How does one decide who should represent them in a Family Law matter? Over the course of the next few posts, I intend to highlight one key issue in making the decision as to whom you should choose to represent you in your divorce.
Big Firm or Boutique?
Personally, I prefer a boutique firm for Family Law issues. That’s why I started one after working at a larger firm. Big firms have big expenses. Big firms have multiple departments, often including departments that represent institutional or corporate clients. Often, the firm culture that develops in a larger practice is one where your personal case is handled in the manner in which an institutional case is handled, where there are lots of layers between you and the lead attorney, lots of hands on your file, and pressure on the lawyers to reach minimum annual billable hour requirements (by which comment I don’t mean to imply that a case may be overbilled). That means that the lawyer to whom your case is delegated has many other cases delegated to him or her, and must work those cases at a pace not always conducive to reflective analysis about the client’s needs. Divorce is personal, and boutiques tend to offer more personalized service. Clients who hire me generally deal directly with me. And, I don’t carry a real estate department that sits idle during a down economy, nor am I competing with another legal department regarding quarterly departmental collection rates. My focus is on my client, their case, their needs, and a positive outcome.
