sarah Preisinger
    Oct 7 2026
    Spouses who claim they have no money often have a very detailed paper trail saying otherwise. Attorney Sarah Preisinger of Nebraska Legal Group draws on 17 years of experience, including time as a district director in child support enforcement, to break down the financial games people play in divorce and how attorneys uncover them. She explains how self-employed spouses use business write-offs to shrink their income on paper, why assets mysteriously end up in a mother's or girlfriend's name, and what happened when a spouse wrote herself a $50,000 check days before filing. Preisinger shares what she has found in discovery, from monthly payments to a Texas inmate and a stream of psychics, to Affirm and Klarna debts quietly piling up, and explains why consumer AI tools are not private and what that means for anyone tempted to ask a chatbot how to hide assets. The conversation also covers what actually works when a parent refuses to pay support, including tax intercepts, driver's license suspensions, and a passport revocation that produced an $80,000 payment, along with practical advice on bonuses, Venmo income, and why a credit report is one of the most overlooked tools in any divorce.
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    48 min
  • Who Gets the Dog? Why Divorcing Couples Fight Dirtier Over Pets Than Kids with Attorney Maggie Brister

    Who Gets the Dog? Why Divorcing Couples Fight Dirtier Over Pets Than Kids with Attorney Maggie Brister
    Sep 22 2026
    Pets are property under the law, but try telling that to a couple fighting over who keeps the dog. Attorney Maggie Brister of New Mexico Legal Group unpacks why pet custody disputes can get messier than child custody cases, including a divorce that stalled for months over a 50-year marriage, a Great Dane, and a Shih Tzu, and a case where a husband withheld his ex-wife's service animal for six months during mediation. Brister explains why New Mexico law treats every animal, from horses to bearded dragons, as chattel rather than a family member, and why judges have little patience for couples who file motions over pets while more urgent cases involving children wait. The conversation covers a particularly bizarre case involving a beloved bearded dragon, its cremated remains, and a secret one spouse kept from her own attorney for eighteen months, along with the negotiating tactics some spouses and attorneys use to weaponize pets for leverage during a divorce and why doing so tends to backfire in front of a judge. Brister closes with the reminder that keeping a bonded pair of dogs together, or simply letting go, often matters more than winning the fight.
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    46 min
  • World Class Cheaters: Infidelity, Hidden Assets, and What It Costs You in Divorce with Attorney Laura McClure

    World Class Cheaters: Infidelity, Hidden Assets, and What It Costs You in Divorce with Attorney Laura McClure
    Sep 8 2026
    Not all cheating looks the same, and in divorce, the financial kind can be just as damaging as an affair. Attorney Laura McClure of Colorado Legal Group, who specializes in representing survivors of domestic violence, joins the show to break down what actually counts as cheating, from emotional affairs to spouses who hide assets or spend down marital funds before a divorce is even filed. She explains why most states are no fault, meaning an affair alone will not sway how property gets divided, but how a marital waste argument can still be used to claw back money spent on an affair partner. The conversation covers how spouses uncover financial deception through discovery and forensic accountants, how a controlling or narcissistic spouse can weaponize the court system itself, and how to recognize an attorney who is equipped to handle domestic violence cases. McClure closes with a case that shows how a client who once feared she was the abuser ended up fully protected once the full picture came out and a reminder that even when police involvement leads nowhere, options like a civil protection order still exist.
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    46 min
  • Inside Attorney Misconduct: Power, Ethics, and the Cases That Shocked a Legal Community with Attorney Cynthia Payne

