I hear lots of family law attorneys whining about family law. The clients are driving them crazy. The other lawyers are a pain. The judges are annoying. The money stinks and on and on. I’ve written on this topic before, but I’m doing it again because it makes me crazy and I hate to see people wasting their precious time. I spent time with one of these people last week and my head is spinning.
By and large the attorneys that complain the most aren’t particularly successful. They aren’t happy and they aren’t satisfied with their careers.
Realistically, they aren’t going to develop a thriving practice, they aren’t going to see real money flowing through the doors and they aren’t going to create happy clients.
Why? Because they don’t love their work. They aren’t energized by the engagement with family law clients. They aren’t thrilled by the challenge of making a novel argument. They aren’t stimulated by figuring out new ways to make their clients happy.
These lawyers don’t feel good about family law and they aren’t fueled by the work. It’s a drain for them, not an energy source.
Answer these questions with a yes or no -
1. Do you read every family law case coming out of the appellate courts in your state (or at least a synopsis)?
2. Have you ever volunteered for a family law related board, group or activity?
3. Have you read a book on divorce taxation (I didn’t say own a book or skimmed a book)?
4. Have you read a book on the division of pension plans?
5. Do you scan the Internal Revenue Service Private Letter Rulings for family law issues?
6. Do you subscribe to a family law related publication or newsletter?
If you’ve got three or fewer “yes” responses then you’re probably in the wrong practice area. It’s probably time to give some serious thought to other areas of the law.
The lawyers that love family law find themselves reading family law articles and recent cases because they want to. They offer to speak at seminars. They write articles. They mentor other lawyers. They call clients before the clients call them. They dig around for interesting approaches to cases. They practice closing arguments in front of the mirror. They read trial strategy books and join the family law section of every bar association. They attend as many educational programs as they can find.
These lawyers love family law. They are totally jazzed by the practice. Sure, they have down days. They have days that go poorly, but that doesn’t slow them down. They’re as excited by family law at the end of a long day as they were at the start.
If you aren’t in love with family law – quit. Do something else. Find something you love. Continuing to do something you don’t like, continuing to complain and be unhappy, won’t lead you anywhere and you’re wasting your time.
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Lee Rosen has practiced family law for more than twenty years. With three offices, 