Artificial intelligence is already inside the divorce process: on your attorney's desk, in the courtroom, and possibly in your own search history. The question is whether you're using it wisely or setting yourself up for a costly mistake.

In this episode, Jaime Davis sits down with Diana Romanov, certified family law specialist, founder of Romanov Law, and author of Divorce Like a Boss, to get an honest, ground-level look at how AI is reshaping family law right now. Diana is licensed to practice in both California and Germany and has become one of the leading voices at the intersection of divorce law and legal technology, with a YouTube following of 366,000+ subscribers.

Diana explains what "digital divorce" really means and draws a critical distinction between open-source AI tools and closed-source platforms like CoCounsel by Thomson Reuters, which offers HIPAA-level data security. She walks through a real case in which she used AI to analyze seven years of bank records in minutes, uncovering a money trail that led from a Wells Fargo account to a Bank of America account to a Cash App, a discovery that would have taken a team of attorneys and accountants days to piece together.

The conversation also gets into the serious risks: AI hallucinations that have produced entirely fabricated case citations in actual court filings, judges who have warned attorneys of sanctions for relying on AI-generated legal research without verification, and why your own search history could be subpoenaed and used against you in discovery.

Diana also makes the case for why AI will never replace a human attorney. She explains how clients stand to benefit when their attorney uses it well, from financial analysis that once took days now taking minutes, to assisting with routine tasks that no longer run up the billable clock.

Most people going through a divorce focus on what happens in the courtroom or mediation sessions. Very few stop to think about what happens behind the scenes, and that gap is costing them real money. The person who sees your case every single day, fields your calls, organizes your documents, tracks your deadlines, and watches how clients either help or hurt their own cases? That's your paralegal. And until now, she's never been on this show.

In this episode, Jaime Davis, board-certified family law attorney at Gailor Hunt, pulls back the curtain with her colleague Liz Morgan, a family law paralegal with more than 30 years of experience working exclusively in family law. Liz joined Gailor Hunt in January of 1996 and has spent her career managing complex property and support cases, handling large-scale document discovery, and building the trial presentations that help clients tell their story clearly in the courtroom.

Liz breaks down what paralegals actually do, why financial transparency is non-negotiable in North Carolina courts, and how client behavior, specifically disorganization, poor communication, and emotional decision-making, directly drives up legal fees. She also walks through the discovery process in plain language: why attorneys ask for so many documents, what they're looking for when they trace bank statements, and what happens when clients miss deadlines or delete digital evidence.

Key Takeaways

• Conflict for conflict's sake is expensive. Fighting over a $100 piece of furniture or credit card points will cost far more in attorney fees than the item is worth. Liz identifies unnecessary conflict as one of the top drivers of avoidable legal costs.

• Your documents need to be complete and organized from day one. Uploading a screenshot of an account balance or the first page of a statement is not enough. Liz explains exactly how to submit financial records in a way that saves significant processing time and fees.

• Deleting texts, emails, or social media posts during litigation can have serious legal consequences. Once litigation begins or is anticipated, clients have a duty to preserve all digital evidence. Courts view destruction of electronic evidence negatively, even when it is unintentional.

• There is no such thing as winning in a divorce. Liz outlines what the clients who navigate divorce most successfully have in common: they stay organized, they listen to their attorneys, they separate legal decisions from emotional reactions, and they focus on what life looks like when their divorce is over.

Liz Morgan is a family law paralegal at Gailor Hunt. To learn more or to connect with the Gailor Hunt team, visit divorceistough.com.

Follow A Year and a Day wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode.

For legal assistance in North Carolina, contact Gailor Hunt at divorceistough.com.

While the information presented is intended to provide you with general information to navigate divorce without destruction, this podcast is not legal advice. This information is specific to the law in North Carolina. If you have any questions before taking action, consult an attorney who is licensed in your state.

What if the goal of your divorce wasn't to win — but to make sure everyone could sit at a dinner table together a year from now for the sake of your kids?

In this episode, Jaime Davis sits down with Hannah Hembree Bell, founder of Hembree Bell Law Firm and creator of My Confident Divorce. Hannah built a multi-million-dollar family law practice rooted in a deceptively simple mission: help marriages end well. She describes herself as a recovering litigator — and for good reason. After navigating her own painful divorce and custody battle while putting herself through law school as a mother of three, Hannah didn't just survive the process. She rebuilt, and then she built a law firm so that she could be the attorney she desperately needed back then.

