May 22, 2012

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Finding a Criminal Lawyer When You Are in Need of One

May 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By Aloysius Aucoin -

Under the law in the United States all defendants in a criminal case have the right to attain legal counsel to represent them. If a defendant is unable to afford an attorney then the court will appoint a public defender or in some cases a private lawyer to represent them. However if you earn too much money to be appointed an attorney then you will have to hire your own criminal lawyer to defend you.

If you find yourself in the precarious situation where hiring a criminal lawyer is a must then there are a number of ways that you can find legal representation. If you have needed a criminal defense attorney in the past then you may already know whom to call on but if this is new to you then the first place to look is close to home.

Contact loved ones and friends who have required the services of a criminal lawyer before and ask them about their experiences. From there compile contact information about the attorneys. You want to find an attorney that you will be compatible with. If someone else you know well was happy with the service they received then this is a promising sign. Find out what the lawyer charged. The attorney-client working relationship is very important and can play a role in the outcome of your case.

Find out the number for the local bar association and call them up and ask for referrals. The American Bar Association as well as numerous states bar and local bar associations will are more than willing to give you some names and general information about attorneys who are members of the association(s). Some bar associations have referral programs that help to find lawyers for citizens who are having trouble finding one on their own.

Search for a criminal lawyer from a home computer. The Internet has made it possible to find legal information easier and quicker than ever before. There are a number of attorney contact information databases online that can connect you up with a criminal defense lawyer in the geographical area you reside in. Many of these databases will allow you to break down your search into the specialty that you are in need of.

As previously mentioned a public defender will not be able to represent you if your income level is too high but the office for this attorney should be able to provide you with attorney recommendations. If all else fails and you are still coming up empty then this is another avenue for you to explore. There are plenty of lawyers that practice criminal law but you want to narrow in on one that you will be able to establish the proper rapport with. Communication between yourself and the lawyer you hire is very important for your success in court.

A criminal lawyer Covington can help if you have been charged with a crime. Look no further than: http://www.becklawfirmky.com/.

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Filed Under: About Attorneys, Criminal Court

Criminal Defense Attorney – Choosing Wisely

April 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By Abraham Avotina -

Being charged with a crime is a frightening proposition for anyone dreading jail time. To battle the charges and see to it that your rights are upheld in a justice system eager to put felons behind bars, you need a good criminal defense attorney. Even if you have no intention of going to trial and are only interested in pleading out, it helps to have a good legal mind on your side. A lawyer can give you advice on how best to proceed, negotiate with the prosecutor, and oftentimes, provide more specialized services than a public defender. But, not every lawyer is of equal worth. Here are some things you can do to ensure you find the right one.

You should definitely keep your goals in mind when looking for a criminal defense attorney. If you want to plead out, it makes little sense to pay top dollar to find a lawyer renowned for his skill in front of a jury. Likewise, you don’t want a lawyer known for his ability to negotiate quick deals if you are planning to plead “not guilty” and fight the charges to your last breath. Lawyers are usually very straightforward when it comes to their strengths, preferences, and weaknesses. They won’t want to take on a client who has a different endgame in mind.

You may be thinking that every criminal defense attorney is basically in the same field. But that really isn’t true. If you’ve been charged with breaking and entering, for example, you’ll want to find a lawyer who has a history of handling these types of cases. You don’t want to hire a DUI lawyer for a murder trial. You can save yourself a lot of time and frustration by narrowing your search to those firms who advertise based on the types of law they tend to practice. If you have a relationship with a lawyer who doesn’t quite practice in the right field, you can always ask them for a referral.

Sometimes, it seems as though every courtroom drama shows the relationship between defendant and criminal defense attorney as a combative one. For example, a brilliant lawyer is willing to provide the best service money can buy, but he still regards his client as scum behind closed doors. This is not reflective of reality. Find a lawyer you can trust and who will be willing to converse with you without laying down judgment. It isn’t a difficult combination to find, so it makes no sense to settle for anything less.

Searching for a criminal defense attorney Los Angeles? Be sure to visit: http://www.gunsberglaw.com/.

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Filed Under: About Attorneys, Criminal Court

Guide in Choosing a Defense Attorney

March 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By Cedric P Loiselle -

When you have been arrested for a criminal offense, you have no choice but to seek legal counsel to represent you before the court. Finding criminal defense attorneys is tough, though. Here are some things you need to keep in mind.

