No one ever expects to get divorced. It’s a hard thing to go through, even in the best cases. At it’s best, divorce means change. At its worst, divorce can mean fighting, arguing, fear, hurt, and anger. For individuals with children, divorce impacts the entire family. No one should have to go through it alone. If you’re going through a divorce, you need to protect your mental health. Having an experienced divorce attorney on your side means you have a partner on your journey.

At the Ohiku Law Office, we care about our clients. We know that divorce can lead to extreme emotional stress, fear, anger, anxiety, and depression. We are here to help you navigate the legal process of divorce, but also the emotional and mental aspects. If you’re going through a high net worth divorce and are looking for a divorce lawyer in Milwaukee, contact the Ohiku Law Offices today.

Here are our top five tips for protecting your mental health during and after divorce.

Don’t go through it alone.
Divorce is hard, but you don’t have to go through it alone. You need a strong support system, whether that’s friends, family, or a therapist. Talk to people who will understand and can offer helpful advice. If you have children, talk to them about what is going on and answer their questions as much as possible so they feel like they’re part of the team.

An experienced Milwaukee divorce lawyer is a key element of a divorce support team. A good lawyer can not only offer sound legal advice, but can lend a listening ear, offer support, and help you navigate the emotional, social, and health aspects of divorce as well. The right divorce lawyer has a lot of experience helping clients through the toughest divorce scenarios. Learn how Ohiku Law can help you through your divorce.

Seek professional help.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, seek professional help from a therapist or counselor. A therapist can help you work through your emotions and provide tools to cope with stress. During divorce, it’s ok to feel overwhelmed, scared, lonely, regretful, and sad. A therapist or counselor with experience helping clients going through divorce can help you understand, endure, and soothe these emotions so you can get on with your life.

If you have children, consider family therapy to help them deal with the divorce as well. Divorce can be scary and confusing for children, as it often comes with a lot of change to the normal routine. Family therapy can help them understand what is happening and provide a support system.

Take care of yourself.
In order to take care of others, especially children, you need to take care of yourself first. Divorce can be stressful and time-consuming, but it’s important to prioritize your own health and wellbeing. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods, staying hydrated, and exercising regularly. In Wisconsin, it is also crucial to get fresh air and sunlight whenever you can.

Another key element to a healthy lifestyle is staying connected to others. Ask a friend to take walks with you over lunch at work, or call a trusted family member to talk while you prepare meals for the week.

These are simple strategies that will help reduce stress and keep you feeling your best, even when life gets tough.

Don’t make any big decisions during or after divorce.
One of the biggest dangers of divorce is making rash decisions that you may regret later on. Avoid making any big life changes like moving, quitting your job, or selling your house until you’ve had some time to process everything that’s going on. Give yourself time to mourn the end of your marriage and figure out what comes next for you.

Remember it’s not about winning or losing.
Divorce isn’t about winning or losing, it’s about coming to an agreement that works for both parties. If you can approach the process with this mindset, it will help reduce stress and conflict. Keep your eye on the prize and remember what’s most important: your wellbeing and the wellbeing of your children.

Experienced Divorce Attorney Odalo Ohiku has extensive experience helping high net worth clients navigate all aspects of divorce. If you’re looking for a divorce lawyer in Milwaukee, contact the Ohiku Law Office today.

There are a few reasons why a married couple in Wisconsin might want to consider an annulment instead of divorce. An annulment is a legal procedure that effectively voids a marriage, as if it never happened, while divorce is a legal process that ends a marriage but does not render it invalid. After an annulment, the spouses can say they were never married to one another.

To have a marriage annulled, one of the spouses must prove to a judge that the marriage was never legally valid. This involves a complex court process that includes the need for evidence, witnesses, paperwork, and more. The annulment process may also include the need for child custody, placement, and alimony decisions. If you’re looking to have your marriage annulled, you should consult with an experienced Milwaukee divorce attorney like Odalo Ohiku of The Ohiku Law Offices.

