MY JOURNEY TO BECOME A FATHER’S RIGHTS ATTORNEY
I graduated from law school in 2009. At that time we were in the deepest part of the economic crater now referred to as the “great recession.” I was working at a firm in Oklahoma City doing mostly business and personal injury litigation. They offered a full-time position after I passed the bar exam, but the salary was very meager. It was a toxic work environment, and I really didn’t like working there. I decided go out on my own and learn from the ground up. I teamed up with a firm in Norman, basically on an eat-what-you-kill basis. If I didn’t produce my own work, then there probably wouldn’t be enough firm-work to make ends meet. I used all outlets I could think of, however debasing others might consider them. You can’t afford to be proud as a baby lawyer trying to survive. I even used craigslist (back then it wasn’t as creepy as it is now, or at least that’s what I tell myself).
A lot of the calls I got from my pitiful marketing efforts were family law cases. At first it was very difficult; sometimes it still is. There is a human element to practicing family law that most people cannot handle. Clients going through a divorce or custody case are some of the most stressed, irritable and anxious people on the planet. How could they not be? In that sort of mental state, even successful and intelligent people do foolish things. Persuading clients to accept a difficult and arduous course of action while in that mental state is well…really hard. When I first started out, it was a rough learning curve. I would get so frustrated and anxious because I didn’t know how to lead people where they needed to go. I kept thinking I would just keep doing family law until I got other areas of practice off the ground. With a lot of ibuprofen, and with the support of my patient/long-suffering wife, I improved and adapted. I saw that practicing family law was something I’m good at, or maybe even something I was meant to do. I also saw that doing family law was a way to see direct and immediate improvement to people’s lives. I live for those moments when the judge pronounces a ruling at trial that gives my clients more time to be with their children and more ways to be an influence in their lives. That look of unrestrained happiness on clients’ faces is a high I never get tired of. I also enjoy plotting a course out of the madness that is a custody dispute and seeing the peace a well-conceived plan brings into clients’ lives. Custody litigants are in a fog of frustration and sadness, a quicksand of despair. Often they can’t see a way out, so helping them see the reality of their situation (often less dire than what they think) is very rewarding.
My love of family law solidified when I became a Dad. There is nothing better than quality time with my son, and I consider it my honor to help other Dads increase their presence in the lives of their kids. Dads face unique challenges in custody cases. While there isn’t as much conspicuous bias as in the past, I still see a lot of favoring for Mothers. As a Father’s Rights lawyer, I don’t seek to diminish Mothers’ influence on children; rather, the goal is to have equal influence for both Mom and Dad. I’m proud of my small role in helping men live up to their God-given responsibility of being a Dad.
I was blessed with enough work to open my own office in October 2017. Having my own office gives me freedom and flexibility to limit my case-load to a level where I can give personal advising to my clients and be accessible to them. Give me a call today to see if I’m a good fit for handling your custody case.