    Inside Attorney Misconduct: Power, Ethics, and the Cases That Shocked a Legal Community with Attorney Cynthia Payne
    Aug 25 2026
    Attorneys are held to a strict ethical code, but that does not mean they always follow it. Attorney Cynthia Payne, Executive Vice President of US Legal Groups, joins the show to unpack why it took until 2002 for the American Bar Association to formally address whether attorneys can have sexual relationships with clients, and why the power imbalance in that dynamic makes consent far more complicated than it appears. Payne walks through real cases from her decades in the profession, including an attorney whose relationship with a client on a murder case led to a vacated conviction, a case involving a client who felt coerced into a relationship with her own divorce attorney, and an especially extreme case of an attorney who bribed witnesses, revealed client confidences in court filings, and was ultimately disbarred after shooting someone in his office. The conversation also turns to judges who abused their positions, from arrests involving drugs and domestic violence to one particularly bizarre courtroom scandal, and to the gender dynamics Payne has witnessed firsthand across thirty years of practice, including moments early in her career when jurors commented on her appearance rather than her performance. Payne closes with guidance for anyone who feels taken advantage of by their attorney, including how to seek a second opinion, file a disciplinary complaint, and exercise the right to fire an attorney at any time, even mid case.
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    44 min
  • Paternity Disputes in Divorce: What Happens When the Husband Isn't the Father with Attorney Meagan Spomer

    Paternity Disputes in Divorce: What Happens When the Husband Isn't the Father with Attorney Meagan Spomer
    Aug 11 2026
    When a child's paternity comes into question, the legal outcome often has little to do with biology. Attorney Meagan Spomer, managing partner at Nebraska Legal Group and a fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, joins the show to break down how paternity works differently depending on whether the parents are married. She explains the legal presumption that attaches automatically when a husband is married to the child's mother, why that presumption is difficult to overturn even with proof otherwise, and how the "acknowledgment of paternity" signed at the hospital creates the same binding effect for unmarried fathers. Spomer walks through the fraud or material mistake of fact standard required to challenge paternity after the fact, the four year statute of limitations for establishing paternity, and why courts weigh a child's best interest and existing bond over strict biology when deciding whether to set a paternity finding aside. The conversation also covers real cases from her time in child support enforcement, including one involving identical twin brothers and a genetic test that couldn't settle the matter. Spomer closes with practical advice for anyone facing a paternity question, particularly around the risks of signing an acknowledgment of paternity before knowing the full picture.
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    42 min
  • Inside Divorce Meltdowns: Navigating the Legal, Emotional, and Social Media Fallout with Attorney Mark Pustay

    Inside Divorce Meltdowns: Navigating the Legal, Emotional, and Social Media Fallout with Attorney Mark Pustay
    Jul 28 2026
    Divorce meltdowns aren't just dramatic moments. They can derail a case and upend a family's future before it ever reaches court. Family law and criminal law attorney Mark Pustay, managing attorney at New Mexico Legal Group, breaks down what a divorce meltdown really looks like, including a case where escalating conflict literally ended in a house fire. He explains why continuing to live under the same roof during a divorce often intensifies conflict rather than easing it, and why a single police call, text message, or social media post can end up shaping a case in ways spouses never anticipated. The conversation covers the warning signs spouses and attorneys should watch for, how digital evidence holds up even after posts are deleted, and the everyday choices, from staying calm with law enforcement to being deliberate about communication, that can protect someone's case from the very start.
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    1 ora
  • Parental Alienation in Divorce: What Attorneys (and Parents) Need to Know with Attorney Adam Little

    Parental Alienation in Divorce: What Attorneys (and Parents) Need to Know with Attorney Adam Little
    Jul 13 2026
    Parental alienation isn't just a buzzword. It's a real problem that can completely change the dynamics of a family going through divorce. Family law attorney and divorce mediator Adam Little discusses what parental alienation looks like, why it can be so difficult for courts to distinguish from ordinary family conflict, and what can happen when allegations get out of hand. Together, they examine the warning signs attorneys and parents should recognize, the role of expert witnesses and child advocates, and the evidence that can strengthen or undermine a case. Their conversation explores the legal, emotional, and practical realities behind these high-stakes custody disputes, along with the difficult decisions courts face when a child's best interests are at stake.
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    50 min