Green County is not simply part of a larger service territory for Guth Law—it is home. Attorney Steven D. Guth lives and practices in the community and regularly handles matters involving Green County families, children, parents, and local courts.
Whether you are beginning a divorce, dealing with a custody or placement dispute, seeking to enforce an existing family-court order, involved in a CHIPS or guardianship proceeding, or simply trying to understand your legal options, Guth Law provides local representation with an emphasis on candid advice, individualized advocacy, careful preparation, and practical solutions.
Family Law in Green County
Family-law disputes often involve considerably more than the legal issues appearing in the court caption. Decisions involving children, finances, housing, and family relationships can continue affecting the parties long after a particular hearing is over.
Guth Law represents clients in Green County family-law matters involving:
Wisconsin law distinguishes between legal custody, which generally concerns major decisions affecting a child, and physical placement, which concerns when a parent has the right to have a child physically placed with that parent and make routine daily decisions.
When parents cannot agree about custody or placement, Wisconsin courts ultimately determine these issues according to the best interests of the child.
Green County has procedures specifically designed to address contested custody and placement matters. The county states that parties disputing custody or placement may be referred to mediation and that the first mediation session is paid for by the county. When mediation does not resolve the dispute, a guardian ad litem may be appointed to represent the children's best interests.
A Wisconsin divorce can require decisions concerning property and debt, maintenance, child support, legal custody, physical placement, and other financial and parenting issues.
Early in a Green County divorce, temporary orders may address issues such as custody, placement, child support, maintenance, use of the marital residence, use of personal property, and responsibility for debts while the divorce remains pending. Green County's published family-court information also explains that contested custody and placement matters may be referred to mediation.
Some divorces can be resolved through negotiation or mediation. Others require motions, evidentiary hearings, or ultimately trial. The appropriate approach depends upon the facts, the parties' objectives, and the issues genuinely in dispute.
Guth Law provides representation in contested and uncontested divorces and also offers divorce mediation for parties seeking to resolve their case cooperatively.
Guardian ad Litem in Green County
A guardian ad litem, or GAL, is an attorney appointed by the court to advocate for the best interests of a child or another person whose interests require independent representation.
In contested custody and placement cases, a GAL may investigate the circumstances of the family, obtain relevant information, communicate with parents and collateral sources, consider the statutory best-interest factors, and ultimately take a position regarding the child's best interests.
Green County's published family-court procedures specifically contemplate GAL appointment when custody or placement mediation is unsuccessful.
Attorney Steven D. Guth accepts guardian ad litem appointments in appropriate matters and also represents parents in cases in which another attorney has been appointed as GAL.
Children’s Law, CHIPS, TPR & Guardianship
Children's-law proceedings can involve substantially different legal standards from an ordinary custody dispute.
Guth Law's children's-law practice includes matters involving:
Understanding which proceeding is actually before the court—and what must be proven—is an important first step.
Child Support and Post-Judgment Family Law
A family case does not necessarily end when the final judgment is entered.
Changes in employment, income, children's needs, parenting arrangements, or other circumstances may result in later disputes concerning child support, custody, physical placement, or enforcement of an existing order.
Guth Law assists Green County clients with post-judgment matters including:
Other disputes concerning compliance with existing family-court orders
The legal standard depends heavily upon what the party is asking the court to change or enforce and when the existing order was entered. Modification and enforcement are also different remedies: sometimes the problem is that an existing order needs to change; other times, the existing order is adequate but one party is not following it.
Farmily Law Mediation
Not every family dispute needs to be resolved through contested litigation.
Green County uses mediation as part of its custody and placement process. According to the county's current family-court information, the first custody/placement mediation session is paid for by the county, and mediation may also be available in appropriate post-judgment disputes.
That court-connected process should be distinguished from private divorce or family mediation, in which parties may work with a neutral mediator to attempt to resolve a broader range of issues.
Attorney Steven D. Guth provides private mediation services in appropriate family matters in addition to representing individual clients in contested proceedings.
Although both proceedings can result in court orders restricting another person's conduct, Wisconsin harassment and domestic-abuse injunctions have different statutory requirements. The appropriate proceeding depends upon the parties' relationship, the alleged conduct, and the relief being requested.
Serving Communities Throughout Green County
Guth Law's Monroe office serves clients throughout Green County, including:
Monroe • New Glarus • Brodhead • Monticello • Albany • Belleville • Brooklyn • Browntown and surrounding rural communities and townships.
Green County itself identifies Monroe and Brodhead as its cities and Albany, Belleville, Brooklyn, Browntown, Monticello, and New Glarus among its villages, together with numerous surrounding towns.
Because the office is located in Monroe, Guth Law offers Green County clients the benefit of working with an attorney whose practice is based in the same community in which many of their legal matters arise.
Green County Family Court
Green County family-court matters are handled through the Green County Justice Center at 2841 6th Street in Monroe. The Green County Family Court Commissioner's office is also located at the Justice Center. Green County Family Court, Wisconsin
The county publishes information concerning divorce procedure, temporary orders, custody and placement mediation, guardian ad litem appointments, parental education, and post-judgment mediation.
Important: Court staff can provide procedural information but cannot provide legal advice. An attorney represents a client's interests and can advise the client regarding the law, available options, risks, strategy, and the particular circumstances of the case.
Local Representation. Individualized Advice.
Legal problems involving children and families are rarely one-size-fits-all. Guth Law's approach is to identify what the law permits, understand what matters to the client, and provide candid advice about the available options and realistic outcomes.
For some clients, that means full representation through a contested proceeding. For others, mediation, negotiation, or limited-scope representation may provide a more appropriate way to obtain legal assistance.
If you have a family or children's-law matter in Green County, contact Guth Law to discuss your circumstances and determine whether the firm can assist.
Guth Law of South Central Wisconsin, LLC Monroe, Wisconsin
