Going to the Memphis/Shelby County Courthouse to Finalize Your Divorce?

A lot of our clients are fortunate enough to have never had a need to travel to downtown Memphis to the courthouse.  So when it comes time to finalize their Shelby County divorce and they need to appear at their hearing, they have no idea where to go!  Here’s a brief look at our Shelby County Courthouse:

Memphis - Shelby County Courthouse

The Courthouse was built in 1910, and is currently listed in the National Historic Register.  It’s located at 140 Adams Avenue in the heart of downtown Memphis and takes up a city block.  There are several parking lots and garages nearby, or you can park on the streets nearby.  When you arrive at the Courthouse for a divorce hearing, you will be going to one of two places – either a Circuit Court courtroom or a Chancery Court courtroom.  Both courts take divorce cases, and when a divorce is filed it is randomly assigned to one of those two courts.  Your attorney, in scheduling your hearing with you, should inform you which place you need to be.

Once inside, you must go through a metal detector and have any bags with you examined through an x-ray machine, much as you would at the airport.  After you pass through security you may proceed to your courtroom.  There are signs everywhere giving you listings of room numbers, and you should easily be able to navigate to where you need to go.

As you walk the Courthouse, you might recognize some of the hallways and courtrooms – our Shelby County Courthouse has been featured in such movies as Silence of the Lambs, The Firm, The Client, and The People vs. Larry Flynt!  And look at each room doorknob – many have the seal of Shelby County imprinted on to them.

Once you reach your courtroom you will meet your divorce lawyer outside the door and follow their guidance for where to go once inside the courtroom and once called by the judge.  When your hearing is concluded your divorce is declared final and you are free to leave.  Your attorney will send you your final divorce decree.  Hopefully you’ve just concluded your one and only visit to the Shelby County Courthouse!

Why You Shouldn’t Always Hire a Cheap Memphis Divorce Lawyer

When searching for a Memphis divorce attorney you should resist the temptation to hire a cheap divorce lawyer based simply on the fact that he or she charges less than their competitors. Many of these cheap lawyers charge extremely low fees because they take on very large caseloads. In many cases you will never see the attorney until you show up in court. Instead a paralegal, not an attorney, will review your case and complete all the filings.

Because of this their clients do not get the time or attention they deserve because the firm is overwhelmed and understaffed. When this happens things can easily fall through the cracks, including your divorce. At that point the decision to hire a cheap Memphis divorce lawyer may not seem so smart.

Most of our clients come to us after having already called several different Memphis divorce attorneys. They choose us because we offer unparalleled service and attention to detail at a great value. We don’t take every case, only those that fit our specific guidelines. Because of this we can focus on our clients and give them the best representation possible.

Ten Questions to Ask Your Memphis Divorce Lawyer?

Here are Ten Questions to Ask When Interviewing a Potential Memphis Divorce Attorney:

1. How much is your fee for an initial consultation?
2. Do you have e&o insurance?
3. How will you keep me informed about what’s going on in my case?
4. What documents will you need?
5. Will there be a team of lawyers who will help me in my divorce?
6. Does the firm charge by the hour or does it offer flat rate  fees for a divorce?
7. How much are the firm’s average hourly rates?
8. What is the standard fee for filing an uncontested divorce?
9. Do you offer a flat fee for contested divorces?
10. Do you limit your practice to divorce and family law?

5 Ways Children of Divorce Suffer

While not specific to either Memphis family law or Mississippi family law, I recently came across a post on the Oklahoma Family Law Blog, which is written by family lawyer Dan Nunely, that brought up several points that all parents in Memphis and the surrounding areas should consider if they are going through a divorce. 

The blog referenced an article written by Trish Berg that discussed the losses that children suffer when divorce occurs.  The following is her list of the five main losses children experience during divorce:

1. Loss of Dad – When parents divorce, typically the dad leaves the home, and may not be present much in the lives of the children. This causes an emotional vacuum for the children, and they may feel rejected, alone, and unloved, no matter how much the single parent loves them.

2. Loss of Money – When dad leaves, so does a lot of the money. Economic resource are, at best, cut in half, at worst, single parent families live in poverty.

3. Loss of Security – Kids of divorce often move to a new, smaller home, in a new town, with a new school. They now have to visit their dad. If mom and dad then begin dating, an entirely new stress is added to their lives. Their sense of stability and security is shaken as their world has forever changed.

4. Loss of Harmony – Many kids whose parents divorce feel caught in the middle. The fighting may have stopped, but now Mom may talk negatively about dad, and dad may gripe about mom, all in front of the kids. Parents may play games with visitation, and hold the children as emotional ransom. This loss of harmony causes tremendous chaos and stress for them.

5. Loss of Simplicity – Life for children of divorce can get very complicated. They have to schedule everything they do, and remember what weekends they are visiting dad so they don’t play in a soccer league with games then. They have to split heir holiday time – Christmas Eve with dad, Christmas morning with mom. And when life events hit, they have to worry about mom and dad being in the same place. Who will come to my eighth grade graduation? Will they see each other? Will they fight? Family life is now complex and chaotic, and that will last for the rest of their lives.

What can you do to help your children? Explain to them the process that you are going through. Make sure that they understand that nothing they haven’t done anything to cause the divorce. Never argue in front of them or use them as pawns between your spouse. And try to keep things as constant and familiar as you can. The more things remain the same the more secure your children will feel.