Rhode Island Divorce Tips by Attorney Chris Pearsall

Rhode Island Divorce Lawyers Tip for Today - Client's should maintain Control!

Hiring a Rhode Island lawyer to handle your divorce should not mean that you leave everything to the lawyer.  In my humble opinion, too many clients do that out of a sense of relief.  Once a client engages a lawyer for his or her divorce, there is some sense of relief to the client.  That's understandable.  Now the client has someone who should be knowledgeable in divorce and family law to help him or her through the process and usually adds a certain level of comfort.  A client no longer feels as though he or she is floundering in the dark.

Divorce clients, here is the catch.  You need to retain a reasonable amount of control!  Why?  

Here are Three (3) Excellent Reasons to retain reasonable control in your RI Divorce over the Decision-Making:

1.  It's either your credit, your money, or perhaps money that you borrowed that is paying for your lawyer, right?  The less control you keep over the decisions in your case, the faster that money is likely to be burned up because your attorney is going to do what he or she thinks is right to protect your interests because you don't seem interested enough or because you aren't clear that you WANT to make the decisions as to what IS or IS NOT done in your case.  Certainly the lawyer can advise you of the repercussions of your decisions, as long as it is clear what decisions you have made.

2.  It's YOUR LIFE.  You can hire the best Rhode Island lawyer to handle your divorce but ultimately it is YOUR LIFE that is on the line here.  Who knows your life better than you?  NOONE!  So it makes perfect sense that you should control the decisions that are going to control YOUR future.

3.  The less control you retain, the more decision making authority you hand over to your attorney or to the court regarding YOU LIFE!

If you haven't followed the common divorce thread I've tried to establish here, let me just spell it out bluntly.  It's YOUR LIFE!  You are the one who has lived it.  You are the one who has to live with the decisions and how they affect your life.  

Rhode Island divorce isn't always complicated but it isn't always easy either.  So what's the point of having an attorney, right?  Frankly, you should be hiring a divorce attorney to help guide you through the process and it's procedures and to know your rights and the alternatives available to you.

Too many times clients will hire lawyers in their divorce cases and give them carte blanche authority to make the decisions throughout their divorce.  

Too often I have heard a male spouse tell me, "She says she won't do anything that her attorney doesn't recommend doing, OR  I'm not doing anything unless my divorce lawyer tells me to do it."   This is even in cases where a husband is offering an excessive amount of money and property to settle a case and the woman has already spoken to the woman about the offer.  Even when the offer is so generously slanted in the wife's favor, I have heard that the attorney did not recommend it to their client.

I can't tell you the number of times I have sat in my office with my mouth wide open as attorneys reject settlement offers over the phone that they know from experience are absolutely fantastic without even having brought the offer to their client FIRST!  

Now let me be very clear.  I am NOT talking about small disagreements that attorneys might have.  I'm talking about cases such as when I tell my client that he should not offer his wife 90% of everything and agree to pay all debt but the client insists that I do so anyway so I follow my client's directive and STILL the opposing spouse rejects the offer because the attorney did not recommend it.  No explanation why.  No idea why.  No rational reason to reject an offer that is rarely awarded even after trial.  Yet even the wife has no idea why her attorney didn't recommend it.  She just wanted to here if her attorney recommended it or not.

That woman has made a crucial mistake.  She has turned over complete control of her life and it's decisions to the divorce attorney without even knowing the reasons why.

Clients should not blindly expect that a lawyer's judgment should substitute for their own judgment.  Lawyers in divorce cases should be informing you, instructing you, and advising you about alternatives, and risks involved.  Based on these things YOU should be making the decisions based upon your own common sense, what has been explained to you, and the very fact that it is YOUR LIFE!

Remember, that the longer a divorce takes to complete the more money attorneys earn from the conflict and possibility of trial and consequently the LESS money there is left for you and your spouse to divide.  In fact, attorneys' fees may actually cause your debts to rise if you have to put attorneys' fees for your divorce on your credit cards or if you have to pay back a friend or family member you may have borrowed the money from to pay for your attorneys' fees.

In the end, please use your common sense.  

Personally, as a Rhode Island lawyer who focuses my law practice exclusively on divorce coaching and representation, I DO NOT want to take any more of your hard earned dollars than necessary.  I grew up knowing what it was like to struggle and working numerous jobs.  

While it took a lot to get me here, I understand that it's one thing to be paid for one's expertise in an area of law but it's another thing entirely for your divorce and all that goes with it to go any longer than it absolutely needs to.  

