Category Archives: Child Custody

Child Custody, Divorce, Opinion, Visitation

Forgettable Halloween!

10/31/2014 BowTieLawyer Leave a comment

Halloween is not a “real” holiday. School is not out, banks are not closed, the Post Office still does their thing.

Halloween is also overlooked in Child Custody Visitation Agreements. It is not in the Court’s “standard” visitation schedule. Also, Halloween is a moving target. It’s not always a weekend. Due to this it can result in one parent “having” the holiday more than the other and the other parent’s “rights” dependent solely on the whim of the calendar. Sometimes this is not a problem when mom and dad get along, but sometimes this is used against the other parent. Put Halloween in your papers if you have young children. It’s a fun day and a special time!

Matthew Thompson is a Child Custody/Visitation lawyer in Mississippi and warns that if you don;t want to be scared on whether or not you have rights to Halloween visitation, it is best to put it in your papers.

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You may also contact Matthew with your family law case, question or concern at (601) 850-8000 or Matthew@bowtielawyer.ms.

black bow

Child Custody, Divorce, General Legal, Modifications, Opinion

5 Family Law FaceBook Don’ts

10/07/2014 BowTieLawyer 14 Comments

FaceBook is mainly used for comparing yourself to your high school friends and stalking persons you just met. Perhaps it can also be useful for bragging on yourself, your child’s latest, cutest thing and driving up “hits” on your blog. However, it is NOT to air your DIVORCE DRAMA!

FaceBook (FB) based evidence has been linked to over 1/3 of divorces filed since 2011 and is increasing. The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers states that 81 % of its members have used or been faced with evidence plucked from Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites in divorce cases over the last five years.

What are some of the things NOT to post on FaceBook?

Don’t put that the other party was just a sperm/egg donor
Don’t put that the other party is CRAZY, SATAN or PSYCHO!
Don’t post pictures of yourself licking someone’s face at The Electric Cowboy.
Don’t put pictures of yourself holding an alcoholic drink with 16 empties on the table.
Don’t “check-in” at the Club, at 2:00 a.m., during your custody time with the children.

I have seen FB postings used in Court as circumstantial proof of fault. (Mushy messages to the old flame and hate-filled diatribes against that “dead beat.”) And, FB info has been used as proof with regards to moral fitness in custody battles. Parties in litigation have posted vulgar things about the other party and parties have put pictures of themselves behaving inappropriately on FB.

So you are thinking, “But my FB is set to private. Only my friends can see it and I blocked little Miss So and So.” Well the block may prevent them from gaining direct access, but guess what, you have a mutual friend that is forwarding the postings to your ex and/or that mutual friend is letting them log in under their name. Nothing is private.

Want to know what else to NOT put on FB? 5 more Don’ts.

Share your FB Family Law horror story…maybe I’ll blog about it. Oh, and LIKE me on FaceBook.

Matthew Thompson is a Family Law Attorney in Mississippi and recommends you not post your business on FaceBook.

Follow the blog: BowTieLawyer Visit the website: Thompson Law Firm

You may also contact Matthew with your family law case, question or concern at (601) 850-8000 or Matthew@bowtielawyer.ms.

Child Custody, Crime, General Legal, Opinion

FLAG on the PLAY; NFL is NO Moral Authority

09/15/2014 BowTieLawyer 1 Comment

Moral authority is authority premised on principles which are independent of written laws. As such, moral authority necessitates the existence of and adherence to truth. Because truth does not change, the principles of moral authority are immutable or unchangeable.

The world has been abuzz the last week over two NFL scandals. The first involved Ray Rice assaulting his then-fiancee, committing heinous acts of domestic violence, and the NFL’s wrist-slapping until the video of the act came to light. The second was Adrian Petersen taking a switch to his 4-year old child, leaving numerous switch marks, welts and breaking the skin on the child.

There has been much attention on both and the good from this will be the light shined on domestic violence and proper child discipline. Neither of these incidents were proper, nor excusable. However, what the NFL does or does not do should not change your view on either incident.

The NFL is there to make money and provide entertainment. That’s it. If you are looking to the NFL to have a true moral compass or for real role models you are looking in the wrong place. Look to your local neighborhoods, communities and own family for true role models. The professionals, pastors, educators, mothers and fathers – those that give back and do the right thing when no one is looking. Those are the ones to emulate, if anyone.

