News and comments about divorce, child support, child custody, alimony, equitable property distribution, father’s rights, mother’s rights, family law, laws on divorce and other legal information in Maryland.
If you don’t know what to get that person who has everything this year, a London law firm is offering a gift certificate for a half hour consultation with a divorce lawyer. The cost is $125 pounds (about $200).
The firm, Lloyd Platt & Company, says demand for the certficates is soaring, with 60 sold so far, and the firm is swamped with inquiries about this “must have” Christmas gift.
Source: MSNBC
(To the tune of “Santa Baby” by Joan Javits)
Lawyer baby, just slip a complaint across your desk, for me
So I can get my divorce quickly
Lawyer baby, so hurry file the complaint today
Lawyer baby, a ‘54 convertible too, light blue,
And half the other property
Lawyer baby, so hurry file the complaint today
Think of all the fun I’ve missed,
Think of all the fellows that I haven’t kissed
Next year I could be just as good
With everything on my divorce list
Lawyer baby, I want a yacht and really that’s not a lot
Been an angel all year
Lawyer baby, so hurry file the complaint today
Lawyer honey, one little thing I really need, the deed
To a platinum mine,
Lawyer baby, so hurry file the complaint today
Lawyer cutie, and fill my stocking with a duplex and cheques,
Sign your x on the line
Lawyer cutie, and hurry file the complaint today
Come and let me pay your fee,
With the cash you will collect for me
I really do believe in you,
Let’s see you get me alimony
Lawyer baby, forgot to mention one little thing, a ring,
I don’t mean on the phone,
Lawyer baby, so hurry file the complaint today
Hurry file the complaint today
Hurry, today.
“To hide one lie, a thousand lies are needed.”
- Saying in India
Tiger Woods found out the hard way.
If you are going to cheat, your spouse will find out about it. There are no secrets. Your paramour will tell somebody or somebody will see you together. That somebody will tell someone else. Eventually word will get back to your spouse.
Actions have consequences. You may think they don’t, but they do. Ask any divorce lawyer. If you’re going to play, you have to pay. Think about the consequences before you act. Is it worth the cost?
You choose your actions. You can choose to be faithful and committed to your marriage or not. But affairs don’t just happen. People don’t fall out of love with their spouses. They make a choice. What choices are you making in your life?
Here’s some clever advertising for a divorce attorney in Germany featured on Advertolog.com and CoolAd.com. As you get on the office elevator, you see a poster of a newly married couple on the elevator doors. But when the doors open, the couple splits apart. The sign in the elevator is for divorce lawyer, Sabrina Stobrawe.
That’s a question I get a lot. How do you hire a divorce attorney when you have no money? Here are some answers culled from the comments at OttawaDivorce.com:
Please leave a comment here and tell us how you paid for a lawyer in your divorce.
Related Articles:
Nelson A. Garcia will present Divorce Legal Seminar in Spanish at the Commission for Women’s Counseling and Career Center in Rockville Maryland on October 13, 2009, from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. This seminar will help you to learn the different aspects of the process of separation and divorce. You will learn how to choose an attorney, how property is distributed, and how to get a restraining order, in case of domestic violence. How to obtain custody and alimony for your children will also be discussed. At the end of the session, you will have the opportunity to ask questions. The cost is $30. Here is the seminar announcement in Spanish.
SUS DERECHOS LEGALES EN EL DIVORCIO:
RESUMEN GENERAL Y TEMAS RELACIONADOS CON LOS HIJOS
Martes, 13 de Octubre, 2009, 6-9 pm
Este seminario, presentado en español, le ayudará a conocer los diferentes aspectos del proceso de separación y divorcio. Se discutirá cómo escoger un abogado, cómo conseguir separación de bienes y la forma de obtener una orden de protección en casos de violencia doméstica. También se discutirá cómo obtener la custodia de sus hijos y asistencia para su manutención. Al cierre de la sesión, habrá oportunidad para preguntas y respuestas. Costo: $30
Nelson A. García, a family law attorney in the firm of Thyden Gross and Callahan, LLP has volunteered for several years at the Commission for Women as a presenter. Mr. Garcia also volunteers in free legal clinics at a number of organizations including CASA de Maryland in domestic violence, child custody and divorce matters. He received his J.D. from Boston College Law School and his B.A. in English and Business co-majors from Florida State University. He is a member of the Maryland and District of Columbia Bar and is currently Secretary of the Maryland Hispanic Bar Association and a member of its Legislative Committee.
