I've got 144 friends on my Facebook site!  Will you write on my wall?  Look at my cool pics from the Buffet concert with Jason!

Sounds innocent right?  Well, in the context of a family law case, it may be a good way to lose your case.  Whether you're fighting for the custody of your children, defending yourself against an unfounded allegation of adultery, or trying to prove your fitness as a potential adoptive parent, the perils of posting comments and photographs on social media websites such as Facebook and MySpace are many.  Although social media sites are a great way to stay in touch with family and friends, they also provide a goldmine of information that can be used in the courtroom to harm your case.

You may have given up your two-pack a day habit a year prior to your court date, but the ten photo's you posted on Facebook of you at social events and at home with a cigarette in your hand will not go over well with the judge who is deciding if your home is suitable for the return of your two and four-year-old children.  Likewise, you may be a responsible drinker now, but the fun pics of you stacking beer can pyramids at the Buffet concert will require some explaining.... 

Welcome to the Tidewater Law Blog! I hope that my firm's blog will be a useful place to discuss legal issues in the areas of family law, criminal defense, traffic offenses, estate planning, and personal injury law.

Being involved in a child custody and visitation case can be an emotionally draining process for a parent or interested third party, such as a grandparent. Often one of the first questions my clients ask is, "How does the court make its decision in these cases?" The "big picture" answer is that the court's primary focus is determining what is in the "best interests of the child."

A divorce decree cannot and does not end your responsibility as a parent. Parents are forever. Both parents should make every attempt to play a vital part in the lives of their children, and allow one another to do so. Children need the ongoing affection, interest and concern of their parents. Children must feel that they have two parents who love them, even though they could not live happily with each other.