As Family Law attorneys, we are familiar with the importance of discretion—especially involving sensitive subject matters. We listen to very personal and/or sensitive information from clients regularly, it is part of our jobs. We fully understand that we owe a duty of confidentiality to all of our clients and take that very seriously.

However, this may be the first time you are looking for a divorce attorney. Most people find their divorce attorneys by either word of mouth referrals or online. If you searched for a divorce attorney on a shared computer, you might find yourself lying awake at night wondering if these ads may appear the next time your spouse is logged on. What does not have discretion or a duty of confidentiality is the software that allows the ads to appear online by remembering/recording your recent online searches. Here are a few simple steps you can take to prevent an unfortunate situation of your spouse seeing an ad for a divorce attorney or law firm while shopping online.

1. Do not conduct searches on shared devices. If possible, try to perform any searches on your own computer or tablet. Keep your separate device password-protected, and you should not give your spouse the password to your device. If your spouse already has your password, simply change it.

2. Private or Incognito Mode. When searching for a divorce attorney (or any topic for which you would not want your significant other to receive ads), try searching on Incognito or Private Mode. Incognito mode allows you to search online privately and work for all websites and web pages, as long as one of the opened web pages is on Incognito mode. To exit Incognito mode, close all of the open tabs on Incognito mode. Be careful though, – if you log into a site such as Amazon or Facebook while in Incognito mode, those web pages will recognize you and record your browsing history. In other words, your browser will not remember your search history while in Incognito Mode, but certain websites will.

3. Clear Your Web Browser Cache & Browsing History. Make sure to clear your web browser’s cache and browsing history regularly, making sure to include cookies. You can find step-by-step guides on how to do this by searching Google.

The bottom line is that there is no foolproof way to search for a Family law attorney online. However, with these tips, you have a better chance of avoiding any awkward, or unfortunate situations that could arise if you are not extremely careful and cautious about your searches.