For all the happy connections and pure joy (hello, Cat Lawyer!) social media has brought to the world, it has also become so ingrained in our everyday lives that we often forget how many people can see what we post, share, and “like.”
It has become second nature to use social media as a sort of journal to chronicle the ups and downs of daily life – showing the good, bad, and ugly to the world. So, it is no wonder that social media has also brought quite a bit of temptation to say and do things we might not otherwise if our mothers were watching or if we were looking back with hindsight’s 20/20 vision.
What might feel harmless and hilarious in the moment, could come back to bite you when you are under a microscope in your divorce or custody case. It is important that you have an experienced family law attorney on your side to help protect you when your digital past comes knocking.
What Social Media are we talking about?
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have easy ways to directly export all of your user data. There are also apps family lawyers use to pull content from WhatsApp and other social messaging platforms into an easy-to-review and use format.
**This also applies to your text messages. In my ten years of family law litigation, I’ve seen more cheeky things than I can count, if you catch my drift.**
What happens with all that data?
The short answer—if you don’t have an experienced family lawyer on your side to sift through what may actually be relevant to your case, much of your private activity that you never thought would see the light of day may end up in the hands of the other party or the Court and be used against you. It is your lawyer’s job to keep the silly, tacky, and questionable things you may have said and done on social media (including private chats!) from clouding what really matters in your divorce or custody case.
What can you do now?
The best rule of thumb – If you don’t want to defend it to your momma, don’t post it, share it, “like” it, or send it.
We are at our worst going through a divorce or custody dispute, so we say and post things we otherwise wouldn’t with a level head. If you are concerned about how social media may impact your divorce or custody dispute, consult with an experienced family lawyer at Lazar Law to come up with a game plan for yourself. It is the role of your lawyer to protect you through this process. Call 512-477-1600 or email us today to set up a consultation.
