Ask a Successful Divorce Lawyer

You’ve got questions. Maybe they’re questions about how to handle a case. Maybe you’ve got questions about marketing or management. Maybe you’re wondering whether to take a particular case. The questions never stop. Every answer leads to more questions. Every case is the source of many questions. That’s the nature of the game.

Sometimes you’re going to do the research and find the answers. That’s great. But, sometimes you’re going to run into a brick wall. You’re going to need an answer so that you can move forward and you’re not always going to find it in a book. You need to ask someone who knows.

Over the years I’ve observed many lawyers that reach the point of needing to find someone to ask and I’ve watched as they selected and approached someone for help. More often that not, they call someone of equal or lesser experience. I suppose they don’t want to let more experienced attorneys know that they don’t know something. I guess they don’t want to be embarrassed.

That’s a shame. Most experienced attorneys would be happy to help. We love to be asked. We love to answer questions. Remember when you were a 2L? Remember when the 1Ls asked for your advice? You went on and on with answers. You loved it. It felt good to be asked.

We’re all still 2Ls at heart. We still love to be asked. We won’t think you’re stupid. We’ll be too busy feeling good about ourselves to think about you and what you don’t know. Seriously. The other thing is that you’re going to, in many instances, get a better answer from someone who has more experience than you. Seems logical, right?

So should you call David Boise with your litigation question? Maybe so. I’m sure he’s busy, but I wonder if he wouldn’t take a minute out of his day to help you out. If you’re not quite ready for Mr. Boise then go ahead and call some experienced family law attorneys in your area. Get to know them. I’m confident that many of them are going to become valuable resources to you as you learn and grow.

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  • Dana K. West

    I *always* go to someone (or multiple people) with more experience than I have. In fact, I have a mental list of attorneys I go to for guidance on a particular issue. On one hand, it may be to find an answer I have been unable to discover on my own, or perhaps to point me in the right direction in the first place. I *have* noticed, however, that there is sometimes a difference between how more seasoned lawyers approach some new cases versus newer attorneys. Several of the more established attorneys I have spoken to (not necessarily in the area of family law) have reached the point in their careers where they may have become jaded. Given a similar set of facts, they stick with the same tried and true argument, and if it didn’t work in the past, they declare it won’t work now either. They don’t delve further into the facts to see if they can ascertain an alternative. Others who have been in practice for a lesser period often are more willing to think outside the box, seek alternative arguments, pursue multiple avenues for the best or even *any* argument that could potentially win a case. I come away from the more senior attorney with a respect for their experience (their input often provides me with the cautionary perspective), but find motivation from those newer (although not *new*) attorneys who provide inspiration and positive alternatives.

    • Lee Rosen

      Great feedback Dana. Interesting perspective. And, by the way, that will never work! :)

      Lee

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