Are female divorce lawyers better or at a disadvantage in the practice of family law?
The late singer, performer, and soul icon, James Brown, coined the phrase, “This is a man’s world.” In many aspects women continue pressing to overcome professional and social limitations established by centuries of a male dominated legal profession. Many female attorneys have found success and longevity in the area of family law. People tend to forget that divorce and family law issues, unlike other legal matters, usually involve a male-female dispute.
Some time ago in a conversation about hiring a divorce lawyer, a female acquaintance of mine, who experienced a recent divorce, mentioned that she preferred male attorneys. She stated that she chose her attorney because she felt, “he had a sense of arrogance and a no nonsense look.” She continued to explain that, in her opinion, most female divorce attorneys do not possess an aggressive instinct. In my mind, I started questioning how many people had a similar thought process and image of female divorce attorneys.
Here are two reasons why I believe women practicing family law may be at an advantage.
1) Nature – On average, women spend more time discussing and thinking about matters of family and relationships than men do. In other words, we know family and relationships. It’s in our DNA. Women, by nature, tend to be more interested in relationships and their outcomes than men are. This translates into success when communicating and dealing with our family law and divorce clients.
2) Aggressiveness – Female divorce attorneys tend to have more of a “take no prisoners” approach to family law. Some may think it’s because we have a chip on our shoulder, or we’re trying to prove ourselves in a male dominated profession. Those assumptions are simply false. Truthfully, women possess a strong desire to be “right”. Some of my more difficult challenges have come from opposing female counsel. My husband, a school administrator, always prefers to intervene in a fight between two males as opposed to two females. His reasoning being, “Female fights can be vicious.”
I am sure that the misguided beliefs held by my acquaintance are not uncommon. In the chorus of James Brown’s song, “It’s a Man’s World”, the singer draws listeners to the conclusion that this man’s world “wouldn’t be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl.” What would the practice of family law be without female attorneys?
By: Alesia Vick
Divorce is an extremely traumatic process involving a lot of mental strain and extended financial burden. It is a major decision that individuals should take in their life after weighing all the pros and cons. It also involves other critical issues pertaining to the splitting of the marital relationship such as child custody, child visitation rights, child support payments and the distribution of property between the couple.
Law is an academic and theoretical discipline and the success of a lawyer depends on the practical application of legal theory and knowledge to solve real problems. Good lawyers are those who can do this effectively and protect the interests of their client. The best divorce lawyers are invariably those who have earned a reputation by consistently securing their client’s legal rights in various divorce cases.
In the United States, there are many reputed divorce lawyers in various towns and cities who are specialists in handling divorce cases in the jurisdiction of their respective states. The best way to decide which divorce lawyer to use is by finding out from former clients. Some divorce lawyers have more success at satisfying their clients than others. The best lawyers strive to help their clients through difficult emotional and legal challenges that often accompany family law issues.
For best long-term results, the best attorneys advise patience, negotiation, and working within the system. A few well-known law firms that have earned a reputation in handling divorce cases are mentioned below. Rager and Noiroux, LLP, located in Irvine, California, are a firm of lawyers who are known to provide assertive, experienced legal representation to clients throughout Orange County and all of Southern California in a range of practice areas. They have special expertise in family law. The Law Offices of Patricia A. Hendrickson, located in Huntington Beach, California, focuses exclusively on Family Law in Orange County. The law firm of Magnuson Lowell, P.S. has been serving its clients throughout Washington, including Seattle, Puget Sound, Bellevue, and Redmond. The above names are a few, of the many renowned legal practitioners in the United States.
By: Kent Pinkerton
If you are in the process of divorcing your wife, then you are going to need a good divorce lawyer. So, how do you find the best divorce attorney for you? You can start by considering the following..
How do I get started? There are several options available. You can search online or flip through the yellow pages. But, a much better place to start is by asking for referrals from friends and family who’ve been through a divorce. Please keep in mind that this is a starting point. A good divorce experience with a lawyer for one person may be a disaster for another. So, with this start, you’ll need to do some due diligence of your own before deciding upon the right one for you.