Hannah and Jaime get honest about one of the biggest misconceptions in family law: the idea that going to court means getting justice. As Hannah puts it, a client once told her that "the last place you go for justice is on the courthouse steps" — and after years in the courtroom, she couldn't agree more. The judge is not interested in your vindication. The judge is interested in your children's well-being and a decent application of the law. Understanding that from the beginning, Hannah explains, can reshape the entire divorce process. She and Jaime also discuss what it actually looks like to keep the main thing the main thing — even when the other party is committed to scorched earth litigation — and why the BIFF method (Brief, Informative, Firm, and Friendly) is one of the most powerful tools a divorcing parent can have in their back pocket.

Key Takeaways

• Redefining the Win: If both parties leave mediation equally unhappy, that's probably the right result. If you feel like you got a slam dunk, that bodes poorly for your future co-parenting relationship — and your ex's ability to recover. A real win looks like dinner together with the kids a year later.
• Divorce Is a Tool, Not a Destination: A divorce is simply the legal mechanism by which you are no longer married. The real question is: what life are you running toward? Getting clear on that answer changes everything about how you move through the process.
• Bitter or Better — You Choose: Between stimulus and response, there is a space. How you react to your ex's latest move, how you show up for your kids, how you engage with the process — all of it is within your control, even when everything else feels like it isn't.
• You Deserve a Happy Life: Hannah's closing message is the one every woman in this process needs to hear. You are worthy because you exist. Not because you survived. Not because you white-knuckled it. Because you exist.

Learn more about Hannah's work and explore the My Confident Divorce program at HembreeBell.com

If you found this episode helpful, follow A Year and a Day wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode.

For legal assistance in North Carolina, contact Gailor Hunt at divorceistough.com.

While the information presented is intended to provide you with general information to navigate divorce without destruction, this podcast is not legal advice. This information is specific to the law in North Carolina. If you have any questions before taking action, consult an attorney who is licensed in your state.

Divorce attorneys can tell you what to sign. Financial advisors can tell you what to keep. But who helps you understand what you're feeling — and why it's not going to feel this way forever?

In this episode, Jaime Davis sits down with Oona Metz, a nationally recognized psychotherapist with over 30 years of clinical experience and the author of Unhitched: The Essential Divorce Guide for Women. For the last 15 years, Oona has led weekly divorce support groups that have become a lifeline for women navigating one of life's most difficult transitions. Her work fills a gap that the legal and financial world simply cannot: the internal, emotional experience of ending a marriage.

Oona introduces her Five Phases of Divorce Grief — Heartbreak, Rollercoaster, Mending, Letting Go, and Moving On — and explains why these stages are not a straight line. She and Jaime discuss why women initiate divorce 70% of the time (and what that actually tells us), the critical difference between legally ending a marriage and emotionally leaving one, and why dating too soon can quietly derail both your healing and your legal case. Oona also makes a powerful case for reframing the language around divorce entirely — moving away from words like "failed marriage" and "broken family" and toward something more accurate: a family restructuring and a life transition.

Key Takeaways

• The Sunk Cost Fallacy in Marriage: Staying because you've already been there 20 years is not a strategy — and it's not the definition of success. A long, miserable marriage is not an achievement.
• Protecting Your Nervous System: When stress goes up, cognition goes down. Self-care during divorce is not a luxury — it's a prerequisite for making sound legal and financial decisions that will affect the rest of your life.
• The Elevator Speech: Have a short, truthful, privacy-protecting answer ready for people who ask about your divorce. Your feelings about your ex will change over time — what you say in the heat of the moment won't.
• Dating Post-Separation: A tender heart needs the same care as a broken arm. Jumping into a new relationship before doing the internal work means your needs won't get met — again. And from a legal standpoint, new relationships discovered mid-case can unravel settlements that took months to build.

Find Oona's book, Unhitched: The Essential Divorce Guide for Women, and additional resources at OonaMetz.com.

If you found this episode helpful, follow A Year and a Day wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode.

For legal assistance in North Carolina, contact Gailor Hunt at divorceistough.com.

While the information presented is intended to provide you with general information to navigate divorce without destruction, this podcast is not legal advice. This information is specific to the law in North Carolina. If you have any questions before taking action, consult an attorney who is licensed in your state.

In this episode, we’re turning the mic around! Jaime Davis, host of A Year and a Day, joins Kayleigh Bain for a deep dive into the professional side of family law. With 25 years of experience and a board certification in family law, Jaime shares how she built a thriving practice and why she transitioned from dreaming of criminal law to mastering the complexities of "Divorce Without Destruction."

For business owners and professionals, divorce isn't just personal—it's a high-stakes asset management challenge. Jaime explains how to protect your business interests before and after marriage, the strategic importance of prenups (and "postnups"), and why your company’s valuation might be more vulnerable than you think. Whether you're a founder looking to shield your equity or an aspiring attorney curious about the "business" of law, this conversation provides the intentional, expert-led roadmap you need.