Admittedly, I am only one of thousands of lawyers who practice divorce and not all attorneys think the way I do.  I'll guide you.  I'll inform you.  I'll educate you.  I'll give you my thoughts and the benefit of my experience.  Yet what I won't do is substitute my judgment and decisions for yours!  I understand that it is YOUR LIFE!  I understand that you need to be able to live YOUR LIFE!  I understand that you need to be able to move on in life without some attorney taking away your chance for a fresh start!  You need to keep control of your case and I make sure that my clients know that.

Whether you come to see me or not, please do yourself a favor.  Protect YOUR LIFE!  Make sure that you don't turn over control of the decisions in your Rhode Island Divorce case to any attorney or to the court. They don't have to live your life and the consequences of the decisions that affect it.  You do!

Find a common ground, be reasonable, decide on your own once you've been informed.  You're not powerless!  Once you have the information, you have all the power you need.  

ALWAYS REMEMBER GOOD PEOPLE . . .  it's YOUR LIFE!

Happy Holidays and My Best to All In Your Rhode Island Divorce and Family Court Matters!

Rhode Islanders, Representing Yourself in an Uncontested RI Divorce is Getting Tougher!

More people are filing and undertaking their own uncontested divorces in Rhode Island.  Last week two lawyers mentioned to me how shocked they were with all the people representing themselves in family court.  

One Rhode Island lawyer who practices a substantial amount of divorce commented that,

"They [People who represent themselves] are going to bog down the court calendar so badly that eventually lawyers aren't going to be given preference anymore on the court calendar and we are going to have to wait longer to be heard."

Another RI Attorney who practices a reasonable amount to family law commented that,

"I used to count on about 70 easy uncontested cases a year.  This year I'll be lucky if I get 30 cases total and the advertising costs have gone up and it's just not worth it.  I have been counting on that every year and it just isn't there anymore.  The economy has hit people so bad that they are taking the time to learn how to do it on their own.  I'm telling you. I'm worried and we all should be.  It's going to ruin income for family law practitioners.  Mark my words, it's going to get worse.  What do you think about . . . oops there's my elevator, we'll talk more about this later."

I wonder what reaction I would have received if he had realized that I have been promoting Rhode Island Pro Se representation in Uncontested Divorce for more than three and one half (3) 1/2 years for those who have appropriate coaching and get the proper legal advice.  Perhaps I should call that last attorney back and offer him the opportunity to learn the extent, content and process of my coaching program.  I suppose it is possible that he may be an attorney who is interested in learning about appropriate Rhode Island Divorce Coaching.  Who knows?  Every other attorney who I've spoken to directly has rejected the idea because he or she "Doesn't make enough money."  However, in the end, Rhode Island lawyers participating in the Rhode Island Divorce Coaching need to have the right state of mind.  Lawyers who are against people representing themselves because it hurts their practice or their income may not fit the bill.  It's not about the attorney.  It's about the need of the coaching client.

Just the same, the point is that more people are representing themselves in their own divorces, sometimes believing they are uncontested, easy divorces and sometimes just hoping to save money.  

Ultimately, things are changing not only for long-time lawyers but particularly for people who choose to represent themselves.

Here's something to think about.  I've been a Rhode Island lawyer practicing divorce and family law exclusive for the past twelve years.  During that time I've been developing a coaching program for 5 1/2 years for people to get coaching to represent themselves in uncontested divorces and just when I thought the program was nearly perfected, the program is now being revamped.

Why?  For the same reasons I tell people that they shouldn't even attempt representing themselves in a Rhode Island uncontested divorce without competent divorce coaching, because it can be made simpler but it is NOT easy!  A coach may help to boil it down to it's primary elements but law is not easy, even in an uncontested divorce.

My program is being revamped because legal standards are substantially changing in Rhode Island due to new and advancing changes in Rhode Island case law and several key statutes.  Additionally, new domestic relations forms have been, are still being created and mandated by the family court.  Also, new Administrative Orders about the manner in which timeframes will occur in family court cases due to the shortage of staff and budget cuts and make things easier for the court and the parties.

What does this mean?  It's a whole new ballgame folks.  Even when coaching clients with uncontested RI divorces and other family law cases if as a professional practicing exclusively in this field I need to change my coaching for my clients then that means there is more chance than ever that without enough proper coaching from a legal professional who is used to coaching people then if you try to do this all on your own you have a greater chance than ever to mess up your uncontested divorce and cause it to shift onto the Contested Track and you're in a whole new set of rules there.

So, all these changes are going to make representing yourself in an Uncontested RI Divorce at least 50% tougher than it did before.

You can still do it though and I'm an advocate of your right to represent yourself.  However, you've got to do it right.  If you screw it up then you may require a lawyer and twice as much time to fix things before the year is done.  