Most people are pretty clear that they want to get divorced by the time they see me. But I tell them that everything I do is reversible, in case they change their minds.
Once in a while some of them do. How do you “unfile” a complaint for divorce?
Maryland Rule 6-205 has the answer. Paragraph (a) says that if your spouse has not filed an answer, you can dismiss a complaint by filing a Notice of Dismissal. If your spouse has filed an answer, you will need him or her sign a Stipulation of Dismissal.
If you cannot get your spouse to sign, then paragraph (b) requires you to ask the court for an order dismissing the case.
The first dismissal, according to paragraph (c), is without prejudice, meaning you can refile your complaint later, if you change your mind again.
I haven’t tried this myself yet, but NewLawyer.com claims they can connect you instantly with a lawyer in any state, using phone-to-phone technology, for a free five minute consultation.
Michael Foti, the marketing director at NewLawyer.com says the purpose of the website is to “provide legal advice to anyone and everyone who needs it.”
Five minutes with an attorney is not very long, but it just might be enough to answer that burning legal question you have about your case, and the price is right. If you try this service, leave a review here in the comment section for the rest of us.
Divorce lawyers sometimes finds themselves being part time social workers in dealing with the problems in family law. Harvard Medical School is having a series of programs for psychologists, but the titles remind me of issues that family lawyers deal with daily.
1. What’s Love Got to Do with It?: Updates on the Neurobiology of Attraction and Attachment. What? Love is just about the brain? And it causes so much suffering? Divorce lawyers frequently have to deal with the underlying mystery in intimate relationships.
2. Sex, Sexuality, and Sex Therapy: Female and Male Perspectives. Divorce lawyers, especially in “fault” jurisdictions (like Maryland, Virginia and DC), have to learn more about your sex life than is comfortable for anyone.
3. Working with Couples Around Financial Issues. Interesting to consider this occurring during a marriage rather than at the end.
4. Domestic Violence: Challenges and Opportunities for Intervention. Sadly, people in abusive relationships tend to forget what behaviors are acceptable and where to draw the line. Violent relationships tend to get worse without intervention. Yet people are often so ashamed that they don’t even tell their lawyers about it.
5. Behavioral Therapy for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. When the client tells us about a spouse who is using drugs or abusing alcohol, do we go full speed ahead with the divorce? Or do we have resources to provide information about the possibilities of rehabilitation, so the client can better assess his or her options?
6. Stepfamilies: Ways to Live with Each Other. We talk about “blended” families, but divorce lawyers often see them as more like oil and water that don’t mix.
7. Strategies for Dealing with Difficult Partners. Getting a divorce doesn’t change your difficult partner into a reasonable person. If you have children, you still have to deal with them.
8. Understanding High Conflict and Emotionally Distant Couples. While the traditional divorce lawyer may be able to avoid understanding these folks, a mediator, collaborative professional, or parenting coordinator could benefit from knowing what drives high conflict and what creates emotional distance. Both of these factors make shared decision-making during and after divorce a real challenge.
Divorce lawyers are not psychotherapists, but they need to know something about psychology and human behavior to be successful working with people going through a divorce.
The first image broadcast by network television was a picture of Felix the Cat. I remember watching Felix on tv when I was a kid. He had a Magic Bag of Tricks and whenever he got stumped by a problem, he would reach into his bag and pull out some tool or device that would help him solve the problem.
I wish I had a Magic Bag of Tricks in real life. A lawyer can do a lot of things, but sometimes the tools in my toolbox are limited. Clients look to their lawyers to solve all sorts of problems. But first you have to have a problem that the law recognizes as a problem. For example, I wrote recently that not every marital agreement is recognized by law as an enforceable contract.
The law does not provide a remedy for every wrong. There is no legal tool that will turn your difficult spouse into a nicer, more reasonable and responsible person. I can get alimony and child support and property, but I probably cannot recover damages for the hurt you felt during your marriage. The court can give you a visitation schedule, but it can’t make your child want to visit with you. I can’t make your spouse settle on your terms and I can’t make opposing counsel return my calls if they don’t want to.
As a mediator said to one of my clients, “I only have a pen, not a magic wand.”