1. Choose a specific lawyer. Hardly any lawyer will cover a wide range of cases. Usually, they concentrate within a given field. Some focus on tax cases, while others attend only to civil cases. Others deal with domestic crimes. So, look for one who has represented clients with similar cases as you have.

2. Experienced lawyers are preferable. A reputable federal defense attorney has enough knowledge, which is an advantage on your part. But his services would cost much more than the services of a new lawyer. Those who cannot afford private legal representatives can go for public defenders. The court may provide you with a public attorney, but his time and effort for the case may be deficient, as he may have other clients too.

3. Seek lawyers from well-known organizations. Groups like the NACDL (National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers) have a list of lawyers with substantial experience in handling criminal cases. They are your best bets.

4. Check out law firms. You may be phoning friends to provide you with recommendations, but you might only be dismayed. Instead, you can search for criminal law firms, which can provide the right legal counsel for you.

5. Do not hesitate to ask questions. What kind of questions should you ask? You can start by asking who’s going to handle your case. Would he be handling the case personally or will he send an assistant lawyer to handle the case instead? Also, do not be afraid to ask about the number of cases he has won. Good lawyers will not hesitate to tell you the correct figures.

6. Trust lawyers who say what they can do with your case. If their introduction is charges and fees, head for the door and look for another criminal defense attorney. Good attorneys do provide free advice.

7. Ask about the charging schemes. Lawyers have different ways of charging for their services. Some charge fixed payments, while others charge on an hourly basis. At the same time, many lawyers also pass on expenses of paperwork to you. Make sure that payment schemes are clear from the beginning.

8. There is no such thing as the best lawyer in town. Attorneys should not brand themselves as the best. Some may have won all their cases, but that does not mean that they are the best for you. The most reliable way to know if a lawyer is good enough for you is to meet him personally first. Interview him and ask him questions, then see if you are comfortable with him.

9. Do a background check on your attorney. Talk to former clients of the lawyer and ask them how their lawyer dealt with them and their cases. There is nothing more convincing than testimonies from real people. You can also look up the attorney’s name online and read the feedback on him there.

Keep in mind that a defense lawyer will not necessarily ask the court to clear you of all charges. If the evidence is powerful, the lawyer may ask the court to lower charges against you. In many cases, proof can be challenged, and that is why criminal court cases can run for so long.

For more information about Philadelphia criminal defense attorneys and a federal defense attorney in Philadelphia, visit our website philadelphiacriminallawyernow.com.

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Filed Under: About Attorneys, Criminal Court Tagged With: , , ,

Three Considerations When Hiring a Lawyer – Cost, Experience, and Personality

February 22, 2012 By 1 Comment

By P Bentley -

You are involved in a legal issue. You have decided that it is too complex to deal with yourself and that you have the financial means to hire a lawyer. You are in the market for a lawyer, but how do you know which lawyer to hire?

Ask questions and act as a consumer.

You would not go to Best Buy and purchase the first television you see. You would look at reviews and compare the prices in order to determine which television best fits your budget and needs. The same process should extend to looking for a lawyer to hire. There are several sites on the Internet that allow you to do comparison shopping for goods. Legal matching services provides the resource to do comparison shopping with lawyers.

Three considerations before you hire a lawyer:

1. The first and most important question to ask a lawyer is: How much do you cost?

Does the lawyer charge hourly, a flat rate, or a contingency fee? How much is it? The fees can vary substantially depending on a lawyer’s experience, location of practice, and areas of practice. Usually a lawyer’s hourly cost can range from $150 – $350 per hour. Flat fees are are widely dependent on the nature of a case. Simple divorces, minor criminal cases, and bankruptcies can range from $400 and up. Contingency cases are common in personal injury cases and are often 33% of the recovered amount, but they can range from 25% – 40%.

It is important that you shop around and do not assume that one lawyer’s quote is the norm or that you cannot find a cheaper lawyer. Always ask for free initial consulations and do not be shy to negotiate a lawyer’s cost. There is a lot of competition among lawyers, so make them compete. Competition is especially fierce in smaller firms and among sole practitioners since they do not have the advertising resources and high profile clientele of larger firms.

2. The second question to ask a lawyer is: What is your experience in my type of legal issue?

You want to know what experience the lawyer has that is related to your claim. Have they had any similar cases to your case? If so, what was the result? This is important and can affect the price of a lawyer. If a lawyer has several years of experience, they may be more expensive than someone with less years of experience. If this is true, ask yourself whether the cost is worth the experience. You can find experienced lawyers at cheap rates, but you have to shop around.

