When I tell people I’m a divorce lawyer, the usual response I get is something like “I could never do what you do”, “how can you do that?”, “people fighting over pots and pans would drive me nuts”. Sometimes that latter response does hit clos

e to

home, but by and large, I love my job. I love what I do. Yes, I’m really saying this: I love being a divorce lawyer!

Here’s why. In my prior legal life, I practiced civil litigation, first plaintiffs-oriented and then defense-oriented. I enjoyed that too. The close to ten year law firm experience was my foundation. It taught me the nuts and bolts of how to practice law. It forced me to learn and work with the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure and the Texas Rules of Evidence. And, I got really good at it. The frequent-flyer miles and elite travel status earned from traveling around the country taking depositions wasn’t bad either, and sometimes it was a lot of fun. Like the time I was upgraded to first class and the law firm partner I did all the traveling for had to sit in coach, or the time I finished heated depositions and went whale-watching with opposing counsel. But, those cases, the catastrophic injury cases, at the end of my civil litigation career, went on for years, and years, and then some.

My divorce cases are done in 8-12 months. While some divorce cases do take longer (contested child custody cases or jury trials, for example), for the most part, I get the satisfaction of starting a case and seeing it through to completion in a short period of time. That’s relatively speaking, of course. I find the satisfaction of helping my client navigate to the other side of the morass very rewarding. Another reason I like the work is because I get to satisfy my need to practice on both sides of the docket. By that I mean, sometimes I represent what in civil litigation would be the equivalent of a Plaintiff, and other times the Defendant. The parties are called Petitioner and Respondent in Texas divorce cases.

Lastly, I like what I do because it permits me to practice before some of the most powerful courts in the nation. These are courts that have the right to take your children away, or significantly restrict visitation. They award custody of children. They can grant or deny a desired adoption. These are courts that impact parties’ livelihoods by awarding or denying child and spousal support. These are courts that divide your property, and in Texas, can determine its characterization to be separate or community.

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When I tell people I’m a divorce lawyer, the usual response I get is something like “I could never do what you do”, “how can you do that?”, “people fighting over pots and pans would drive me nuts”. Sometimes that latter response does hit close to home, but by and large, I love my job. I love what I do. Yes, I’m really saying this: I love being a divorce lawyer!
Here’s why. In my prior legal life, I practiced civil litigation, first plaintiffs-oriented and then defense-oriented. I enjoyed that too. The close to ten year law firm experience was my foundation. It taught me the nuts and bolts of how to practice law. It forced me to learn and work with the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure and the Texas Rules of Evidence. And, I got really good at it. The frequent-flyer miles and elite travel status earned from traveling around the country taking depositions wasn’t bad either, and sometimes it was a lot of fun. Like the time I was upgraded to first class and the law firm partner I did all the traveling for had to sit in coach, or the time I finished heated depositions and went whale-watching with opposing counsel. But, those cases, the catastrophic injury cases, at the end of my civil litigation career, went on for years, and years, and then some.
My divorce cases are done in 8-12 months. While some divorce cases do take longer (contested child custody cases or jury trials, for example), for the most part, I get the satisfaction of starting a case and seeing it through to completion in a short period of time. That’s relatively speaking, of course. I find the satisfaction of helping my client navigate to the other side of the morass very rewarding. Another reason I like the work is because I get to satisfy my need to practice on both sides of the docket. By that I mean, sometimes I represent what in civil litigation would be the equivalent of a Plaintiff, and other times the Defendant. The parties are called Petitioner and Respondent in Texas divorce cases.
Lastly, I like what I do because it permits me to practice before some of the most powerful courts in the nation. These are courts that have the right to take your children away, or significantly restrict visitation. They award custody of children. They can grant or deny a desired adoption. These are courts that impact parties’ livelihoods by awarding or denying child and spousal support. These are courts that divide your property, and in Texas, can determine its characterization to be separate or community.
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