Family Law

Ten Best Websites for Family Court Attorneys

By Ben Stevens

Today, I am speaking at "Hot Tips from the Coolest Domestic Law Practitioners" presented by the South Carolina Bar.  This annual seminar features some of South Carolina 's most experienced and talented Family Court trial attorneys and judges, and I am honored to be presenting the "10 Best Websites for Family Court Attorneys":

1. ISP List – This site contains addresses for the legal departments for virtually all cell phone carriers, internet service providers, social media services, and similar companies to assist in the service of Subpoenas, Court Orders, and other legal documents.
2. MeetWays – This resource that helps people easily find a halfway point between two locations.  You simply enter the addresses and a point of interest, and MeetWays does the rest, providing both the halfway point and places of interest in that vicinity.
3. United States Postal Service – The USPS website's Zip Code Lookup feature enables you to quickly verify the County in which any address is located.  Simply insert the address, and then click on 'Mailing Industry Information' to get the County information.
4. Store, Organize, and Share Information Online
   
   • Drop.io – This service allows you to send and share files with clients and others quickly, securely, and privately.  You select the data to upload, set the password, and share with your desired recipients.  By doing so, you can collaborate via web, phone, email, mobile, & more.
   • Evernote – This free service enables you to easily capture, organize, and store information using whatever device or platform you find most convenient, and it makes the information accessible and searchable at any time from anywhere.
5. Online Valuation Tools
   • Real Estate:  Online services like Zillow and RealEstate ABC list sales prices for comparable properties and make adjustments for different characteristics to estimate a property's market value.  While not admissible in Court, these services can be helpful in getting an idea of the value of a given parcel of real property.
   • Vehicles:  Many websites help determine the value of any make or model of automobile, truck, etc., taking into consideration its mileage, condition, and specific options.  Some of the leading sites include Edmunds, Kelly Blue Book,  and NADA.
6. Pipl – This online people search engine enables you to look up information by name, email address, username, or phone number, and it pulls all of the information together into a nice report.  Search engines for many other types of data can be found at LifeHacker.    
7. Time and Date Calculator – This site has many useful functions for family law attorneys.  For instance, you can easily calculate dates in the future (or past), which can be helpful in determining when documents are due.  It also allows you to determine the number of days between certain dates.  You can also print calendars in many standard and customizable formats.      
8. FOIA Letter Generator – This website from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press automatically creates letters to all federal and most state government agencies for information available pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act.
9. South Carolina Judicial Department – Past, present, and future terms of Family Court are available here, including the name of each Judge's Court Reporter for any given day.  (Note:  Some Counties include their trial dockets online, including Beaufort, Charleston, Georgetown, Greenville, Horry, Richland, and Spartanburg.)
10. DSS Child Support Calculator – For those times that you don't have access to Tom Traxler's Child Support Calculator, the Department of Social Services maintains an online version on their website.

Bonus:  Directory of State-Specific Family Law Blogs – This resource is a great starting point if you need to research any legal issues or locate a family law attorney in another state.  Almost every state is listed here, and these sites contain a wealth of information to both attorneys and clients alike.

Full post as published by SC Family Law Blog on September 18, 2009 (boomark / email).