3. The third question you must ask yourself: Do you like the lawyer?

There are a lot of lawyers out there with bad raps. You do not want a lawyer that quarrels with clients and is hard to get a hold of. You want a lawyer that understands you are entrusting them with a major legal and oftentimes personal issue. You want a lawyer who is a good listener, trustworthy, and reliable. It is very important that you find someone with these qualities.

When you talk with a lawyer ask yourself if you feel comfortable. Also, think about whether the lawyer is someone you can trust. The answer to both these questions must be yes.

Legal matching services will put you in touch with lawyers. The next step is to use resources on the web that allow you to review the lawyer’s reputation and dealings with clients. BBB and Yelp are some great examples of these types of resources. Many lawyers are listed on these websites with detailed reviews.

A chart below provides some questions you can ask lawyers when you are shopping around. The questions relate to cost and experience. Whether you like the lawyer is simply a gut feeling, no chart required.

Cost Questions

Do you charge on an hourly basis, on a contingency fee basis, or with flat fees?

How much do you think this case will cost me, in total?

How do you bill your clients?

Will I be responsible for copying costs, mailing costs, expert witnesses costs, and other costs outside your usual fee?

Do you offer payment plans?

Do you accept credit cards?

Experience and General Questions

What areas of law do you practice?

Do you specialize in a specific area of law?

How much experience do you have in cases like mine?

# of cases?

# of years of experience?

How long do you think it will take to resolve my legal issue?

How will I be informed about the status of my case?

Are you available after hours?

Will other lawyers be working on my case?

Based on what you know about my case, what are the strengths and weaknesses?

For more information, please see http://www.JDFinder.com and the http://www.JDFinder.com Blog

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Filed Under: About Attorneys, Criminal Court

So Many Phoenix Lawyers – So Why is it So Hard to Find One When You Need One?

December 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

By Kevin R. Harper -

As a long-time Phoenix, Arizona based lawyer I am sometimes amazed at how small the legal community seems, considering how large the community in general is. I recently discovered that that is only true in the insulated world of my own practice, which does not encompass the myriad of different legal problems people and businesses face on a daily basis. Fortunately, there appear to be plenty of Phoenix lawyers to fit the bill for whatever need you might have.

Despite what I admit were some pretty feeble research attempts, I wasn’t able to find any statistics for the number of lawyers practicing in the city of Phoenix itself, but a search function available on the the Arizona State Bar’s website reveals that there are over 12,000 lawyers in Maricopa County, Arizona, which is basically the Phoenix metropolitan area. Frankly, that seems like a lot of lawyers.

Maybe too many.

Twelve thousand lawyers is enough people (if you can call lawyers people) to constitute a nice small town, or a significant percentage of the population of many state capitals.

So why does it seem that I keep bumping up against the same few lawyers and why, when looking for a referral for a practice area I don’t work in, does it sometimes seem so hard to find the right lawyer?

I think part of the answer lies in the increasing number of specialty practices born partly by the increasing complexity of many legal practices. If you are only handling aviation accident cases, you’ll probably interact primarily with the small number of other lawyers handling similar types of cases. And there are many such specialty practices out there if you are in need of a specialized practitioner.

Of course, many of the Phoenix’s 12,000+ lawyers work in capacities that are virtually invisible to most of us in our daily lives, though they are vital to the effective functioning of society in general. Many of them, maybe half or more, work for the State, Federal Government, a City, or the County in a civil or criminal practice. Unfortunately, due to a variety of social truths that are beyond the scope of this article, it takes a lot of lawyers to keep the government running.

A lot of the remaining lawyers are directly employed by large or mid-sized businesses or work for larger law firms that serve the significant legal needs of larger companies. Again, many of these lawyers are virtually invisible to to most of us (even other lawyers) are would never be a realistic consideration if an average person or company needed to hire a Phoenix lawyer.

So at the end of the day I believe there is a surprisingly limited supply of Phoenix lawyers for available to help most individuals and businesses when they find themselves in need. These lawyers work from small to mid-size law firms or often practice alone, typically limiting their areas of practice to a limited scope of issues where they have some familiarity. People looking for a Phoenix lawyer should spend some time finding a lawyer or law firm who fits their needs and their personality.

The best way to find a Phoenix lawyer today, in my opinion, is to do some research on the internet, where many lawyers offer profiles of themselves and their practices. Its also always a good idea to ask for referrals from trusted sources. If you have a lawyer you trust who does not handle the type of case you are looking for, they can be an excellent resource for a referral as well.

