Lawyers Without Billboards

What happens when you ignore discovery requests, defy court orders, or go snooping through your spouse's private communications during a divorce? As the lawyers at Shewmaker & Lewis explain, you could be putting your entire case at risk. In this episode of Lawyers Without Billboards , Steve, Patty, Jimmy, and Alexa explore the serious consequences of failing to comply with discovery in di...

When parents share legal custody, what happens when they simply can’t agree on a major decision involving their child? In this episode of Lawyers Without Billboards , the Shewmaker & Lewis team continues its discussion of final decision-making authority in custody cases. They break down how parents are expected to consult with one another in good faith, what happens when they reach an impasse,...

What happens when DFACS gets involved with a family, and when does a parenting problem become serious enough for juvenile court? In this episode of Lawyers Without Billboards , Steve Shewmaker, Patty Shewmaker and Jimmy Lewis welcome Shewmaker & Lewis attorney Tuscan Fairfield to the podcast for the first time. Tuscan breaks down Georgia dependency actions, including how children may be remove...

What does it really mean when a lawyer takes a case “pro bono”? In this episode of Lawyers Without Billboards , Steve, Patty, Jimmy, and Alexa dig into the rules, rewards, frustrations, and occasional headaches that come with providing legal services for free. The team breaks down what “pro bono” actually means, Georgia’s aspirational 50-hour standard for lawyers, what kinds of work qualify, and t...

In Part 2 of our discussion of the Lautenberg Amendment, the Lawyers Without Billboards team turns from what the law does to the practical question: How can a domestic violence case affect your gun rights, and what can happen before a federal firearms prohibition is triggered? Steve, Patty, Jimmy and Alexa discuss the important differences between criminal domestic violence charges and civil prote...

When two people walk into court with completely different versions of what happened, how does a judge decide who to believe? In Part 3 of our courtroom objections series, the Lawyers Without Billboards team tackles character evidence, credibility, relevance, and the rules that determine what a court should and shouldn’t hear. We break down when a witness can testify about someone’s reputation for...

What happens when a divorce settlement collides with bankruptcy law? Bankruptcy attorney Shayna Steinfeld joins Steve, Jimmy, and Alexa to unpack the surprisingly complicated intersection between family law, debt, property settlements, support obligations, and bankruptcy. Shayna explains why a divorce decree may determine obligations between former spouses but does not necessarily prevent a bankru...

Hearsay is one of the most misunderstood concepts in the courtroom, but the rule comes with a long list of exceptions. In this episode of Lawyers Without Billboards , Alexa, Steve, Patty and Jimmy dig into the hearsay exceptions lawyers actually use, from present sense impressions and excited utterances to medical statements, recorded recollections, property records, ancient documents and even dea...

Can child support really be unconstitutional? According to some corners of TikTok, Instagram and the internet, the answer is yes. There’s just one problem: that isn’t what the law says. In this episode of Lawyers Without Billboards , Steve, Patty, Jimmy and Alexa dig into one of the stranger child support claims circulating online: that a Minnesota Supreme Court case supposedly ruled child support...

A misdemeanor does not always mean minor consequences. In this episode of Lawyers Without Billboards , Steve, Patty, Jimmy and Alexa break down the Lautenberg Amendment and how a domestic violence conviction can affect a person’s right to possess firearms under federal law. The conversation starts with the Second Amendment and the broader question of how far the government can go in regulating fir...

What does a judge really want to see when attorneys and litigants walk into the courtroom? In this episode of Lawyers Without Billboards , Steve Shewmaker, Jimmy Lewis and Alexa Lewis sit down with Judge Robert Walker of Gwinnett County for a candid conversation about family law, courtroom professionalism and nearly two decades on the bench. Judge Walker shares his path from the University of Flor...

What happens when bankruptcy crashes into a divorce case? Bankruptcy attorney Ian Falcone joins Steve, Patty and Alexa to explain how bankruptcy can affect divorce proceedings, support obligations, property settlements, attorney’s fees, joint debt and real estate. Ian breaks down the differences between Chapters 7, 11, 12 and 13, then explains one of the most important concepts in bankruptcy law:...

