Family Law

[rezipsa]

I am taking a Family Law class this summer and I hate to say it...I like it.  I can see myself practicing FL.

Am I crazy?

Has law school made be go nuts?

[Yemaya]

I'm interested to see what others say - I'm thinking of practicing FL myself....

[Groovyju]

just curious--why do u hate to say u like it?

[aryeal]

I've worked in family law for many years as a paralegal and I plan to go into the practice. It takes A LOT of patience because the clients are naturally not at their best emotionally.  On the upside you get a lot of time on your feet in the courtroom.  Family law is motion heavy with a lot of time honing your argument skills.  And the issues that spring from family law cases are fascinating.  One day you'll be learning about psychological testing on children and the next you'll be learning how to split up a dozen business entities.

[Nellabella]

Where do you work if you do family law? Is it possible to work in a firm? And is the salary really as low as they say?

[rezipsa]

just curious--why do u hate to say u like it?

When I fist started law school, I thought there is no way I am going to practice FL.  However, that all changed after I completed a class in community property.  The class was taught by a presiding FL judge and he was awesome.  Now I am taking a FL class and the issues such as support, custody, visitation, move-aways, creating agreements and declarations are interesting.

I agree with the "aryeal's" post that you get alot of courtroom time.  There are several motions/orders that can be filed.  Depending on the case, the attorney may have to appear in court for hearings.  Honing your argument skills is a must.  As an attorney working on a FL case, you must know the facts and the law.  If you rely upon a "script" you will be toast.

I have gone through the process of a divorce and it wasn't fun.  After knowing what I know now, there were some things I would have done differently. 

My parents divorced when I was very young but they remained very good friends.  I would like to work in FL in the hopes that parents can reach an amicable agreement.

[aryeal]

Where do you work if you do family law? Is it possible to work in a firm? And is the salary really as low as they say?

I'm sorry, I haven't been here in a while and missed your question.

I work in a firm for a partner who created the family law practice herself in the firm.  Unfortunately, I don't know much about salaries.  I can say that I've noticed a lot of small firms that seem to do very well.  There are also some BigLaw firms that have family law practice groups.

For a sole practicioner it can be tough because collections can be a problem.  Splitting up the finances from one household to two creates a strain and the attorneys are always the last to be paid.  Plus, angry clients can be difficulty with collections because very often what the client wants they can't get (as in blood drawn or the person completely out of their life when they share children).

My advice would be to check out some of the BigLaw firms in the locations you want to practice in to see if they have partners who practice FL or practice groups for FL. And don't discount to boutique firms - sometimes the salaries and chances for advancement at those smaller firms are better than BigLaw.