Many people picture “good” lawyers as being combative and hot-headed, using volume and dramatic monologues rather than negotiation and sound logic to make their case. This is perhaps due to iconic courtroom scenes in movies and TV shows that have shaped the way people think of legal proceedings, from the loud, hostile back-and-forth of A Few Good Men to the dramatic twists and turns of a Law & Order episode.
Sidenote: “Perry Mason syndrome” is an actual problem in courtrooms today, where jurors expect lead attorneys to elicit tearful confessions from a key witness. As experienced attorneys, let our firm assure you—no one confesses crimes from the witness stand.
This has led to the tragic belief that people should only hire attorneys when they’re ready for battle, when the conflict has reached its boiling point and each side needs to prepare for war. With this blog, the lawyers at Gille Kaye Law Group, PC want to share a different perspective—and perhaps convince you that lawyers are simply allies for regular people in hard situations.
How Family Law Firms Are Different
While attorneys (especially in criminal hearings) are capable of fighting aggressively for their clients, family law advocates are a different kind of lawyer. For the most part, we recognize that our role is to protect our client by minimizing conflict, especially when children are involved. Now, that doesn’t mean being soft or compromising your interests, but it does mean looking for mutually beneficial solutions in every situation.
Family law specialists help make processes smoother and faster, especially regarding:
Most importantly, it means looking for solutions outside of the courtroom, such as mediation and negotiation with your spouse’s attorney. Not only is this less costly, but it is also less emotionally taxing and provides clients with far greater control over the outcome of their cases. As attorneys, our primary goal is your well-being: legally, financially, and emotionally. That means advocating for your interests in the way that’s best for your situation.
Why Hiring an Attorney Early Is a Good Idea
If you’re in the early stages of a legal situation involving your family—whether it’s a divorce or a stepparent adoption—it’s never too early to contact a lawyer. People sometimes delay calling a lawyer because they fear this will be seen as a hostile or reactionary step. In reality, retaining an attorney just means you’re willing to make the process as smooth, fair, and easy as possible.
Hiring an attorney early means you get to set the tone and set the terms gently. For high-conflict situations, it means protecting yourself as quickly as possible, allowing you to prepare your case from a position of strength. In either case, it provides your attorneys a chance to shape the dialogue between you and your spouse while it’s still developing.
All family law situations are emotional, good or bad. It’s just a fact—even the most amicable situations have some tensions running through them. Having an attorney giving you advice and counsel from an objective perspective, before your emotions are drawn into the picture, will always benefit you, your family, your children, and your future.
Below are just a few ways lawyers can aid your situation.
Property Division
Hiring a lawyer for your property division case helps ensure one of the most important qualities of any case: fairness. Attorneys are not interested in escalating the conflict or picking a fight—instead, we’re invested in laying all the cards on the table. In this case, that means investigating all relevant liabilities and assets and evaluating your situation honestly. We can also help protect property that is rightfully yours from being eligible for division, such as family heirlooms.
Divorce
Divorce is a complex, messy process. It gets more complicated the longer your marriage lasted, as long marriages results in a great deal of shared property and hard-to-quantify economic factors. For example, did you know California divorce courts calculate alimony partially from how much money one spouse has lost based on their support of the other spouse’s career?
Having an attorney takes the complicated legal work off of your plate. Instead, we process your paperwork and financial information for you, giving you clear advice based on what you want from your divorce. With our help, you can make confident and well-informed decisions about your future while making the end of your marriage as simple and clean as possible.
Child Custody Agreements
There is perhaps no role more vital for attorneys than to help families in child custody battles. These are the most hotly-disputed and tense situations in all of family law, triggering deep insecurities and convictions about the well-being of your children. Attorneys can help by ensuring that your children are completely insulated from child custody disputes, prioritizing their mental and emotional health above everything else.
Attorneys also ensure that the truth is presented fairly and with an even hand in child custody battles. By presenting your voice through the language of the law, we can make sure the best interests of you and your child are at the forefront of the case at all times. Our counsel can also prevent you from making emotional decisions that endanger your case. When it comes to your children, having a calm, clear-thinking ally is the best resource you could ask for.
For more information about how having an attorney can aid your case, call the Pasadena law firm of Gille Kaye Law Group, PC for a free consultation. We have more than 30 years of combined experience, and we are happy to answer your questions and point you in the right direction. Call us at (626) 340-0955 to get clear answers about your legal situation.