FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
Our pricing is based on the complexity of the case. Naturally, when a case is more complex and there is more work necessary to build a viable argument and gather the evidence we will need to support it, it is going to cost more money for the client. Our goal is always to resolve the case efficiently, and we take a conciliatory approach whenever possible and appropriate. We do make every effort to design case strategy around our client's budget. We recognize funds are not always available to take all the stops we would like to take, so cost benefit analysis is part of strategy development.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
The first step we take with a potential new client is a free consultation. That is typically an in person meeting, in our office, between the potential client and the lawyer. As the lawyer, I would first give you, the potential client, some background about my experience and credentials as a divorce lawyer here in Newburyport. I would give you a basic education of how the law works in your type of case, typically being a divorce, and then you would tell me a bit about your situation. I normally would ask a number of questions and then would ultimately educate you in more detail about what is likely to happen in your case, how long the case is likely to take, and how much the case is likely going to cost. We would talk through strategy and next steps and if you signed up with the firm, I would then introduce you to my paralegal who would continue The process, gathering detailed information about your case, completing paperwork, and giving you homework to do in regards to financial disclosure. Where we go from there depends on the strategy. It may be that we engage with the other side and negotiate settlement before filing a litigation. In other cases, litigation may already be filed and we may have deadlines we need to meet. Ultimately, we work together from beginning to end, be that a negotiated settlement or trial. The goal is always getting you your ideal outcome as efficiently as possible.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
The best training for this type of work is actually handling cases. Aside from my legal education and experience handling divorce, custody, modification, and enforcement actions, I also have extensive experience dealing with unique issues in family law cases. Some examples are the existence of abusive behavior, including domestic violence, substance abuse by one or both parties and the impact on parenting that may have, the existence of mental illness by one party and how that mental on this may impact a party's ability to parent effectively, determining valuations in a number of complex assets, including business valuations in a broad array of categories, determining income for the purposes of child support and alimony when one party is self-employed.