There is a growing trend of attorneys and law firms “branding” themselves by representing only mothers or fathers in family law cases. The Wall Street Journal published an article last week on this subject, with particular attention to firms that are catering to men. Some of these firms market themselves as “A Partner Men Can Count On” or the “Divorced Guys’ Guys.”
My question is whether this approach truly benefits the client? I believe that by limiting oneself to only representing one gender, attorneys lose the ability to analyze cases from different points of view. In fact, whenever I handle a contested case, I spend a great deal of time looking at my client’s case from the opposing party’s perspective to analyze its strengths and weaknesses. One of the things that enables me to do this effectively is because I represent both men and women.
Randy Kessler, a noted family lawyer in Atlanta, Georgia, believes that firms who only represent one gender can make judges skeptical of their arguments: “It is much better to have a reputation for representing each client based on the facts of their case, regardless of their gender.” I agree with Mr. Kessler’s assessment.
Then why does your website blatantly say “Divorce for Women, It’s What We Do”? I am a man in a troubled marriage, who is looking for legal advice. The presumption is always that the man is the bad guy.
Michael, thanks for visiting my web site. The reason we state “Divorce for Women…” is because we predominantly handle cases for women going through divorce. We have extensive experience representing women confronting divorce and understand the needs and desires of our clients going through this difficult time. However, we will represent men who request us to handle their cases. It’s just that the vast majority of our clients are women. And I would disagree with your presumption that it’s always the man who is perceived as the bad guy. I’ve found our judges to be extremely fair in divorce decisions without having preconceived notions.
Thanks again for commenting and I hope you have a great day.
Jami Ferrell