Recently the San Francisco Chronicle reported on a story about social media use in the courtroom and specifically, in family law cases. A San Francisco family law firm warns social networking accounts and their activity are being used as evidence in divorce and child custody cases and that trend is on the rise.

This is a fair warning, and a good reminder that most social media account settings default to public, so any updates or tweets you send out are published for everyone to view. The article explains that the social media activity is fair game in a courtroom and can be used against a parent in a child custody battle, for example. It is also becoming more common for clients to turn over their social media passwords to the opposing counsel to view. The article also provides many good recommendations for parents in a child custody battle or divorce.

Emphasize pictures of your children De-emphasize pictures of drinking or other questionable behavior Adjust privacy settings so you have more control over who can post pictures of you or write on your Facebook Wall

These recommendations are important. If you are currently dealing with a divorce or child custody proceedings, contact our Baton Rouge Family Attorneys at The Brouillette Law Firm to review your rights and let us help you come to a settlement that is good for both parties involved. New trends such as social media can be complex and having an experienced family law attorney on your side to help you come up with a strategy is the smart way to approach it