This video is a clip from the NBC 17 newscast on virtual visitation, featuring now retired divorce attorney and Rosen Law Firm founder Lee Rosen.
Virtual Visitation – NBC 17 Transcript
News anchor 1: Messaging and video conferencing are moving beyond just fun accessories for your computer.
News Anchor 2: That’s right. In fact, they could become the latest tools in helping parents going through a difficult divorce. NBC 17’s Sergio Quintana joins us now live from our newsroom. Sergio, this is something far more substantial than an e-mail or a piece of mail.
Sergio: Yeah, the idea is called virtual visitation, and it’s already a legal tool used in two other states. It basically gives divorce judges a tool to help parting parents actually see their children even if that parent is hundreds of miles away.
Lee: You want to try again?
Child: No.
Sergio: At the Rosen law firm in Raleigh, Lee Rosen talks with his 8-year-old daughter who is at home several blocks away through online video conference. This is a demonstration of how easy it is to check in on his children. He says this is also how easy it would be to provide another link for divorced parents to their kids.
Lee: The mobility that we have, people are spread out all over the nation. So their children are often left behind. Virtual visitation allows a parent who lives in another city to spend a tremendous amount of time with their child.
Sergio: He’s an advocate of virtual visitation. It’s an option he’s set up for some of his clients.
Lee: We have a lot of families doing online visits, using technology to visit, but it’s almost always by agreement. It’s not at the behest of a judge. It’s not by court order.
Sergio: This is still a controversial idea for some, and as of yet no state lawmaker has stepped up to carry this idea to the legislature, but Rosen says it’s a great way to use technology to maintain relationships.
Lee: Virtual visitation shouldn’t replace regular visitation and that we agree. Virtual visitation should supplement other visitation.
Sergio: Right now only Utah and Wisconsin have virtual visitation laws on the books, but legislatures in Illinois and Virginia are considering similar bills. While a bill is not yet formally introduced here in North Carolina, it is on the radar. A pre-draft has been drawn up.
Right in the news room, I’m Sergio Quintana, NBC 17 News.
