M A U R E E N E. V E L L A, P A 7 3 2 - 4 9 4

Client Information

family law * bankruptcy * mediation * personal injury * real estate law

General Information:
· Children
· Domestic Relations Fee Agreement
· Monthly Statements
· Office Hours
· Telephone Conferences
· Will and Estate Planning
The Three Questions Asked by Clients
Counseling

General Information

1. Children. Please arrange for child care when you are to see your attorney. The firm's policy is to not involve children in the case since the children are often under severe stress. Even very young children should not attend conferences with you. The firm does not have baby-sitting facilities for those that cannot be left unattended, so if you must bring your children with you, please bring someone who can attend to them.

2. Domestic Relations Fee Agreement. The firm requires a signed, notarized fee agreement and an initial deposit to provide legal services to you. We explain this to you during the initial interview. We cannot begin the work until you sign the fee agreement and pay your initial deposit.

3. Monthly Statements. You will receive monthly statements which detail the legal services, the charge for those services, and what amount has been drawn from your initial trust deposit. If you have questions about your statement, please call our bookkeeper.

You are responsible for your attorney fees even though you may be seeking reimbursement from your spouse by court order. Any court order ordering your spouse to reimburse you is incidental to your responsibility to the firm.

We accept Visa and Mastercard.

4. Office Hours. The firm's business hours are

Monday & Wednesday - 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Tuesday & Thursday - 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday - 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

5. Telephone Conferences. Your attorney will receive your telephone call during business hours. If your attorney is in conference or court, our staff will help you. If the circumstances warrant, another attorney can assist you immediately.

6. Will and Estate Planning. As you begin the process of divorce, the first order of business is to have your attorney review your Will. If you do not have a Will, we recommend you obtain one immediately. Intestate succession laws may conflict with your present desires concerning your estate. If you desire, the firm will prepare a Will for you and will also provide more complete estate planning services, including probate and trusts.

The Three Questions Asked by Clients

1. Am I going to win?
2. How long will it take?
3. How much will it cost?

Am I going to win?
Win what? It has often been said that no one wins in a divorce case. We will do all we can to see that all issues are raised, that your case is structured to your advantage, and that you "lose" as little as possible. However, if your interest is to punish your spouse or to win by way of an all-out, no-holds-barred victory, then we recommend you retain another law firm, as in most such cases your goal is unattainable.

How long will it take?
It is difficult at the onset of a lawsuit to foresee how long it will take to complete. We are better able to give you a range of time after the case has been partially prepared and we understand what is at issue. The time involved is primarily based on three factors:

The number and complexity of the contested issues;
The intensity of feelings between the parties and whether there is an inclination to settle;
The court's calendar. A hearing is requested according to the amount of time needed. A five-minute hearing can usually be scheduled within ten days. A full divorce trial, taking a a day or more, usually must be scheduled six months to one year in advance.

By far, the factor which makes lawsuits last longer is the intensity of feelings between parties and how much the parties want to fight.

How much will it cost?
It is difficult to make a realistic estimate of the total fee until we know what issues will be contested and the intensity of the parties' feelings. The parties, not the lawyers, determine the amount of attorney fees in their case. If the parties want to settle, make compromises, and end the matter quickly, they can do so. If the parties do not trust each other, want a complete discovery of all assets and liabilities, and argue many issues tot he bitter end, no matter what the issue is, the process becomes very long, drawn out and expensive. Going to trial is almost always more expensive than settling the lawsuit.

When we discuss "expensive," you should be aware that you will pay three ways - with your time, the hole in your stomach, and the hole in your pocketbook.

1. Time. You will have to spend your time to prepare your lawsuit. Your spouse does not prepare your lawsuit; your spouse's attorney does not prepare your lawsuit. Your attorney prepares your lawsuit. We do that with your help. You must make a commitment to put time into your case. It takes hard work. If you are not prepared to spend the time and do the work, then your case will not be as satisfactorily or inexpensively prepared as it would have been had you made the expenditure of time.

2. The Hole in Your Stomach. Many health professionals will tell you that experiencing a divorce is one of the most painful things you can do. Your emotions will likely roller-coaster. It is unusual for both parties to want to end the relationship to the same degree, and therefore, one party is very often emotionally hurt along the way. If that is you, then the divorce can be an extremely painful process, which is one reason we strongly recommend counseling. The more issues raised, the more painful the way of dragging the matter out or punishing his or her spouse. You should be aware of this and we will call this to your attention when we see this happening.

3. The Hole in Your Pocketbook. Because preparing and trying a lawsuit is very expensive, we want you to scrutinize the issues at an early stage and determine what issues can be settled. We do not recommend making unreasonable or unnecessary concessions, but recommend that you look carefully at the issues that separate you and your spouse. You do exercise some control over issues and so if there are concessions that you can make that would bring your case to a speedy conclusion and thus reduce your fees, please consider making them. You should weigh the price you pay with your time, the hole in your stomach, and the hole in your pocketbook to determine whether certain issues are worth litigation.

The attorney sells his/her time. If you can save the attorney time by doing some of the spadework then your money can be more efficiently used.

Counseling
Family law cases are usually emotionally charged. For that reason the firm encourages its clients to seek counseling before or during the legal process. Depending on the client's needs, counseling is recommended for different purposes. One client may benefit from marriage counseling to improve or reconcile a relationship. Another may instead need "divorce counseling" to discover what went wrong, how to cope, and how to pick up the pieces and go on.