Family law is a unique area in the law due to the emotional complexities involved. A superior family law attorney is able to balance the need for caring, reasonable, and cooperative negotiations against establishing and keeping firm boundaries to protect the client. Most people don't want to spend tens of thousands of dollars and years of their lives fighting over minor issues. We are mindful that we work with issues that are very dear to individuals' hearts.
We are highly selective and limit the number of family law cases that we take in order to provide our clients with the best service and legal expertise available. Our clients understand that the extra time and attention to their case will help ensure favorable results and long term solutions that will bring peace to their life and save money in the long term. Attorneys are not all created equally and in order to protect your family and your finances your decision of whom to represent you will be a key.
When an attorney has been practicing in one area of the law for an extended period of time, many times that attorney developes a niche practice.
While I routinely handle many different family law cases, over the years I have unwittingly developed a "niche" within the family law umbrella. My "niche" is taking on difficult to win custody cases. In Washington State when we say custody what me mean is residential placement of the child. First let me say that my own moral compass does not allow me to fight for custody of a child with a parent to whom I do not believe that child would be able to have a great life. Fighting a custody battle takes its toll on everyone, including me, and I am not about to do that for someone who is not going to be a great parent.
Unfortunately there are many people who may not provide the best environment for a child. In other words some people are just not good parents. While that may be politically incorrect, ask any family law attorney and the overwhelming majority would agree. I take pride in knowing that I have been instrumental in saving many children from the lifelong issues that come from being raised by an abusive or more likely neglectful parent. I have the privilege of seeing the children who are now in a stable and happy home with my client. I know that these children's "life chances"' have been increased dramatically by being in the right home, with the right parent, regardless of whether that is their mother or father.
I take on the cases that many other attorneys would either not tackle in the first place or not do all that is needed in order to be successful. Again, fighting a custody battle is not pleasant, is a lot of work, costs a lot of money, and frankly there is an art to strategy and timing. I do not fault other attorneys for not wanting to take these matters on. What I do find fault with is taking the matter on and then not doing the job properly.
My success in difficult custody cases is based in no small party to my no nonsense approach with my clients; I generally am going to have a long list of things the client is to do or not do, and I have high expectations of my clients. I of course cannot promise anyone that I can get residential placement of a child. What I can promise is that I have taken on the hard, seemingly impossible, cases before and won and if anyone can do it I can. Another important aspect of a custody dispute is timing. I know when to retreat and regroup and when to strike. Many times clients want things to progress faster than they are progressing; however in the end they see how the timing was an important part of our success.
Custody disputes are not fun but in many cases they are necessary to ensure a child's safety, stability and to provide a good life for that child. I take that responsibility very seriously.
