Why I Love Doing Family Law

Someone asked me today why I like doing family law, and it made me think.... When I was in law school, if you had asked me what types of law I would NEVER do, I would have said "asbestos defense, criminal prosecution and family law, not necessarily in that order!" I was very clear that I didn't want to do family law, because I had spent my entire working life up to that point taking care of children in one capacity or another, and I couldn't stand the idea of being involved in the break-up's of families with children -- it seemed way too hard, and I didn't think I'd have good enough boundaries to keep my emotions out of it. Funny what maturity will do.... Now, I love doing family law. I love getting in there into the places where people are most vulnerable, and helping them see a way out. I love being part of the process of making sure that dignity is honored, that respect and communication (albeit in a new form) are restored. In short, I now believe that doing family law well -- that is, doing it with an eye toward helping people move toward healing, and ALWAYS with a strong emphasis on making sure that the children's needs are being met -- is a fundamentally positive undertaking. As I said to my associate last week, if we can help families through this process in a humanitarian way, taking care to make sure that each party is as intact as possible at the other end and that the children -- if any -- are well-cared for, we have contributed something positive to the universe. And what more can anyone ask from their work?? Now, about that asbestos defense....