A Guardian ad Litem is an attorney who represents the child, and only the child. She is not beholden to either party and is thus independent of the burden of having a paying client to impress. Mother’s attorney is expected…
I try to build this blog upon common refrains spoken in my office, in the hope that if a disproportionate number of clients have the same questions and concerns, chances are a great number of people out there on the…
After a rather heated and pathetic exchange in open court in a recent divorce action involving such matters as temporary alimony, a rabid skunk, bankruptcy, lingerie and bank fraud the judge became (understandably) disgusted and walked off the bench leaving…
There are two kinds of custody, depending on where you live. Brief tutorial. Where I practice, in the great State of Rhode Island, “custody” means the right to remain informed of the child’s significant life events and be reasonably informed…
An associate of mine was speaking with a father / client of ours one time, and passed on a concern of the Mother’s that he (father) was smoking in the car with the kiddo. Father was confused. He pointed out…
The number one rule for clients / parties to a Family Law case is to not have the judge hate you. This is the single number one thing. This is more important than paying your lawyer or wearing pants to…
The one lament I hear more than any other in Family Court is some version of, "I want a trial!". To which I respond something snarky like, "No, you really don't", or, "Everyone wants a trial until they get a…
A fellow Family Law attorney told the following anecdote, and I think it encapsulates the Family Court experience (n.b. “standing” means the right to bring a case, i.e. either parent of a child has standing to file a custody case…
I dug deep into my box of Family Court secrets and pulled up a good one. You're not going to want to hear it. You're not going to believe it. But here goes: your family court judge is there to…
There are several misconceptions about the Family Court. The one that is most bothersome is the belief that once the case is over the conflict is over. The (former) couple gets all dressed up, all worried, all stressed, and all…