Kevin R. Harper is an Arizona litigation attorney, representing individuals and small businesses throughout the state of Arizona from his Central Phoenix office located at 1 N. Central Ave., Suite 1130, in downtown Phoenix. Harper Law PLC represents individuals and businesses all over the state of Arizona.

For more information about Harper Law’s Arizona legal practice, feel free to contact Harper Law PLC at 602-256-6400, or visit the firm online at http://www.HarperLawArizona.com.

Copyright 2010 Harper Law PLC, all rights reserved.

The above article is designed for informational purposes only and, because every situation is different, is not intended as definitive legal advice. You should not act upon this information without seeking independent legal advice about your individual situation.

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Top Criminal Defense Attorneys

October 24, 2011 By 1 Comment

By Robert Dale -

Criminal defense attorneys are specialists in managing criminal cases of various scopes. These are lawyers whose vocation is established on supplying vital services to the individuals who are accused as criminal by the court of law. The fundamental intention of acquiring the service of a criminal defense attorney is that, this lawyer will dispute the positions with respect to numerous laws and sections produced to serve the people in opposition to the criminal cases. Criminal lawyers are classified under diverse classifications and sections.

Individuals, when they are arrested for some criminal act such as rape, murder, sex crimes, theft, kidnapping, domestic violence, hit and run and numerous other criminal cases, they will be progressed under the court of law. With such case, the criminal defense attorney will argue for the criminal and supply them assistance. Criminal attorneys supply more vital services to the citizens around the globe. These lawyers are thought to be more essential and important and also draw more demand among the populace.

These days, top criminal defense attorneys are necessary in extra numbers, since crimes have increased in great amount. The cost concern paid for every attorney will differ as per the fame, popularity and successfulness created for the individual. These lawyers offer their help to the public for a affordable price to allow them to not be affronted by the court exclusive of any illegal behavior. There are cases were individuals might be arrested for non-performing of illegal act.

In these cases, the criminal defense attorney will supply assistance to the people by attending the case for them in court and make the case and facilitate the people to emerge from the case. These days, defense attorneys are necessary for each and every crime done by people. A criminal lawyer is different than other professionals. These lawyers specialize in inspecting , analyzing, and examining the criminal cases they undertake. These lawyers can argue for either the defendant or for the plaintiff.

As indicated by the lawyer notice and demand of the people, a criminal lawyer goes before his functionality in the court. The attributes of each criminal lawyer vary from person to person according to their state and county. Criminal lawyers have a big responsibility. The participation of criminal defense lawyer might offer negative or positive result for the case. These lawyers afford their assistance as individuals, or in a team or group. The argument of each criminal lawyer could vary according to their laws and statutes of the state court.

For more information about top criminal defense attorneys, try visiting http://criminaldefenselawyersite.com – a criminal defense website where you can also find information about criminal defense dui, the best criminal defense attorneys, criminal law, and more.

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Filed Under: About Attorneys, Criminal Court Tagged With: , ,

Criminal Defense Lawyer – Role and Responsibilities!

September 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

By Samm Decosta -

Criminal defense lawyers play an increasingly important role of defending individuals charged with innumerable criminal offenses like murder, theft, robbery, assault, impaired driving and many others. Individuals charged with any of these criminal offenses require a legalized representation in the court of law. For this purpose, he or she needs to hire a criminal attorney who deals with the substantive matters of the crimes with which his or her clients are accused.

Important role and responsibilities of criminal attorney have been discussed below:

� Gathering information about the case is one of the major tasks performed by criminal defence lawyer. He gathers information from all witnesses present at the time when criminal act was carried out. He understands the case properly and puts forward its negative and positive aspects in front of clients. In some of the cases, he also sits with the prosecutor for reducing the charges faced by their clients to some extent.

  •  A criminal defense attorney looks after all aspects of a case. In some cases, he also hires investigators for collecting evidences and proving his clients innocent.
  •  Criminal lawyers play an important role of protecting an individual’s rights.
  •  Defence attorney makes most of the court appearances for his clients which mean they need not to leave their important task for making an appearance in the court. Not only this, he keeps his clients up to date regarding what has happened in all those court appearances and that too on a regular basis.
  • He makes his clients aware of the possible punishments for their crimes. Moreover, He also explains his methods and policies to help clients get a fair conviction.
  •  Criminal defense attorney deals with criminal charges like impaired driving, marijuana grow operations, driving while prohibited, dangerous driving, administrative driving prohibitions and all other driving offenses, theft, fraud, shoplifting, communicating for the purpose of prostitution, assault such as spousal or domestic assault etc.

