Family Law Articles

A research-backed guide for family law professionals on protecting children and both parents from trauma, coercive control, and tech-facilitated abuse.

As mediation-arbitration grows more common amid court capacity constraints, attorneys note that cases involving alcohol misuse require objective, tamper-resistant documentation to resolve accountability questions early. Soberlink's monitoring system, already used in family courts, is presented as one tool that provides this kind of verifiable data for med-arb agreements.

Alcohol monitoring evidence in parenting time cases is often challenged on chain of custody, tamper detection, and identity verification grounds. Soberlink addresses these areas through device safeguards, documented testing protocols, and legal support such as certified records, sworn declarations, and testimony.

The NCJFCJ's AUD Bench Card guides judges and family law professionals in assessing alcohol-related risk in custody cases, and remote monitoring tools like Soberlink can support documentation at each risk level, from low to high.

Imprecise parenting plans are a leading, preventable cause of post-divorce litigation. Attorney and former judge Michele Locke explains how drafting with specificity, including technology-based provisions like alcohol monitoring, helps families avoid future conflict and courtroom returns.

This guide covers the key components of custody agreements, including legal and physical custody, parenting time schedules, and special circumstances such as domestic violence, military deployment, and substance abuse concerns. It also provides state-by-state court resources and practical co-parenting guidance.

This article examines how proactive parenting plans can reduce repeated custody disputes by addressing accountability, communication, and dispute resolution early. It also explores how alcohol monitoring provisions, including tools like Soberlink, may support structured custody arrangements when substance use is a concern.

When alcohol abuse is raised in a custody case, courts look for documented patterns of behavior rather than isolated incidents, and the testing methods they order can vary widely depending on the state. This guide breaks down how judges evaluate evidence, which testing methods are used, how remote monitoring tools like Soberlink factor into custody and visitation decisions, and how each of the 50 states approaches alcohol testing in family court.

In California, both parents have equal rights under the law, but courts award custody based on the child's best interests, not gender. Staying involved, documenting participation, and understanding the process are what actually protect a parent's position when custody is contested.

Alcohol monitoring technology like Soberlink can only protect children in custody cases if the right oversight structure surrounds it. Without a designated Concerned Party, a named individual with full access to results and the ability to act on them, compliance gets recorded but never truly verified, leaving one parent in the dark and children at risk.