22 July 2015
Family lawyers love social media. In today’s society, most people are very active on social media websites. It provides them with an excellent avenue to vent all of their frustrations and concerns and often express their true feelings to their many hundreds of nearest and dearest “friends”.
Family law matters often involve a lot of accusations of one parent against the other. Accusations are denied and the accusations are only properly tested at a Final Hearing in the Court.
What people seem to forget is that any posting on a social media website is read by many and can be printed.
It is not uncommon for print outs from social media websites to be attached to letters between solicitors or even attached to Affidavits that are filed in the Court.
This creates a great deal of problems. For example, a parent usually alleges that they love their child and want them to have a good relationship with the other parent. However, there are factors that cause them concern and therefore it would not be in the best interests of the child to spend time (significant or otherwise) with the other parent.
This all looks good “on paper” until the accused parent is able to download the social media page of the accusing parent which has statements that are derogatory to the other parent and clearly show that they are driven by their own “hatred” for the other parent, rather than any genuine concerns that they have in relation to that parent so far as the child is concerned.
Always remember, before you post anything on social media, ask yourself the question, “Would I be happy for this to be read by a Judge?” If you take the time to ask yourself this question before you post, you will find yourself rethinking what you are about to do. The rule of thumb is, if in doubt, DON’T POST.
Whilst this article has been written about family law, it is equally as applicable to any other type of legal matter in which you may be involved.