DivorceNet started out in 1995 as a means of showcasing the Newton, Massachusetts, family law practice of Sharyn T. Sooho. It quickly grew into one of the most comprehensive family law sites on the Web and remains so today. Its popularity came in large part from its early incorporation of an “interactive bulletin board,” where visitors could post messages, questions and announcements and others could respond. That original discussion board has evolved into a selection of some twenty topical discussions devoted to matters such as domestic violence, child support, parental abduction, stepfamilies, and others. There are also discussion boards for each state and even a live chat room. Postings tend largely to come from people seeking answers to legal questions, and lawyers are often among those responding. Beyond the bulletin boards, DivorceNet includes a separate page for each U.S. state. Each of these pages provides a summary description of the state’s divorce laws, with links to full-text statutes in most cases; listings of family law attorneys and support services in the state; selected articles; child support calculators; and links to related state resources. DivorceNet also contains back issues of its electronic newsletter, The Family Law Advisor; a divorce law dictionary; and “answer desks” for questions on law, relationships, taxes and psychology.

(Excerpted from the second edition of The Essential Guide to the Best (and Worst) Legal Sites on the Web.)

Photo of Bob Ambrogi Bob Ambrogi

Bob is a lawyer, veteran legal journalist, and award-winning blogger and podcaster. In 2011, he was named to the inaugural Fastcase 50, honoring “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders.” Earlier in his career, he was editor-in-chief of several legal publications, including The National Law Journal, and editorial director of ALM’s Litigation Services Division.