Month: January 2025

How Long Does A Divorce Take In Wisconsin?

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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt recently announced that their divorce has finally concluded after 8 years. Is this typical? In Wisconsin, how long will your divorce take?


It would be virtually impossible in Wisconsin for a divorce to last 8 years, even with complicated issues as described in the Jolie-Pitt matter. The Wisconsin courts keep a close eye on how long a divorce has been pending and typically have a goal of completing a divorce in a year. Many judges will keep track of divorces that have been pending for a long time and will push the case towards paid mediation or a final trial if it has been pending for over a year.


Depending on the county, on average, a Wisconsin divorce takes less than one year to complete. Certain counties with a high volume of cases may have limited court calendar availability, meaning that you may have up to 4 months between one divorce hearing and the next. If your case has been stagnant for a while, meaning that the parties are not moving towards resolution or not cooperating with one another, the Court will set a final trial date to give the case finality, and to promote agreements. Divorces are hard, and some parties do not want to face the reality of a marriage coming to an end. Pushing a case to a final trial can help parties come to an agreement, since they know they have an end date on their marriage.


Of course, every divorce is fact specific, and some complex divorces may take longer to complete in Wisconsin. In Angelina and Brad’s case, they were only married for two years. Typically, short term divorces are quicker and easier, since assets from a short-term marriage are easier to divide. However, in Angelina and Brad’s case, they faced a multitude of complex issues: custody disputes, dividing their French vineyard, valuing international assets, and judges being substituted. Their property, Chateau Miraval, was purchased for 25 million euros in 2008, and was a main point of contention in this divorce. International assets complicate divorces due to time zone changes, language barriers, converting forms of currency, interpreting property valuations, and determining how to retitle property based on each country’s specific laws.


Further, there were significant allegations about Brad’s potential substance abuse and treatment of the children, resulting in a complicated path to a final placement schedule. The parties reached a temporary custody agreement in 2018 which later fell apart. In 2021, after three years of litigating custody and placement, Brad was granted joint custody.


Interestingly, the Court declared that the couple were officially separated in 2019, but did not finalize the divorce on that date. In Wisconsin, you are not legally separated until the final date of divorce or date of legal separation, where all issues need to be decided.


While Angelina and Brad’s divorce took 8 years, you do not have to worry about that being the case in Wisconsin. Even the most complicated divorces can be resolved in far less time here.


Have any questions or need help in your pending divorce? Give Nelson, Krueger & Millenbach a call at (414) 258-1644 to set up a free consultation.

Effective Co-Parent Communication After Divorce

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When parents divorce or break up, communication can be a challenge. But when you have children together, you cannot just choose to ignore your co-parent, no matter how difficult the situation may be. Your ability to continue to communicate effectively with your co-parent will affect your children for good or for ill. Fortunately, you can take steps to make co-parent communication easier and more effective.

If you are on friendly terms with your co-parent, you will likely continue to communicate in the ways you do with other friends and family members – via phone, text, and email. If the relationship with your co-parent is difficult, or if you are prevented from communicating with your co-parent because of a domestic injunction, you will likely communicate with your co-parent with a dedicated phone application. These applications support text, videos, and calendars. They can provide a method for submitting receipts or otherwise tracking shared expenses.


In Wisconsin, the most commonly used app is Our Family Wizard, or OFW, for short. You can give your attorney access to view your OFW communications and the court can view your OFW account on its dashboard. This makes it easier for the court and other professionals involved to understand the problems that co-parents are experiencing. It also provides a measure of accountability to parents, who know that their communications may be viewed by attorneys, judges and guardians ad litem.


No matter what method you chose for communication, make sure you have a communication strategy so that you can prevent or diffuse difficult situations. One great method, developed by Bill Eddy, is call the BIFF method. BIFF stands for Brief, Informative, Friendly, and Firm. Here’s how each component works:

  1. Brief: Keep your response short and to the point. Avoid lengthy explanations or details that could open up more areas for disagreement. This minimizes opportunities for further conflict.
  2. Informative: Include relevant information only. Provide factual content that addresses the primary issue without emotional or judgmental language. Stick to clear information that helps clarify or resolve the matter.
  3. Friendly: Maintain a friendly tone, even if the situation is tense. This helps to defuse hostility and can make the recipient more receptive to your message. A friendly approach can reduce defensiveness.
  4. Firm: Be clear and firm about your message. Avoid giving in to unreasonable demands or making overly conciliatory statements. Respectfully assert your position or boundary without being aggressive.

These principles can help you craft communications that defuse conflict and convey necessary information in a way that minimizes escalation. And that is one of the most valuable things you can do for yourself and for your children.