February 2010 Archives

Our lawyers at my firm are representing more divorce clients than ever before, raising the legitimate question: do lawyers used to representing criminal defense clients make good divorce lawyers? Like so many answers in law, I think the most accurate answer is-it depends. Of course, you must know the law in family matters to be competent, but to be really good at it requires much more.  In general, a good criminal lawyer will likely also be good at divorce work, as both require a willingness to compromise backed up by a legitimate ability to aggressively litigate when necessary. A major difference, however, is the degree to which your client can be held hostage by an unreasonable litigant in divorce matters.  Family law contemplates that two reasonable people will put aside their differences for the benefit of their children. Too often, however, that ideal is far from the reality.  Lawyers representing vindictive or unnecessarily combative clients are frequently put in a difficult situation. If they don't advance their client's agenda, the client will find a different lawyer, threaten a complaint against the lawyer, or both.