Law Firm

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. Ask a lot of questions and be open to hearing things that you may not want to hear. Make sure your questions are being answered. Don't settle for hearing a sales pitch. Look for someone who will present you with you a range of options and who will teach you about the process and the consequences. Being honest with the professional will gain you trust in the end. You want a lawyer who is interested in teaching you how to help yourself and is a collaborator with you, not one who wants to stand in the position of a fairy godmother.

Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

A. A lot of the work is done by paralegals and staff. Look in the agreement for services for a billing practice that charges lower rates for the staff and paperwork processes. Attorney work should be for specialized tasks.

Some lawyers deliberately run up fees by churning paperwork that only delays matters. Watch out for unnecessary filings, excessive discovery, or too much correspondence. Make sure your attorney cares as much about your pocketbook as his/her own. I never send a letter when a phone call will suffice.

Q. What questions should a consumer ask to hire the right service professional?

A. Look for someone whose values are a good fit with your own. Is this a person who does mediation as a part of their practice? Do they have a plan for helping the parties to settle the case, or is litigating the only option presented? What will happen when the initial deposit is used up? What is the policy on refunds?

Q. What important information should buyers have thought through before seeking you out?

A. If your relationship is causing you pain, and you are considering getting out, or feel that you need to protect yourself, come talk to me. I offer a very low cost initial consultation that frequently saves marriages and makes them better. Marriage counselors sometimes make things worse, not better. I offer an alternative point of view that can often help to clarify things better than talking to your friends or therapist.

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. For over two decades I have been studying families and how to help them. My life's mission is to help people in family distress to avoid making things worse, recover from disasters, minimize damage to themselves and their children and find great happiness in their relationships. I refuse to be a part of a divorce that does not need to happen. That is why we are the "I LOVE MY FAMILY" law firm.

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. I love helping people. The first part of my life was spent in science and academics and raising my family. As my children got older I found that spending my time in the research lab was less and less fulfilling so I got out and taught high school briefly before starting law school.

While going through law school family law was not even on the radar as far as a practice area for me. Upon graduation I was immediately recruited to help with victims of domestic violence and I was hooked.

I love helping people in this way. My personal journey has enriched my career, and my career has changed who I am in many ways. Everything I have experienced in life so far, mistakes and successes, has made me better at what i do.

Q. Do you have a favorite story from your work?

A. When I was a brand new attorney I got a call from Jim, in Chicago. He had been kept from any relationship with his child for years by the mother's frequent moves. Then his paycheck was garnished out of San Diego so he had a clue where the mother was. We quickly got his visitation rights reestablished, repaired his relationship with his 10 year old son, and modified support to a reasonable and fair amount. This was gratifying and a win for all of us. Even the mother was ultimately satisfied because her boy was happy.

Q. Tell us about a recent job you did that you are particularly proud of.

A. Cases of parental alienation are simply horrible. These kinds of parents tend to use up an inordinate amount of court resources. I have taken on many of these cases and in 90% of them we have been able to turn the situation around completely and stop the damage.

Children are permanently damaged by being cut-off from a reasonable parent, and a parent who is cut out without just cause is emotionally devastated. Unless a parent is actively destructive, they should maintain a presence in the life of their child for the child's sake. Even less-than-perfect parents are important.