Tuesday, April 21, 2009

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE A DIVORCE LAWYER?

People ask me: What is it like to be a divorce lawyer? Isn't it stressful? Isn't it depressing? Don't you internalize your clients' problems?

I am a Certified Family Law Specialist. I practice family law in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. My solely-owned divorce and family law firm is Warner Center Law Offices, in Woodland Hills, California. I offer prospective clients a free confidential consultation to discuss their options. Call (818) 880-8990 for a free confidential consultation.

My practice includes preparation and review of Premarital Agreements (Prenuptial Agreements), Divorce (Dissolution of Marriage), and representation of either party in matters involving Paternity (cases under the Uniform Parentage Act), Child Custody, custody modification, Child Visitation, visitation modification, Child Support, Spousal Support, support modification, property division (including QDROs), allocation of obligations, stepparent adoption, and handling mattters for unmarried people who co-own property or have children together, among other areas of family law practice.

Does that sound tough? It doesn't feel tough to me.

Sometimes a contentious adverse attorney or party, the facts of a case, or the quality or source of available evidence may present challenges, but I'm always ready to meet and overcome any challenge, whether by vaulting over the hurdle or finding another path to the objective. I'm a "fireman," and I put out fires whenever they occur.

Stress is an occupational hazard of any family law attorney. Things generally move in family cases only if pressure is brought to bear by one side on the other. If I'm not creating stress, I'm fielding stress. I'm fortunate enough to have learned, years ago, how to transform stress into opportunity. If something needs to be done in a case, I don't "have to do" it - I "get to do" it. Instead of being burdened by what others may consider stress, I get to figure out and prioritize the ways to overcome the challenge and implement the best or most expedient solution, planning fallbacks in the event that obstacles are encountered. It is all in the attitude.

I view the practice of family law as my life, not my work. It doesn't start at 9 a.m. on Monday or end at 5 p.m. on Friday. My brain doesn't "start up" or "shut down" with the beginning or end of a business day or business week. That is not a problem for me, and fortunately, it's not a problem for my wife, either. She loves my loyalty to my clients and the ethical manner in which I practice law. She doesn't resent my diversion of time from family to the needs of my clients.

Practicing family law affords me an opportunity to use my expertise - my education, training and experience - to help people. Their problems don't become my problems. Their problems become my challenges to surmount, which I do with zeal.

My rewards are far more than economic: they include the satisfying process of conceptualizing and implementing creative solutions to my clients' problems, resulting in the improvement of my clients' life-situations, as well as their increased appreciation, loyalty, and referrals of new clients to me.

I connect with each client on a one-on-one basis. We work together to create a set of realistic goals, strategies, priorities, and backup plans, to accomplish those goals, being vigilant at all times to enable us to accommodate and adjust to changes and surprises as they may occur.

I will address how I deal with Premarital Agreement (Prenuptial Agreement) clients in a separate Blog; that subject has its own specialized requirements, and I apply experience gained in over 35 years of representation of Prenuptial Agreement clients in dealing with those clients.

I teach my clients the "rules of the game," i.e., the statutory and case laws that apply to their situations, I provide them information about the judicial officers hearing their cases (sometimes I suggest that they attend hearings in other cases before the judicial officers assigned to their cases to get a sense about what works and what doesn't work before a particular judicial officer), and I assist them in accepting and dealing with the reality of their particular situations (addressed in my website as "Mastering Divorce").

I teach my clients communication techniques, including how to hear, register, process and answer questions responsively. I teach my clients the concept of "foundation" so that they can obtain and provide me foundational facts for any information that they convey to me. Just as a movie script contains the setting, so must any evidence provided to the Court. It can't just float in. I employ a metaphor with my clients: I'm the producer and director of the show; my client is the actor. Together, we form a partnership that works.

I teach my clients divorce-mastering techniques to enable them to center themselves in reality so that they can move forward in a new direction instead of being mired in the upset and distraction of frustrated expectations.

I became a Certified Family Law Specialist in 1980, when the California State Bar first created the Family Law specialty. I enjoy the practice of family law and divorce law, and I restrict my practice to those fields. I represent clients throughout the counties of Los Angeles and Ventura.

Posted by Donald F. Conviser, of Warner Center Law Offices in Woodland Hills, California, a Certified Family Law Specialist with over 35 years of family law experience, serving divorce and family law clients throughout Los Angeles County and Ventura County in all aspects of family law. Call 818-880-8990 for a free confidential consultation.

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