Thus, it becomes clear that the criminal lawyer plays an important role of defending his clients charged with any of the criminal offenses. There are many lawyers who have been assisting clients in this regard. One can refer internet websites for finding out a reliable criminal attorney for a legalized defense in the court of law. Some of the criminal lawyers maintain their own dedicated websites to help clients in this regard. One can go through all these sites to form a sound decision regarding the selection of criminal lawyer.

He is a Vancouver-based Criminal Lawyer who offers legal assistance to individuals charged with criminal offences like impaired driving, theft, assault and many others in Vancouver and adjoining areas in BC.

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Filed Under: About Attorneys, Criminal Court

Arizona Lawyers

August 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

By Jason Gluckman -

The legal system affects every aspect of society in one way or the other, and we are directly influenced by it. Whether you are buying a house or just walking down the street, there are laws to be followed. When someone comes forth and accuses another person of breaking the law, litigation can take place. A person can be sued or tried in court. This is where Arizona lawyers step in.

Lawyers are the backbone of the legal system that connects the legal system with society. Lawyers act both as advocates and advisors for society. As advocates, they represent a party in court and offer support through witnesses and evidence. As advisors, they coach their client about their legal rights and obligations and suggest a course of action for a client’s personal and business matters.

Lawyers may specialize in different fields and according to their specialization and expertise, may represent various groups and individuals. For example, there are DUI lawyers, whose expertise is handling the cases of individuals facing drunk driving charges. Similarly, divorce lawyers handle divorce cases and criminal lawyers either act for the defense or as a prosecutor for the state.

Finding a right lawyer is very important if you need right advice or representation in the court. To find a lawyer in Arizona, the best way is to search the Internet. There are a variety of informative sites available about Arizona law firms and lawyers. You can also check the yellow pages, the Arizona State Bar Association or family and friends.

Arizona Lawyers provides detailed information on Arizona Lawyers, Arizona DUI Lawyers, Arizona Criminal Defense Lawyers, Arizona Divorce Lawyers and more. Arizona Lawyers is affiliated with Colorado Employment Lawyers.

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Aggravated Assault – The Criminal Court and the Civil Suits

June 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

By Frank Schumacher -

When charged of aggravated assault, an individual should take it seriously especially when it is a false accusation. A very serious punishment awaits you in Arizona if you are found guilty. The aggravated assault charge can not only be filed in the criminal court, it can lead to a civil suit as well. To avoid potential civil trial, you need a positive result from your criminal charge. To let yourself off the hook, you need to hire a good defense attorney that knows the ins and outs of an aggravated assault case.

In Arizona, there are three major scenarios where the crime of aggravated assault is most often seen. The first one is assault within the family. It may be between the husband and wife, parent and child, two siblings or some other family relations such as aunts and uncles. The second one is an assault by a person known to the victim. It might be a neighbor, friend, colleague, boss, classmate or teacher. The third one is assault by a stranger. Most common scenes for aggravated assaults happen at home while the rest typically occurs in roads and parking lots.

The definition of aggravated assault in Arizona is the unlawful attack by a person upon another person with the intent of inflicting serious bodily injury. There are broad cases concerning the crime of aggravated assault and the reason may not be what people commonly expect it to be. If you think that guns, sharp knives and baseball bats are the only weapons considered as deadly, you better think again. Even hands, feet, car or a toaster when used against another person can also result to a charge of aggravated assault.

Here are the five most recognized ranges of aggravated assault under the Arizona Revised Statutes 13-1204 (A).

1. When a person causes another person of serious physical injury.

2. When a person uses deadly weapon or weapons or other dangerous instrument.

3. When a person commits the assault after entering other person’s private home with the intention to inflicting serious physical injury.

4. When a person eighteen years of age or older commits the assault to another person who is fifteen years old or younger.

5. When a person commits an assault to another person whose job belongs to one of the following: teachers, prosecutors, health care providers, policemen, prison guards and the like.

For those wrongly accused of aggravated assault, a skilled and aggressive lawyer will be the best defense in such situation. The lawyer will have to effectively separate the emotional concerns from the factual and legal issues in order to win the case in favor of the accused. Your lawyer can plead self defense, defense of a third person or even provocation in your case so you can be acquitted in the end. It is important to get acquitted in the criminal court for a larger chance to escape the civil lawsuit.

