Eventually, the “litigation” dust settles for most every acrimonious divorce or paternity fight over custody and the parents remain to co-parent. No longer are there attorneys or judges in the picture. Nevertheless, there is often lingering hostility that may become exacerbated by everything—including a new romantic interest. This dynamic often makes co-parenting what courts describe as a “battleground”. While there are numerous ways to address parenting-time conflicts that take time and cost money—such as contempt’s or parenting coordinators, this blog covers three common sense, but often overlooked ways, to minimize or eliminate some co-parenting conflicts.
The first and newest tool available ... Read More
Tag: communication
26
Sep2018
27
Nov2017
In the ideal world, you select the right attorney for you civil case at the outset. Sometimes there are developments, such as other companion cases that occur, that makes it too complex or the “wrong fit” for the attorney’s practice and/or client’s objectives. For these and a myriad of other reasons, attorney-client relationships falter or need to end at times like other relationships.
The question is when you should change counsel? There are no hard and fast rules on this topic. But this blog addresses three major considerations you should take in changing counsel.
Disagreement and emotional responses in litigation can be ... Read More
18
Feb2016
The “old” and “traditional” ways of communicating between attorneys and clients had changed, although they still exist: meetings, telephone calls, and mailing letters. The new technology, emails and texts have changed that. Attorneys and clients have a variety of ways to interact and communicate. This varies from practice to practice.
However, this blog focuses on more fundamental issues, which is when communicating with your counsel, what is the best way to do so. Some of this may be ironed out by familiarity with each other as the case progresses.
There are three key ways that anecdotal evidence suggests communication happens, each having ... Read More
10
Nov2015
Most seasoned divorce attorneys observe common and avoidable mistakes parties make during divorce hearings (preliminary hearings or finals). Indiana has a strong and neutral judiciary. However, bad acts and these mistakes may factor into how a judges views a litigant as a parent. So try to avoid them.
The first is something relatively new: wireless devices. Sitting in a courtroom and having your cell phone ring is a violation of most written local court rules. And it sends a signal (or can) to the court that something is more important to you than your hearing. Normally, a divorce has the ability ... Read More
21
Jun2012
If you are involved in a legal dispute and retain an attorney to help manage the matter and work through its resolution, there is often voluminous amounts of information that need to be shared between the attorney and client. Often the underlying legal dispute has been years in the making–but faced with conflict we all want the matter resolved sooner rather than later.
On top of this, the situation or dynamic involving the matter may be changing as the litigation moves forward, and to form an effective plan of action to get the matter resolved, as opposed to an ad hoc approach ... Read More
04
Apr2011
"Why Won’t My Divorce Attorney Call Me Back or Return My E-Mails, and What Should I Do"
A good lawyer is usually busy. My office, at times, seems like a hospital emergency room: Aside from choking and turning blue or having a heart attack — you come first. Agree? Not sure? What if your soon-to-be-ex is beating on your front door demanding the kids, your kids, right then and there, now, for the weekend — your weekend! OMG, the police are there too!
That is it: You come first. Everyone else that wants to talk to me at that moment or get ... Read More