Reasons for Annulment

There are a number of reasons why a marriage might not be legally valid and qualify for annulment, including:

Underage: One or both spouses were under 18 years old at the time of the marriage. In Wisconsin, the legal age of consent is 18, but a person can get married at 16 or 17 with parental permission, or at an age younger than 16 with the permission of both a court and a parent. In order to annul a marriage based on underage, the spouse must still be under the age of 18 when the annulment is filed. A parent can file for annulment on behalf of a child in this case.

Incest: In Wisconsin, marriage is illegal between persons who are closer than second cousins. A marriage between close relatives will be considered invalid.

Force or Duress: A marriage can be annulled if one spouse was forced or threatened to get married and this force or threat was present on the day of the marriage.

Bigamy: Annulment can be granted if one or both spouses were already/are currently married to someone else. Current marriage to someone else would render a second marriage invalid.

Mental Incapacity: Annulment is possible if one or both spouses were mentally incapacitated at the time of the marriage and was not able to consent to the marriage in sound mind. For this reason to be considered, the annulment must be filed within one year of discovery of the mental incapacity.

Fraud or Coercion: Annulment can be considered if the marriage was based on a lie or falsification by one spouse that was unknown to the other at the time of marriage. Fraud will only be considered as a reason for annulment if the marriage would not have happened if both spouses had all the information up front.

Impotence: Annulment may be considered if sexual intercourse is not possible because of impotence of one or both spouses. Impotence will only be considered cause for annulment if the other spouse did not know about the impotence at the time of marriage.

It’s important to note that a judge must make the final determination as to whether a marriage can be annulled. If you are considering an annulment, you should speak with an experienced Milwaukee divorce lawyer to discuss your specific case and whether or not you have grounds for an annulment.

Legal vs. Religious Annulment

Legal and religious annulment both render a  marriage invalid, but they are granted for different reasons. A religious annulment is a declaration from a church or other religious authority that a marriage was never valid. This is often based on personal beliefs about divorce and remarriage, and does not have any legal bearing.

A legal annulment is a court-granted decree that states a marriage was never valid to begin with. This is granted for the specific reasons listed above. A divorce ends a legally valid marriage, while an annulment erases it as if it never happened.

If you think you might be eligible for an annulment, contact Odalo Ohiku, an experienced divorce attorney in Milwaukee, to discuss your case.

How to File for Annulment

If you believe your marriage is invalid and want to seek an annulment, the first step is to speak with an experienced divorce lawyer to get a better understanding of your specific situation and the options available to you.

Your divorce lawyer will help you file for annulment in court by preparing all the necessary paperwork and gathering evidence to support your case. You may need to appear in court for a hearing, so  it is important to have an attorney by your side who can help you navigate the legal process.

If you are granted an annulment, it will be as if the marriage never happened and you will be able to move on with your life.

Odalo Ohiku is a divorce attorney in Milwaukee, WI who has helped many clients through the annulment process. If you are considering an annulment, contact The Ohiku Law Offices today.

High net worth couples considering divorce in Milwaukee likely have questions about spousal maintenance. Spousal maintenance, also known as spousal support or alimony, refers to a court order for one party in a divorce case to pay the other party a certain amount of money over a certain length of time.

There is no specific formula Wisconsin divorce courts use to calculate how much or how long spousal maintenance should be paid. The court looks at many factors in a divorce case to determine the appropriate spousal maintenance arrangement. Because every divorce case is different, spousal maintenance is determined based on the facts of each specific case.

Below are some insights into how Wisconsin divorce courts calculate spousal maintenance. For advice or questions about your specific situation, contact The Ohiku Law Offices, where experienced Milwaukee Divorce Lawyer Odalo Ohiku can provide you with additional guidance.

Factors Considered in Calculating Spousal Maintenance 

When considering how to appropriately construct a spousal maintenance order, Wisconsin divorce courts consider a number of factors specific to the divorce case. These factors include, but are not limited to:

Length of marriage. Marriages that last longer than 10 or 20 years are more likely to result in a divorce court order for spousal maintenance and for that maintenance to last longer. Marriages less than 10 years typically result in an order for less, if any, spousal maintenance.