When you are faced with a Phoenix criminal lawsuit or an Arizona criminal lawsuit such as this, finding an effective defense lawyer should be your first priority. Ask around from your friends and family if they know one or you can also do your own research over the internet.

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Filed Under: About Attorneys, Criminal Court Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Truth About Family Court and Attorneys

June 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

By Michael Weening -

A statement made by Ben Franklin two hundred and fifty years ago is not nearly as true as it once was!

“He (or She) who represents themselves in court has a fool for a client.” – Benjamin Franklin

Today this statement is entirely untrue as it relates to the family law system and attorneys practicing Family Law. In fact, the real truth is found in another famous quotation:

“A fool and his money are soon parted” – Unknown

When I became involved in the Father’s Rights movement in 1990 there was one recurring issue that kept surfacing in almost every conversation I had with hundreds of men. The issue: The value and necessity of family law attorneys! To understand the dubious nature of a family law attorney you must first understand how family law proceedings are very different than other court proceedings.

Family Court conducts itself differently than other forms of civil and criminal law. In family court, everything is based on the subjective decision of a judge or mediator. Such decisions are loosely based on certain guidelines and laws however there is rarely a firm rule of law requiring the judge to make a certain decision. Furthermore, such decisions or rulings rarely resolve the problem since there is often no apparent legal issue being argued. Wherefore MOST decisions involving custody, visitation and a myriad of related issues are very SUBJECTIVELY determined.

Most Judges and many legal experts will tell you that they don’t have the answers to solving a domestic law problem. They will be quick to point out that they are not experts when it comes to children, marriage and family. They are reliant upon other experts, such as child psychologist, medical doctors, marriage and family counselors, mediators and other trained individuals. Contrary to popular belief family law judges don’t simply sit at the bench and wait for individuals to plead their case. They would much prefer that litigants resolve the issues themselves through mediation, mandatory settlement conferences, arbitration, attorney meetings, counseling, guardian ad litem, minor counsel, children’s advocate, friend of the court, custody evaluator and other conflict resolution alternatives. ALL of these individuals and services are VERY SUBJECTIVE and their reports can vary from court to court, person to person, judge to judge.

It is well known that family law courts are highly dependent on these services. In fact, in cases involving custody and visitation issues, mediation is a requirement of law before the judge can even hear the case. Further, in most states attorneys are not allowed at these proceedings. It should also be considered that statistically mediation services are VERY successful and result in out of court settlement. Well over 90% of all family law cases never make it to trial. They are routinely settled at a simple hearing, mediation, arbitration, or by agreement between the parties. And that’s exactly what the Judges want!

I have been involved in the Father’s Rights movement for nearly 18 years now. I started Father’s Rights, Inc. in January of 1992 and began offering self-help legal assistance to men who simply did not have the money to hire an attorney. Many of these men had hired family law attorneys in the beginning but either ran out of money or became frustrated with the results and decided to take control and learn how the system works.

Let me be very clear! A family law attorney can never be your “knight in shining armor” that defends your personal honor before the court. They do little more than file paperwork and negotiate agreements. However, if the negotiations occur at the courthouse they will charge you court time of $300.00 to $400.00 per hour. Therefore, any party to a family law action should never solely rely upon an attorney to resolve disputed issues. You can do that yourself! Unless you are Bill Gates and have lots and lots of money to throw away, learn how the family law system works and check out your other legal options.

As previously discussed, family law attorneys are virtually useless in most family court cases. In fact they can (and often do) more to hurt your case than help it. Unless you have significant legal issues such as jurisdiction problems, complicated community property issues or some other difficult legal issue, avoid attorneys like the plague. Do not presume that your case will be anymore difficult than other cases. Further, don’t presume that you will need an attorney because of angry threats made by the opposing party or because you have been served with family law legal papers. Again, check out other legal options. Family law issues are easier to resolve than you might believe. In fact, many states have now become VERY user/self-help friendly making is easier to file court actions and represent yourself. Remember, attorneys are businessmen FIRST, Attorney’s SECOND!

The truth is unless you take control of your own case and learn how the system works no attorney or other legal profession can ever help you! A family law case stays open forever therefore you must commit to learning the steps you can take to win or, at least, improve your case. Again take the time to learn the rules of the game before you play. You can be sure your Ex has!

Finally, Family Law problems affect not only you but your new wife, parents, grandparents, friends and most significantly your children! Don’t wait any longer! Don’t wait until it’s too late! Make a commitment now to change your life and the lives of your concerned family members.

Your Advocate,

Mike L. Weening, Esq.

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