James P. Joseph

“A client once telephoned me to intervene in a dispute he’d had with his soon-to-be ex-wife over who should pay for their child’s ice cream cone, and I cut him short. I asked him, Do you really want me to argue over who should pay for your child’s $3 ice cream cone? After a few phone calls and maybe one or two follow-up letters, the legal fees will have turned it into a $300 ice cream cone. Without some significant tangible benefit, that’s not in anyone’s best interests.

That goes to the heart of how our firm approaches our role. We’re not interested in wasting people’s money, even if they are more than willing to pay. Unless we stand to gain some strategic advantage, we avoid creating unnecessary problems--at the same time, we are committed to ensuring that our clients receive at least that to which they are entitled. However, the notion of running up an hourly rate over something like an ice cream cone simply because a client is upset really bothers me.

It’s about keeping focused on the goal. If we’re not reasonable, an otherwise simple situation can quickly and easily be turned into an ugly, drawn-out, and expensive divorce. If the clients aren’t reasonable, they do not continue to be our clients. I want our firm to have a positive impact on our community and some people are sadly, simply not interested or not able to be helped.  Further, we don’t need the headaches - we want to help people successfully move forward. Unfortunately, they will ultimately learn the hard way, hurting themselves and their children in the process. But our firm is fortunate--we can be selective as to which cases we accept, thereby ensuring we can give our all to those clients ready to benefit from our expertise.

I don’t think it’s the role of the attorney to be a therapist, however decent and insightful we may be.  Instead, we advise all our clients that no one is naturally equipped to handle the stress of a divorce, and we strongly urge them to seek a trained mental health professional to assist them during this time. This allows us to focus on what we do best. It is part of our job to keep everyone grounded and focused on the objective--a resolution to their divorce that allows them to move forward successfully with their lives.

We understand people and we understand human nature, and that helps us as an advocate. Although we have been told we are aggressive, the label “shark” does not apply to our practice. Instead, we are committed to fairness and efficiency. That saves our clients money. We play it very straight, and we begin preparing for trial from the start while always pushing for a reasonable settlement. This approach generally avoids the need for a trial as it allows us to be more effective advocates from the outset. And in the small percentage of cases we must take to court, we are always well prepared.

We spend a lot of time educating our clients for which they are grateful and that ultimately contributes to our efficiency. They appreciate the time we take, and they leave understanding the process and what they can expect. The clients whom we accept stay with us--we have a very high retention rate in this field. Most of our clients have been referred to us by clients we previously represented or from other lawyers and professionals.

One of the things I am most proud of is the growth of our firm, which, I believe, is a testament to how we handle our cases - with integrity, zealous advocacy, speed, and focus.

It’s part of our job to keep everyone grounded, everyone focused on the objective—a fair and lasting settlement.”