So. Cal legal question
 

Hey Guys,
I need to hook a relative up with a divorce atty. I KNOW a few of you SoCal guys have BTDT. Can anyone recommend a pit bull, preferably in O.C.?
Thanks!

Dunno anyone down there, but one important strategy is to get a list of the best attorneys and interview them *all.* That way, they will have a "conflict" (created by the interview) and will not be able to represent your wife.

Thanks for the advice, that is exactly what we are trying to do.
We are helping my mother in law, who is up against a hot shot and needs one of her own. I do not live in the area, so any names that could help my research are much appreciated!
Thanks again.

bump.

Family Law 101
 

Hi there,

Let me step up to the plate on this one…..

First off what you’re going to need to do is decide what it’s going to cost you and determine if you can afford a “Pit-bull” or a “Yorkie”.

For an attorney that bills out $300-350 per hour you can rest assure you’ll need to come up with a $3,500.00 retainer just to get started. If you have a simple case where 1-2 court appearances are necessary and your deposition isn’t a novel then you may be able to stay under $5K total.

On the other hand if you’re looking at fighting for kids, property, the family dog and a few other undisclosed items (whips, handcuffs, or whatever) then you may be looking at a few appearances. Sometimes when the courts needs to determine whether or not living conditions are suitable on both sides then the court will assign someone to evaluate both parties. This is a scenario where you may be looking at something closer to 10K.

My personal advice is to go for everything “full-throttle” now only because it will ultimately be harder to get something later down the line. You’ll need reasoning later down the line to “Show-Cause” for any modifications to the initial agreement.

On a last note make sure you have your attorney outline everything including holidays, vacation time, times and etc.

I know of an attorney that I can recommend out but I’m a little hesitant for reasons I probably shouldn’t discuss. But a piece of advice is to hire a “CERTIFIED FAMILY LAW SPECIALIST”. This person is legally able to sit on the bench as a judge pro-tem (Judge pro-tem = Substitute Judge temporary)

Good Luck to you,

Michael Monarch. He's in the South Coast Metro area. Let me see if I can dig up his info. I am an expert in these matters...

Motion, I was secretly hoping you would check in!
Thanks to all for the advise so far. I have been through this before myself, so the strategy is familiar.
Trying to coach an elderly woman on all of this is a patience trying endeavor to say the least. A CFL is a must, and a forensic accountant would be helpful as well. No kids to fight over, but decades of hidden assets.
I myself am a firm believer in the pre-nup.
Thanks again

This is exactly what was on the Sopranos last night. Did you get an early viewing? And people wonder why attorneys charge so much, it is practices like this that waste the attorney's time, so he has to pass the waste on to the other clients by charging more for his/her time. Can you say "that will be a $5,000 retainer up front sir, before we speak about any details."
;)

Michael Monarch
714-668-0271

He's very sharp, and very aggressive.