If there is one thing you will rarely get in divorce litigation it is revenge. In Georgia we have an equity system when dealing with divorces. This essentially means the judge will do what he or she thinks is most equitable or fair. Of course there are laws and there are precedents, but what really exists are over burdened court rooms and judges who have heard it all hundreds of times. You see, the court is not going to spend days listening to how horrible your soon to be ex is for the mere sake of telling the court how horrible she or he is; they want to focus on the relevant issues on hand, this usually involves the mundane presentation of pay stubs, bank accounts and financial affidavits. The problem is that many out there approach their divorce filled with anger, resentment and pain, which is understandable and normal; however, the larger problem is that many attorneys approach their clients divorce with the same anger, resentment and pain. This is a very emotional practice and because of this you need guidance and level headed advice you do not need a friend who will tell you what you want to hear while cashing your checks. Too often I deal with attorneys who are utterly emotionally involved in the matter at hand and too often I am forced to navigate and litigate not the matters at hand but the emotions of another attorney. In the end the parties are not having their needs met, but they are paying thousands of dollars to attorneys who are having juvenile personality conflicts. Some clients love this as they mistakenly feel their attorney is a real pit bull advocating for their side, what they don’t realize is that the attorneys know from the get go where the case is probably going and what issues are of relevance, the rest is just very expensive theater.
So, when you look for an attorney to guide you through the painful process of divorce beware of the cheerleader, beware of the lets get the SOB adviser, beware of the attorney who makes it a personal matter with other attorneys; you see, it is very easy to take thousands of dollars from an individual who is hurt and looking for an outlet. Instead look for the attorney who offers real advice and guidance, look for the attorney who will tell you what you don’t want to hear, this is the attorney willing to forgo thousands of easily gained dollars to get you to the point you need to be and the one the attorney already knows the court is going to take you. What you rarely get in an equity courtroom is revenge or any real emotional satisfaction, what you can get with proper advice and guidance is everything you are legally entitled to and the ability to move on with your life with some financial and emotional stability, without worrying about paying thousands of dollars in legal bills.