Do yourself a HUGE favor and don't screw things up!  You may have only one chance to get it done and get it done RIGHT!  The fact is, even in the easiest uncontested RI divorce you need sufficient coaching from an experienced, Rhode Island family law practitioner to have the best chance for success.

Do yourself a favor!  Accept the fact that you are NOT a licensed legal professional.  

Realize that walking into a courtroom and knowing Rhode Island's divorce laws and caselaw, the RI Rules of Domestic Relations Procedure, the Rhode Island Rules of Procedure, the Rhode Island Rules of Evidence, the Rules of Practice, and the Administrative Rules of the Rhode Island Family Court.

Yes, this is what we are expected to know as Rhode Island lawyers when we practice in the RI Family Court.  It's okay to realize that you need help and that it may cost you a little bit of money.  Say it cost you a total of $800 to get from beginning to end instead of $3,000, wouldn't that be smart on your part?

I am The Rhode Island Divorce Coach and I'm here to help.

Call me Now at 401-632-6976 and find out how affordable Rhode Island divorce coaching can be!

Be Your Own Attorney - Lawyer in your Rhode Island Divorce - Represent Yourself Pro Se!

A few things that you should know about Rhode Island Divorce.

1.  If someone tells you handling your Rhode Island divorce is easy and they did it without the assistance of a lawyer at all then chances are the person who told you this missed something crucial in their RI divorce proceeding that is likely to come back and haunt them in the future.

2.  If someone tells you that you should NEVER handle your own divorce and that you should ALWAYS hire a Rhode Island lawyer to represent you in the Rhode Island Family Court, then the person who told you this is simply telling you that he or she would not be comfortable representing himself or herself before the court in their own Rhode Island Divorce.  My suggestion, don't let their fear override your own ability to make a good decision for yourself about your divorce.

3.  Every divorce proceeding in Rhode Island is different because no two people are identical and no two marriages have the same relationship.

4.  Whether you think your Rhode Island divorce is easy or not, you should always seek the coaching of a Rhode Island lawyer who regularly practices divorce in the Rhode Island Family Court and is well versed in the practice of Rhode Island divorce law.

5.  Generally speaking, if you and your spouse can communicate then chances are you can reach an agreement between the two of you regarding how you should go your separate ways.  If you can do that, then there is a very good chance that with some effective Rhode Island divorce coaching you may very well be able to represent yourself and save yourself considerable time, frustration, anxiety and especially money that may not need to be spent on lawyers.

When it comes to your own Rhode Island divorce, don't sell yourself short!  

I've happily been able to tell many people, "Sure you can handle your divorce.  Let's get started!" 

With as little as four (4) sessions at only $135 per session, you can handle your own divorce affordably, at your own pace, and as your finances allow with professional help each step of the way.  It doesn't get better than that!  

 

Authored By:

Christopher A. Pearsall, Attorney-at-Law

Rhode Island's Full-Time Divorce* Lawyer is Now
Rhode Island's Only Divorce and Family Law Coach!!

Discover the Tremendous Benefits You Receive by 

Participating in Family Law Coaching Sessions!

Visit the RhodeIslandDivorceCoach.com

Call (401) 632-6976 Now
to
Schedule Your Low-Cost Rhode Island Divorce* or Family Law* Coaching Session!

Experience the Difference!

Copyright 2000 to Present.  Christopher A. Pearsall, Esquire
 Offering Rhode Island Rhode Island Divorce and Family Law Coaching for a New Millenium!

Note: If this article contains a case scenario with names, dates or amounts, any resemblance any connection to any person or situation now or previously existing is purely accidental, unintentional, and is merely a mistaken creation in the mind of the reader.

* The Rhode Island Supreme Court licenses all attorneys in the general practice of law.  The court does not license or certify any lawyer as an expert or specialist in any particular field of practice.

- - Recommended Websites - -

Pearsall.net | AttorneyPearsall.com | Rhode Island Divorce Tips | ChristopherPearsall.com | GuaranteedWealth.com | Rhode Island Divorce Attorney | Rhode Island Divorce Lawyer | ChrisPearsall.com | LegalScholar.com | Pearsall-Law-Associates.com | Rhode Island Divorce Attorneys | Rhode Island Divorce Lawyers | Rhode Island Divorce Coach  |  RI Divorce Coach | RI Divorce Lawyer on Twitter | Rhode Island Divorce Coach on Twitter | Rhode Island Divorce Lawyer on Facebook.com| Attorney Chris Pearsall at LawGuru.com | Rhode Island Family Law Lawyer - RI Consumer Tips

RI Divorce for LegalForms.com, CompleteCase.com, and LegalZoom.com?.. It's time to Step Aside for Rhode Island Divorces!

