Lawyer Issues

You must have the right lawyer to have a successful divorce. Many people believe that any lawyer can and will protect them from the potential nightmare of family law litigation. In reality, the lawyer can become part of the nightmare instead. You owe it to yourself (and your children if there are any) to hire the best lawyer possible.

My first lawyer was a good man who had been highly recommended by a close friend. He was the right lawyer for what I call ‘the diplomatic approach’ to negotiating a settlement with the other side. And that was how he approached my case. He wrote to the opposing lawyer and explained that the matter did not warrant lengthy litigation and that both parties could end up with barely any money if the matter proceeded to court. The letter went on to propose that the parties attempt to negotiate a settlement and avoid the expense of litigation.

Unfortunately, there was no response to this proposal and my wife simply continued with court proceedings.

My divorce was a long and very bitter process made even worse by the involvement of extended family with their separate agendas. Much of the evidence presented had little or no relevance to the financial outcome. Despite my wife’s best attempts to make me the villain of the piece, she was no better off financially in the end because nearly all the proceeds that she was entitled to were spent on her legal fees. Confidentiality of the parties restricts publication of the full details of this story. Suffice to say, that after marathon hours in the family court I came to the conclusion that divorce is a business and that being in total control is all-important.