Division of labor in the marriage. Wisconsin courts look at how unpaid labor, like childcare and housekeeping, was divided between parties during the marriage. This is significant because, if one party took on the majority of these duties, it could have caused them to put their career on pause, go part-time, or forgo promotion.

Earning capacity. The current income of each spouse is considered, as well as each party’s level of education and potential future earning capacity. When evaluating these factors, a court considers what training, education, and credentials each party holds and the cost for obtaining additional necessary education; whether one party supported the other while they obtained education, training, or credentials; whether one party has been absent from the job market to care for children and, if so, for how long; current and future childcare responsibilities; and whether a working party could or should be earning more.

Standard of living. Courts consider what type of support is necessary to ensure each party has similar financial access and freedom as they did before divorce and may decide to award more or less spousal maintenance based on this factor.

Other factors considered: 

• How property is divided in the divorce case.
• The age, physical health, and emotional health of each spouse.
• Tax considerations for each party.
• Prenuptial or other prior agreements made that concern financial support.
• …and more.

Spousal maintenance may be ordered for either spouse, and can be granted whether a couple is seeking divorce, annulment, or legal separation. Both parties are also able to file a request to change the spousal maintenance order, though the final decision is up to the court.

One factor not considered in determining spousal maintenance is whether one party is “at fault” for the breakdown of the marriage. Wisconsin is a no-fault divorce case, meaning neither party needs to prove that the other party is responsible for the end of the marriage.

Can spousal maintenance be avoided? It is understandable to be concerned about a divorce court ruling that you will have to pay spousal maintenance. Divorce is a stressful process, and often comes with significant financial concerns and considerations. If a court rules you are responsible for paying spousal maintenance, there is no way to avoid this responsibility. However, the court may rule that a spousal maintenance order is not necessary. By talking to a knowledgeable divorce lawyer, you can get a better sense for what to expect from your divorce case.

Divorce is complex, particularly for high net worth couples. Topics like spousal maintenance are highly variable, and only an experienced divorce attorney can help you understand what to expect in your specific situation.

Whether you are seeking support in understanding spousal maintenance, child custody and placement, or divorce in general, Milwaukee Divorce Attorney Odalo Ohiku is the partner you need. Give The Ohiku Law Office a call today with questions or to set up your first appointment.

For high net worth couples considering divorce, one of the most common and significant topics of consideration is how their property and assets will be divided. Many high value assets, like a family home, vacation home, car, boat, antiques, art, jewelry, etc. may hold emotional as well as monetary value for one or both spouses. Other assets of consideration may include owned businesses, investment holdings, retirement accounts, and debt.

In order to understand how assets are divided in Wisconsin divorce, it’s key to understand that Wisconsin is what’s known as a community property or marital property state.

Marital Property vs. Individual Property

Wisconsin is a marital property state, meaning that, when a couple living in Wisconsin decides to divorce, property and debt acquired after a specified determination date (usually the date of marriage) are divided equally no matter whose name appears on the title, with some exceptions and caveats.

The term property can be interpreted to mean anything bought, earned, or acquired during the course of the marriage – homes, vehicles, antiques, jewelry, investments, businesses, etc.

Any debt acquired during the course of the marriage is also subject to equal division, even if it was incurred by only one spouse.

Individual or separate property is that which was acquired by an individual before they were married, or received as a gift or inheritance during the course of the marriage. This type of property is not divided during divorce unless it has been commingled, thereby becoming marital property. An example of individual property that becomes commingled is a home purchased by one spouse before the date of marriage that is then fixed up and invested in by both spouses so it increases in value during the course of the marriage. In all likelihood, the court would deem this home marital property, even though one spouse purchased it before the date of marriage and it is only their name on the title.