LegalForms.com, CompleteCase.com, LegalZoom.com, and others . . . . please do me a favor and step aside gracefully.  I've spent more time helping people fix the mistakes in your forms and instructions which people in the Rhode Island family court system rely upon as "legal advice."  

As a Rhode Island lawyer who focuses my practice exclusively on divorce and family law it takes more time and energy to deprogram these poor people from what you have "done for them" than it would if they came to me in the first place.

I don't care how many forms and instructions you try to churn out to help people, nothing will ever hold a candle to or help more than the personal one on one assistance people can receive from an experienced and licensed Rhode Island lawyer who routinely handles divorce cases.

Admittedly, for those who don't know about my services or are unable to find a Rhode Island lawyer who might provide them with similar services, your paper forms system is certainly less costly than hiring an experienced lawyer in Rhode Island outright, but in my estimation it should be a last resort in Rhode Island divorce situations.

Rhode Island Divorce Coaching is no longer a sideline but is a major part of my law practice along with my continued representation of courtroom clients.  My goal is to help practitioners learn a new method of practice for divorce . . . Coaching.  It is my goal to spread the word and perfect the practice so that it is and will become a major part of many practices in years to come.  

Practitioners who have a hard time getting clients need to wake up to the needs of the people and try this affordable method of practice rather than throwing in the towel and continuing to remain unemployed simply because they can't get a position with a law firm or don't have lots of money to invest to start up their own practice.

Rhode Island Divorce Coaching is new, it's innovative, it's cost effective for clients and it is a win-win-win situation for the lawyer, the court, and especially the client.

For three years now I have endeavored to have fellow members of the Rhode Island Bar join me in this coaching endeavor such that I could help them to help others.  In variably attorneys shy away from this method of practice because they don't see it as profitable enough.  That's understandable.  They have certain expectations as lawyers as to what they want and need to make and this doesn't fit the bill because they look at it only on the surface.  In turn, even those who are aware of my new practice method have not even taken the opportunity to help clients who won't hire them and mention my service to the prospective client who may find this alternative to be within their budget.

Despite these temporary setbacks which I believe will be short lived, I am still confident that Rhode Island Divorce Coaching (as I call it . . .) will play a major role in the future of helpful legal practice for the betterment of the clients and the betterment of how our legal profession is viewed by the public.

In the end, while I don't have a budget to get the exposure of LegalZoom.com, CompleteCase.com and LegalForms.com, I do not in any way believe that they are a substitute for even a single hour with me and yet on average appear to cost twice as much.  

Every divorce is different and is factually driven.  No matter how many forms these companies create, they will never be able to explain every divorce in every instance.  The wording varies, the circumstances vary, and sometimes the approach will change with the facts.  A form can't answer a question for you right there on the spot like a coaching attorney could do.  Even if access to a licensed attorney is purchased in some fashion, how fast might you get a response?  Do you know who is responding?  Do you have a choice who will respond?  Might a Rhode Island attorney who practices mostly real estate closings be answering your very serious divorce questions?  It is certainly possible!

The only thing worse than getting legal advice from a truly unknown and unchecked source is to get bad advice from that source.

So, LegalForms.com, CompleteCase.com, LegalZoom.com and others who do not provide personalized experienced service from a lawyer who is licensed to practice and routinely practices in family court, please step aside and let attorneys who know what we are doing help these good people.  Is it truly worth wrangling $300 or so from some poor man or woman just to provide a bunch of forms and a little bit of knowledge that may do more harm than good?

Ultimately, I'm tired of picking up the pieces from forms services with seemingly empty promises for these people.  Sometimes people need a hero in their divorces.  Though I have never thought of myself as anything other than a caring and experienced lawyer in the area of divorce and family law, you seem to be depicting yourselves as waiving the cape and providing not just a cape but the whole superhero package for those in a Rhode Island divorce situation.  

While Rhode Island Divorce Coaching isn't for everyone and doesn't work in every case, at least I can adjust on the fly to the needs, questions, and facts of each coaching client.  It's something you just can't do and it makes all the difference.

LegalForms.com, CompleteCase.com, LegalZoom.com and other services like them that are out there with the same form and instruction based divorce and family law services filled with lots of promises ....forewarned is forearmed.... 

If people need a hero and you're all they think they've got, I'm more than willing to dawn the cape and do what you can't.  Someone has to be there to protect the people. For some people it might as well be me.