A parenting plan is more than a calendar. It determines how parents will make major decisions, where children will spend their time and how everyday parenting will work after a divorce. In this episode of Lawyers Without Billboards , Steve, Patty, Jimmy and Alexa break down what goes into a Georgia parenting plan, including legal custody, final decision-making authority, regular parenting schedule...

The Lawyers Without Billboards team returns for Part 2 of its discussion about courtroom objections. Steve, Patty, Jimmy and Alexa break down asked and answered, argumentative questions, assumes facts not in evidence, authentication, foundation, best evidence, counsel testifying, compound questions, cumulative evidence, speculation and leading questions. They also explain why an objection must be...

Georgia has a fresh batch of laws on the books, and some are more surprising than others. In this episode of Lawyers Without Billboards , Steve, Patty, Jimmy, and Alexa break down several notable new Georgia laws, including expanded protections for service dogs, changes to the Safe Haven law, new rules for cash rounding if pennies disappear, tougher penalties for signal jammers, and a publicly sea...

One bad click can create a very expensive problem for a law firm. Steve, Alexa, and Jimmy welcome attorney and cybersecurity professional Lawton Brown of Exigent to discuss the growing cyber threats facing law firms of every size. Lawton explains why compromised law firm email accounts can spread malware to clients and opposing counsel, how artificial intelligence is making phishing attempts more...

What can your spouse ask for during divorce discovery, and what happens if you refuse to answer? Discovery is the process attorneys use to gather documents, sworn answers, testimony, and other information that could affect a divorce, custody, alimony, child-support, or modification case. Although it can sound dry, discovery is often where a case’s most revealing evidence emerges. In this episode o...

Welcome back to Lawyers Without Billboards! Many people think the divorce is over once the judge signs the final decree. In reality, that's often when some of the most important work begins. In this episode, Steve, Patty, Jimmy, and Alexa discuss the critical post-divorce steps that can make the difference between a smooth transition and years of unnecessary headaches. From transferring prope...

What does it actually mean when a lawyer stands up and says, "Objection"? In this episode of Lawyers Without Billboards , the attorneys at Shewmaker & Lewis explain one of the most recognizable parts of any courtroom proceeding. They discuss why objections exist, how they protect the fairness of a trial, and what judges consider when deciding whether to sustain or overrule an objecti...

What exactly is hearsay, and why do courts spend so much time arguing about it? In this episode, the attorneys of Shewmaker & Lewis tackle one of the most confusing concepts in the legal world. They explain how hearsay is defined, why courts generally exclude it, and what makes certain out-of-court statements reliable enough to be admitted as evidence. The conversation covers practical courtro...

What exactly does a judicial officer do in Fulton County Family Court? In this episode of Lawyers Without Billboards, Steve, Patty, and Jimmy sit down with Judge Scott Kaye, one of Fulton County's most experienced judicial officers, to pull back the curtain on how family court really works. Judge Kaye explains the purpose of 30-day, 60-day, and 120-day status conferences, how temporary hearin...

For many divorcing couples, the marital home is their largest asset and often one of the most emotionally charged parts of the divorce process. In this episode of Lawyers Without Billboards , Steve Shewmaker, Alexa Lewis, and Jimmy Lewis sit down with certified divorce real estate expert Jill Heineck to discuss how specialized real estate guidance can help families protect equity, reduce conflict,...

What happens when a parent takes a child and disappears? In this episode of Lawyers Without Billboards , the attorneys at Shewmaker & Lewis tackle one of the most frightening concerns parents face during custody disputes: child abduction by a parent or family member. The discussion explores real-world cases of domestic and international child abduction, the controversial story of Faye Yager an...

Retirement accounts can become one of the most confusing and expensive parts of a divorce… especially when QDROs are involved. In this episode of Lawyers Without Billboards , the team at Shewmaker & Lewis dives deep into the world of QDROs (Qualified Domestic Relations Orders), retirement account divisions, pensions, gains and losses, plan administrator headaches, and the costly mistakes attor...

What makes a great opening statement? Is it storytelling? Strategy? Psychology? Or knowing exactly when to bend the rules without breaking them? In this episode of Lawyers Without Billboards , the team at Shewmaker & Lewis dives deep into one of the most important — and misunderstood — parts of any trial: the opening statement. Steve, Patty, Jimmy, and Alexa break down:  Why opening statements...