Family Law- “Getting to the Heart of the Matter”

Prior to and during law school I was trying to figure out what area of law I wanted to practice. As time progressed and experience was gained, I narrowed down the large umbrella that encompasses the area of “law” that I wanted to practice. My experience as a middle school and high school classroom teacher prior to entering the practice of law helped mold my decision regarding where to aim my focus. Although I am knowledgeable and capable of practicing in several areas of law, I am focused on four specific categories: Family Law, Criminal Law, Social Security Law and Animal Law. I will write more about each of these areas of law in other posts, but today I am going to focus on Family Law.

Family Law is enormous and complex. The reason I chose Family law is because of my past and my experience as a teacher. One of the reasons I went to law school was to advocate/work for children and families. Following is a list of just some of the more common areas of Family Law:

1.     Adoption

2.     Alimony

3.     Annulments

4.     Child Abuse

5.     Child Custody (time sharing)

6.     Child support

7.     Divorce

8.     Domestic Violence

9.     Guardianship

10.  Name Changes

11.  Pre and Postnuptial agreements

12.  Surrogacy

13.  Visitation

The first hand experience I gained from students as a classroom teacher was invaluable, and oftentimes simply disheartening. I want to make sure that when I assist a parent in obtaining a divorce that the child’s perspective is not lost in the process. In addition to my experience as a teacher, I also volunteered my time with a legal aid office. Working in a legal aid office allowed me to understand and see first hand what happens to people who want to get a divorce but cannot afford assistance. This experience was invaluable and will stay with me for a long period of time, because as an attorney I understand I am in a position of power, and as a result I must advocate for clients or potential clients who may not have the funds to pay for a divorce but are in desperate need of assistance.  On the flip side, I also have experience in handling cases for clients who do not have the same financial hardship as a large portion of our population. During law school I was fortunate to work with a seasoned attorney who worked with clients who were affluent and able afford an attorney to assist them in obtaining a divorce. Those clients’ major concern was not paying attorney fees, but how to best sort through their pension funds, the investment properties, the businesses, and other valuable assets.

Family Law is something I enjoy practicing and I believe my above experience will benefit my clients dealing with family related legal and social issues.  I am a firm believer in well rounded representation and I hope that my clients will appreciate my desire to help them with not just their legal needs, but also with their family’s social needs in adjusting to whatever changes are occurring.  Family is the center of most people’s lives and therefore I feel the field of Family Law is one of vital importance and I am honored to be able to practice in a profession that allows me to assist clients and their families.

Do Something You Love- Animal Law

Those four words, “do something you love,” express a goal that many people strive for throughout their lifetime. Over the years I have grown thankful for how my life has played out, and now I wake up every morning filled with joy knowing each and every day I have the ability to practice what I love. During law school I developed a passion for several areas of the law, but one of my strongest passions centers around Animal Law.

I must confess that my love for animals has grown significantly in the past 6 years. It started when my girlfriend at the time (now my wife) and I adopted a dog. We had talked about adopting a dog for sometime prior to making the decision. We were getting ready to graduate with our master degrees and contemplated getting a “dog breath” prior to summer.  We wanted the summer to become acquainted with the dog and to allow the dog to become acquainted with us. In May 2005, we were living in Gainesville, Florida and we went out to Gainesville Pet Rescue to look at the dogs that were available.  Well, we were there for about 10 minutes and we saw a dark brown lab/pit mix named Karma sitting in her “prison box.” We read her card and then asked to take her for a walk. We knew instantly that we had a match.

I can still remember the Gainesville Pet Rescue workers saying that Karma was a little shy and that she may only eat tuna from a spoon when we got her home. After filling out the papers and bringing Karma home it was an instant connection and she had no need for tuna anymore. It seemed as though the three of us had lived together for years and we were all on the same page.

During law school my love for Karma and the law seemed to cross paths and the topic of Animal Law hit me in the face like a hammer hitting a nail. I realized that there were people who felt the same way about their animal and they were also using the legal system to help others with wrongly injured pets. During this time period, I found out about and attended the annual Animal Law Conference at Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. This conference was a great way for people with a similar passion to get together and discuss and work towards improving the protection of animals.

This is why I love what I do, because I can take my love for animals and adapt it to practicing Animal Law. People often ask what is Animal Law?  Here are just some of the sub topics of Animal Law:

Creating a pet trust

Divorces involving a pet

Veterinary Malpractice

Puppy Lemon Laws

Dogs on “Death Row”

For some their pets are a member of their family. True animal lovers would do anything for their four legged loved ones and I am honored to assist in anyway I can to assist people in protecting and helping their animals. Every time I meet someone or talk to a prospective client I know the love that I have for Karma is not an anomaly, because I can sense that I am not the only person who loves his four legged friends.  Practicing Animal Law allows me to achieve the four words above; I truly get to “do something I love.”