The NFL is not designed nor equipped to be role models- they are designed to make money and entertain.

Don’t want to be constantly disappointed? Aim higher.

Matthew Thompson is a Family Law Attorney in Mississippi, coach of the U7 Girl’s Purple Rush, assistant den leader and involved in numerous community activity groups.

Follow the blog: BowTieLawyer Visit the website: Thompson Law Firm

You may also contact Matthew with your family law case, question or concern at

(601) 850-8000 or Matthew@bowtielawyer.ms.

Child Custody, Divorce

What you “Lose” in a Divorce.

09/05/2014 BowTieLawyer 2 Comments

There’s an old joke about “What do you get if you play a Country music song backwards?“

“You get your wife back, your house back and your dog back.“

Similarly, there are things you potentially can “lose” in a divorce, such as;

Your Spouse.
Your home, possibly.
1/2 of your retirement.
Unfettered access to your children.

There are also things you can potentially lose, which you may not even realize, such as;

Your Church, through the ability or comfort to continue attending.
Your Financial Security.
Your Friends – they either don’t want to get involved or they pick the other side…

Divorces can be messy, stressful, time consuming and costly and there are costs beyond time and finances.

Matthew Thompson is a Divorce Lawyer in Mississippi and advises you to consider the true costs of a divorce.

Follow the blog: BowTieLawyer Visit the website: Thompson Law Firm

You may also contact Matthew with your family law case, question or concern at

(601) 850-8000 or Matthew@bowtielawyer.ms.

Child Custody, Divorce, General Legal, Marriage, Modifications, Opinion

Leaked Photos!

09/03/2014 BowTieLawyer 1 Comment

The headlines have been abuzz of leaked celebrity photos in compromising positions, including Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton.

However, celebrities aren’t the only targets of this type of conduct. All too often these are threatened to be made public or sent to your mother by your former significant other when pitted against one another in a heated divorce or custody case. You mean your soul-mate may turn on you? In a second!

In addition to being embarrassing the pictures can influence a Court’s determination on contributions to the stability of the marriage and custody. I am not saying you lose your kids because you took naughty photos, but depending on what they depict and whether they include illegal activity they may well impact your case and may also impact negotiations. You may settle for less than you should to prevent them from being used.

So, how do I keep these from being used against me? Easy, don’t allow them to exist in the first place.

What if they already do? Tread carefully…

Matthew Thompson is a Divorce Lawyer in Mississippi and cautions you to NOT put yourself in compromising positions.

Follow the blog: BowTieLawyer Visit the website: Thompson Law Firm

You may also contact Matthew with your family law case, question or concern at

(601) 850-8000 or Matthew@bowtielawyer.ms.

Child Custody, Child Support

Tell Your Kids You Love Them!

08/26/2014 BowTieLawyer Leave a comment

Make sure your children know that you love them, unconditionally. Do it today.

(601) 850-8000 or Matthew@bowtielawyer.ms.

Child Custody, Divorce, General Legal, Irreconcilable differences, Marriage, Opinion

Lying Eyes & Other Signs of Lies and the People That Tell Them.

07/30/2014 BowTieLawyer 1 Comment

If you’ve ever been involved in a family law case then you’ve dealt with someone lying.

Clients, witnesses and even lawyers sometimes lie. It could be a little white lie or a huge whopper. A former CIA officer said to watch out for these cues that you might be being lied to;

The Eyes Tell the Tale. When asked a question the witness looks up, closes their eyes or looks down, especially on a question they should know.
Shielding the Face. When speaking the person have their hand in front of their eyes or mouth.
Verbal Answer/Body Language Disagree. The best example of this was when the deponent was asked if she was having an affair. She said, “No,” but shook her head Yes. When confronted with this she spilled the beans.
The Delayed Response. Some things you should not have to think about.
Fidgeting. Messing with your hair, your cup, or your pen when answering.
Nose Grows. Think Pinocchio. Very rare*

Want to know more about lies and the people that tell them? Try these;

Matthew Thompson is a Divorce Attorney in Mississippi and advises you to NEVER lie while under oath.