Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

Finding Fault

By Barbara Handschu and Mary Kay Kisthardt
April 01, 2003

One of the most difficult aspects of family law practice is dealing with a client who believes he or she has been wronged by the other spouse — and expects the legal system to respond in a punitive manner.

The pain and the anxiety are apparent when the client answers your initial question, “May I ask what brings you here to see me?” with tears or anger spewing forth. The new client says, “I can't believe that this has happened to me.” He or she wants to spend the entire consultation time telling you how horrible the other spouse is, and the overpowering feelings of betrayal. Is the marital fault of one partner going to make a difference in the divorce proceedings?

Read These Next
Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About It Image

Why is it that those who are best skilled at advocating for others are ill-equipped at advocating for their own skills and what to do about it?

Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough Image

There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.

The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later Image

The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.

A Lawyer's System for Active Reading Image

Active reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.

Protecting Innovation in the Cyber World from Patent Trolls Image

With trillions of dollars to keep watch over, the last thing we need is the distraction of costly litigation brought on by patent assertion entities (PAEs or "patent trolls"), companies that don't make any products but instead seek royalties by asserting their patents against those who do make products.