Choosing a Divorce Attorney - Flexibility is Key

Thanks to New York Law Report for directing me to this post on New Jersey Divorce & Family Law. I could not say this any better, and this is something needed said.

If you are here seeking an lawyer for your family law case, please read Choosing a Divorce Attorney - Flexibility is Key. If you are a potential client of mine, I cannot emphasize enough that you need to read it.

"I also often have clients come in asking “Are you a fighter? I need a bulldog on this…” or “I really need someone who is collaborative…can you work with my ex’s attorney?” - I usually respond, kindly, that (1) yes, our firm can be all those things and (2) at this point, I’m not sure anyone knows what they’ll need in a divorce. A general way to state it is that they’ll need an attorney who can respond to the situation and can be what the circumstances warrant. I think there are a select few attorneys who can do that - at least in what I’ve encountered on the other side of the table. Most attorneys have one mode and have a reputation for being one thing. Those are the easiest attorneys to deal with (even the screamers) because you know what you’re getting from then and they’re rarely creative in their approach. That is, I almost never have to worry about not seeing the next move coming because it’s all so predictable. On the other hand, the crafty attorney is the one that never approaches the situation from the same angle. I’m on my toes with those attorneys because, having practiced that way myself, I know how crafty they can be."

That paragraph has as much truth in it for Indiana as it does for New Jersey. Too bad most people do not realize that effective representation means something different in each case. That family law does not generally operate to punish either party and the lawyers who do operate only in this mode may profit where the clients do not.