I focus on the family in my legal practice because my family is the focus of my life. I understand the depth of my clients’ emotions and commitments to their children, grandchildren, parents and to providing for their family. In family law, we deal with what matters most to people: their children, their homes, and their financial future and security. After all, what else matters? We all want peace and tranquility at home, reasonable financial security for ourselves and our children, and some sense that we can all go on after the trauma (and too often drama) of a divorce with as little emotional and financial damage as possible. My job as one of the players (whether as a lawyer or mediator) is to try to calm the situation and offer the parties some sense that all WILL be well again in their world. We just have to assess the situation, make a plan and move forward.
Now, in these current uncertain economic times, divorce is most certainly on the rise but the financial landscape of the marital estate is quite different and ever changing. People are losing their homes; their retirement plans are disappearing before their eyes; their debt is spiraling out of control … and, now on top of all that, they are about to be or actually are in the midst of a divorce.
BANKRUPTCY and DIVORCE have always been well acquainted roommates but now more than ever people are finding that filing a bankruptcy coordinated with the filing of their family law case is not only practical, it’s an absolute necessity. Often, the filing of a bankruptcy can make your divorce much simpler and cheaper as the bankruptcy court takes jurisdiction (power) over all issues pertaining to assets and debts and the family court then is left to deal only with child issues and support issues and, of course, the actual dissolution of the marriage. The filing of the bankruptcy and ultimate discharge of your debts gives you immeasurable relief and the ability to start fresh without the burden of all that old debt so that you now actually CAN afford to support yourself and your children and/or abide by any family court orders for support that might be put upon you that before you could not have managed due to all that debt.
