Lawyers Without Billboards

Playboy’s 1978 Divorce Manual The Good, the Bad, and the Hilarious | Lawyers Without Billboards Ep-38

Shewmaker & Lewis Season 1 Episode 38

What happens when a client hands Alexa a vintage 1978 issue of Playboy… complete with a “Divorce Manual for Men”?

 In this episode of Lawyers Without Billboards, Steve, Patty, Jimmy, and Alexa flip through the old-school advice and break it all down - the tips that aged well, the ones that aged terribly, and the ones that are so outrageous they’re genuinely hilarious.

The team reacts to guidance like:
 • “Close all joint accounts.”
 • “Hide your financial records.”
 • “Don’t agree to alimony… ever.”
 • “Fight off sentimentality — you’re not a leper.”

You’ll hear:

  • why some of these 1978 strategies would get you scorched in court today
  • how modern family law handles the same issues
  • what judges actually look for now
  • how attorney advice has changed (and hasn’t) across 47 years

A funny, fascinating look at how far divorce law has come - and how much is still the same.

🕒 Chapters

00:00 – Intro
00:42 – The surprising origin of the Playboy magazine
02:10 – Enter: “The Divorce Manual for Men”
03:11 – The first piece of terrible advice
04:18 – Why closing joint accounts is a disaster today
05:35 – “Hide your financial records” – legally absurd
06:55 – The few pieces of advice that actually hold up
08:30 – The team breaks down what lawyers really tell clients
10:05 – Don’ts from 1978 that still apply today
12:20 – The rise of modern divorce norms vs. 1970s expectations
14:30 – How the law shifted in the 1980s and forward
16:10 – Final thoughts: what’s timeless and what’s not
17:11 – Outro

🎧 Listen or Watch

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📩 Contact: alewis@shewmakerandlewis.com

🌐 Website: https://www.shewmakerandlewis.com

🎧 Podcast Library: https://shewmakerandlewis.com/lawyers-without-billboards

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🎼 Music by Ben Hernandez at Dragonsong Productions
🎥 Produced by: Bleeding Edge, Inc.
🎬 Audio & Video Production: Rob Burgner
📍 Recorded at: Shewmaker & Lewis, Atlanta, GA