Inside this crossover, we cover:

• Protecting the Hustle: How business owners can use premarital agreements to ensure their growth remains separate property.
• Strategic Marketing: Why Jaime launched a podcast to educate individuals considering or going through a divorce and her referral network of realtors, therapists, and financial planners.
• The "Year and a Day" Logic: Understanding North Carolina’s mandatory separation period as a window for financial planning.

Need a consultation in North Carolina? Visit divorceistough.com to connect with the team at Gailor Hunt.
Have a myth you want Jaime to tackle? Email her at jdavis@divorceistough.com.

While the information presented is intended to provide you with general information to navigate divorce without destruction, this podcast is not legal advice. This information is specific to the law in North Carolina.

In this episode of A Year and a Day, host Jaime Davis takes on the role of "MythBuster." After years of seeing clients enter her office fueled by internet rumors and well-meaning but inaccurate advice, Jaime clears the air on the most common divorce misconceptions in North Carolina.

From the "staying together for the kids" trap to the reality of how property is actually divided, this episode replaces "water cooler wisdom" with hard facts. Jaime breaks down the state's unique Year and a Day rule, explains why moving into the spare bedroom isn't a legal separation, and reveals why "winning" the divorce based on a spouse's misconduct is largely a fantasy. Whether you're curious about whether the Courts favor mothers or wondering if your pre-marital home is excluded from property division, this episode provides the clarity needed to make decisions based on facts, not fear.

The Myths We're Busting:

• The Bedroom Separation Myth: Why you aren't "legally separated" until someone actually moves out.
• The Child’s Choice Myth: Does a 12-year-old really get to pick where they live? (Spoiler: No).
• The "Cheater Takes All" Myth: How marital misconduct actually affects alimony, post-separation support, and property division.
• The Equitable vs. Equal Myth: Understanding that "equitable" doesn't always mean a perfect 50-50 split.
• Mothers are favored in custody decisions, your spouse needs to sign divorce papers, and MORE!

Need a consultation in North Carolina? Visit divorceistough.com to connect with the team at Gailor Hunt.

Have a myth you want Jaime to tackle? Email her at jdavis@divorceistough.com.

While the information presented is intended to provide you with general information to navigate divorce without destruction, this podcast is not legal advice. This information is specific to the law in North Carolina.

Welcome to A Year and a Day. I’m Jaime Davis, board-certified family law attorney at Gailor Hunt. In this episode, I’m joined by Diane Kinlaw, a senior loan officer with Revolution Mortgage, to discuss the critical mortgage challenges that arise during separation and divorce.

Diane explains why your credit score is your "financial resume" and why you shouldn't wait until your divorce is finalized to speak with a mortgage professional. We dive into the specific rules for using alimony and child support as qualifying income, why keeping the house isn’t always in your best financial interest, and the logistical hurdles of equity buyouts through cash-out refinances.

Together, we discuss the "deal breakers" of debt-to-income ratios, how contingent liabilities on joint credit cards can sink a new loan application, and the reality of navigating today's interest rates versus "stored equity." Diane provides a proactive checklist for gathering financial documents and highlights the importance of working with a team—attorneys, financial advisors, and lenders—to ensure a clean transition to your next chapter.

Need help from Diane? Reach out for a free consultation at revolutionmortgage.com/dianekinlaw.

If you are in need of legal assistance in North Carolina, contact us at Gailor Hunt by visiting www.divorceistough.com.

Welcome to A Year and a Day. I’m Jaime Davis, board-certified family law attorney at Gailor Hunt. In this episode, I sit down with Autumn Dubois, founder and principal agent of Dubois Property Group, to discuss the strategic management of one of your most significant financial assets during a divorce: the family home.

Autumn shares her expertise on navigating the intersection of real estate and divorce, explaining why she views her role as "Switzerland"—a neutral third party dedicated to protecting the sale regardless of the conflict between spouses. We explore the importance of a tight listing strategy, why having a hard date in a separation agreement is the "absolute best scenario" for preventing delays, and how to manage the logistical hurdles of repairs and staging when homeowners are living separately.

Together, we weigh the pros and cons of when one party wants to stay in the family home and discuss the financial "red flags" that might make selling a better move than a buyout, the complexities of loan assumptions in today's market, and transitioning into a "new chapter" purchase. Autumn also provides a checklist for coordinating with divorce attorneys to ensure closing disclosures and proceed directives align with legal requirements, helping you maximize your profit and move forward with clarity.

Need help from Autumn? Learn more about her transition-specialized real estate services by visiting duboispropertygroup.com.

If you are in need of legal assistance in North Carolina, contact us at Gailor Hunt by visiting www.divorceistough.com.

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While the information presented is intended to provide you with general information to navigate divorce without destruction, this podcast is not legal advice. This information is specific to the law in North Carolina. If you have any questions before taking action, consult an attorney who is licensed in your state.