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A good divorce attorney will be one who heard your case and steadied, informed about the rules and given the benefits of counsel’s experience. At the Law Offices of Thomas Chase Stutzman, a Professional Corporation shares some guidelines regarding selection of divorce lawyer.
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How to Choose a Divorce Lawyer
Like the gloves that Orenthal James Simpson tried on, but couldn’t get to fit, or the glass
slipper that just fit Cinderella (but none of her stepsisters), it is good to know yourself
well enough to know what you need, and more pointedly, what fits. This principle
applies to many things in life, including your selection of a good divorce attorney. Like a
stinky sock with holes in it, a bad divorce attorney probably does not fit anyone’s needs.
Good divorce attorneys; however, come in many different forms. When looking for a
good fit you should at least consider the following attributes:
LISTENING: If your attorney hears you, then he/she should get the material facts of the
case out of you, and you will have a shot at presenting all the issues you should present.
Imposing counsel who makes a dramatic entrance, looks good in that expensive suit, and
sounds like they know everything is the sort of attorney that makes for good television
shows, but not necessarily what you actually need. You need an attorney who hears you
and understands your case.
Ironically, this attribute is best determined by exercising it yourself first. Listen to the
attorney you think you want to help you, and see if you hear details about your own case
coming back to you. Listen and observe.
STABILITY: The Dissolution process can be very emotionally draining, and it is very
common to find yourself getting emotionally off center. It can be just like riding a small
fishing boat out to sea, where you are leaning one way one moment and the opposite
direction the next moment. Having what you thought was solid under your feet shift
repeatedly can cause seasickness, and your emotions function much the same. On that
boat, if you had someone with good sea legs standing next to you to prop you up so you
would not fall down (or hold you at the rail), that would be a good thing. Select a divorce
attorney who steadies you. That’s what good counsel does – reminds you what common
sense suggests that you should do, and helps you to avoid making rash decisions based
upon pain, fear, confusion, anger, or greed.
Sorting out whether an attorney steadies you should be straightforward: after you talk to
your attorney do you feel more or less certainty? A good Family Law Attorney might
reveal problems you did not know about, but after speaking with him/her you will be less
confused, not more. You will feel more steady.
KNOWLEDGE: This attribute was purposefully stated third, rather than first.
Nevertheless, you should seek out a divorce attorney who knows what he/she is talking
about. Knowing the rules is good, but if they do not know the facts of your case (SEE
LISTENING, above), then the results may be less than you need. Good legal argument is
the application of the facts of your case to the law. The facts and the law work together,
like a double-barreled shotgun. If either barrel is empty it will not work out so well, but
if both barrels are loaded, then the other party better watch out of they want to get into a
shootout. A good, knowledgeable divorce attorney who knows the rules and applies
them to your facts is what you should look for.
EXPERIENCE: The cliché is that a job often done is often done well, and a job rarely
done is rarely done well. The reason it is a cliché is that it is true most of the time. This
attribute is usually closely related to the STABILITY factor described above, but not
always. Ask the attorney if he/she has dealt with the issues you expect to have to deal
with. You should try to not be the one the attorney uses as his test case.
MATCH-UP: The fact is that there are some attorneys who are really good at reaching
settlements and creatively drafting agreements. At the same time there are some
attorneys who are born to fight. These are the extreme ends of a spectrum, and most
divorce attorneys are not found entirely on either end. Nevertheless, there are two
distinct types of divorce attorneys, and with the right match-up the results can be
spectacular. Unfortunately, that dealmaker could spin his/her wheels trying to make a
deal with your spouse who never listens to reason, and/or that fighter could blow up your
chances of settling the case early on by hurtling too many verbal firebombs.
You need to calmly consider what will work best in your case and tell your divorce
attorney. The more he/she knows about how your soon-to-be-ex does things the better
your chances of getting a good result. Think about the match up.
CONCLUSION: A good divorce attorney will be one (or a team) that fits both you and
your case. You need to be heard, steadied, informed about the rules, and given the
benefit of counsel’s experience. You should consider the match up. At the Law Offices
of Thomas Chase Stutzman, A Professional Corporation, we strive to listen to and inform
our clients while also reminding them that (and this is true) tomorrow really is another
day, and eventually the shifting in your life will come to an end.
The Law Offices of Thomas Chase Stutzman, A Professional Corporation specializes
exclusively in divorce and related family law matters for clients in the South San
Francisco Bay Area/Silicon Valley of California and throughout the United States. Our
attorneys have extensive experience and provide complete representation in all aspects of
divorce like division of property, child custody & support, visitation and many more.