The Reality of Asset Division in Divorce

When it comes to assets like houses and cars, it’s not physically possible to split them in half and give each spouse an equal piece. Instead, the court takes into account the total value of all assets and debts to make a distribution judgement.

In addition to the total monetary value of all assets and debts, the court takes into account a number of factors that may necessitate one spouse receiving a certain asset or differing amount than the other, like:

• Duration of the marriage.
• Future earning potential of each spouse.
• Whether one spouse has significant individual property.
• Unpaid labor contributed during the course of the marriage, such as childcare and housekeeping.
• Who will have financial responsibility for children moving forward.
• Whether one spouse contributed in a significant way to the future earning potential of the other, such as paying for education or foregoing their own income to take care of children so the other could work.
• Stipulations outlined in pre- and postnuptial agreements, as long as the court deems them fair.
• The health of each spouse.
• Tax implications for each spouse.

An example: the court may determine that the spouse who will have primary custody of the children will be awarded the house, with an agreement that when the children reach the age of maturity the house will be sold and the value split evenly between the spouses.

A key step in the process of property division in divorce is valuation of all marital property. This is achieved by both spouses disclosing the value of all accounts and investments they hold, and investigations done by professional actuaries and appraisers on items without an evident dollar value, like a home, car, or antique. The divorcing spouses cover the costs of these professional valuations.

Emotions, Stress, & Asset Division 

As we all know, many things we own hold so much more than monetary value. A family home is filled with memories, a nurtured business with dreams and aspirations for the future. Antiques and collectibles may mean much more than their sticker price to one spouse, while the other sees them as uninteresting relics. Asset division in divorce can be an emotional process for both parties, but having an experienced divorce attorney on your team can help lessen the stress.

High net worth clients like you need a divorce attorney with experience, compassion, and a collaborative mindset. Attorney Odalo Ohiku knows that divorce is a highly complex process, particularly for those with substantial assets, and works diligently to ease the emotional strain of the process not only for the client, but for all involved.

Odalo Ohiku is the Milwaukee divorce attorney you want on your team. The Ohiku Law Office offers a wide variety of services, including custody and placement, dispute resolution, divorce mediation, and more. Give our offices a call today with questions or to schedule a consultation.

August is upon us and summer is here. Time to go outside and enjoy some of the events Milwaukee and the surrounding areas have to offer. Summer doesn’t last long in Wisconsin, so we should use this time to visit parks, hike some trails, see the botanical gardens, and take a moonlight stroll by the lakeshore. Camping would be a wonderful activity for adults and children as well.

There are plenty of festivals and county fairs to attend in Wisconsin during the summer. One such annual event which takes place August 7 through August 14 is Bronzeville Week. Bronzeville Week is a celebration of Milwaukee’s African-American cultural district. This is a celebration of culture, history, art, food and entertainment.

Bronzeville is a neighborhood with a rich cultural history. Bronzeville Week celebrates that history with music, art, and fun. Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs states that “Bronzeville Week is truly an event emphasizing fun, family, community, all while introducing people of all backgrounds to culture they may not be familiar with.” In the past, Bronzeville was host to music legends Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, and Nat “King” Cole.

There is no shortage of local artisans in the neighborhood, and during Bronzeville Week they open their doors and showcase the work of numerous talented artists. The neighborhood also is home to murals and sculptures. All of this is surrounded by historic and beautiful architecture.

This year the event includes a 5k walk/run titled HaRUNBee for Healthy Birth Outcomes, to bring awareness to infant mortality and to bring people together to address this issue. The walk/run can be done in person on August 7th, or virtually.

If you want to cool off, duck the humidity, and absorb some culture inside, visit Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, which is running until September 19th. This event is located at the Wisconsin Center and is set up so social distancing is easy to maintain, and you can take your time and enjoy this immersive experience.

Through the wonders of technology, you can walk through and be immersed in Van Gogh’s art and feel like you are standing in his paintings. Van Gogh’s words are set to a symphonic score which plays as you walk through the exhibit. It is an incredible sight to behold, and one that is fun and educational for both adults and children.