Authored By:

Christopher A. Pearsall, Attorney-at-Law

Rhode Island's Full-Time Divorce* Lawyer is Now
Rhode Island's Only Divorce and Family Law Coach!!

Discover the Tremendous Benefits You Receive by 

Participating in Family Law Coaching Sessions!

Visit the RhodeIslandDivorceCoach.com

Call (401) 632-6976 Now
to
Schedule Your Low-Cost Rhode Island Divorce* or Family Law* Coaching Session!

Experience the Difference!

Copyright 2000 to Present.  Christopher A. Pearsall, Esquire
 Offering Rhode Island Rhode Island Divorce and Family Law Coaching for a New Millenium!

Note: If this article contains a case scenario with names, dates or amounts, any resemblance any connection to any person or situation now or previously existing is purely accidental, unintentional, and is merely a mistaken creation in the mind of the reader.

* The Rhode Island Supreme Court licenses all attorneys in the general practice of law.  The court does not license or certify any lawyer as an expert or specialist in any particular field of practice.

- - Recommended Websites - -

Pearsall.net | AttorneyPearsall.com | Rhode Island Divorce Tips | ChristopherPearsall.com | GuaranteedWealth.com | Rhode Island Divorce Attorney | Rhode Island Divorce Lawyer | ChrisPearsall.com | LegalScholar.com | Pearsall-Law-Associates.com | Rhode Island Divorce Attorneys | Rhode Island Divorce Lawyers | Rhode Island Divorce Coach  |  RI Divorce Coach | RI Divorce Lawyer on Twitter | Rhode Island Divorce Coach on Twitter | Rhode Island Divorce Lawyer on Facebook.com| Attorney Chris Pearsall at LawGuru.com | Rhode Island Family Law Lawyer - RI Consumer Tips

The Rhode Island Divorce Coach explains Divorce Coaching in a Nutshell!

The Rhode Island Divorce Coaching Program™ was created based on three fundamental principles:

1)  Not Everyone has the financial ability to hire an experienced Rhode Island divorce lawyer in a divorce case.

2)  People Always Need Competent Legal Guidance but not necessarily Legal Representation in a Divorce Case.

3)  People need an affordable alternative to retaining an attorney to represent them in a divorce.

The Rhode Island Divorce Coaching Program™ is exclusive to my divorce law practice and was designed specifically to help people in divorce situations without breaking their wallet.

For most divorce cases it takes only 5-one hour sessions meeting with Attorney Christopher Pearsall from understanding the legal process and filing your divorce through the execution of your Final Judgment of Divorce which completes your divorce process.  

At only $135.00 per coaching session with sessions spread out over the duration of your divorce, you go at your own pace and even have time to save up the money in between sessions.  Whether you pay by check, money order or cash or even put your sessions on a credit card to give you even more time to pay the sessions off over time, clients have found that this to be perhaps the most affordable and helpful solution to completing their divorce in a timely fashion which also allows them to understand what is going on each step of the way.  From beginning to end you know exactly what is happening without being overwhelmed by taking my "Bite at a Time Approach"® to uncontested divorces.

For those who face more challenging situations the program can be customized to meet your needs at a cost that is still more afforable than typical representation.

Authored By:

Christopher A. Pearsall, Attorney-at-Law

Rhode Island's Full-Time Divorce* Lawyer is Now
Rhode Island's Only Divorce and Family Law Coach!!

Discover the Tremendous Benefits You Receive by 

Participating in Divorce and Family Law Coaching Sessions!

Visit the RhodeIslandDivorceCoach.com

Call (401) 632-6976 Now
to
Schedule Your Low-Cost Rhode Island Divorce* or Family Law* Coaching Session!

At only $135 for a Full One-Hour Coaching Session isn't your issue worth it?

Experience the Difference!

Copyright 2000 to Present.  Christopher A. Pearsall, Esquire
 Offering Rhode Island Rhode Island Divorce and Family Law Coaching for a New Millenium!

Note: If this article contains a case scenario with names, dates or amounts, any resemblance any connection to any person or situation now or previously existing is purely accidental, unintentional, and is merely a mistaken creation in the mind of the reader.

* The Rhode Island Supreme Court licenses all attorneys in the general practice of law.  The court does not license or certify any lawyer as an expert or specialist in any particular field of practice.

- - Recommended Websites - -

Pearsall.net | AttorneyPearsall.com | Rhode Island Divorce Tips | ChristopherPearsall.com | GuaranteedWealth.com | Rhode Island Divorce Attorney | Rhode Island Divorce Lawyer | ChrisPearsall.com | LegalScholar.com | Pearsall-Law-Associates.com | Rhode Island Divorce Attorneys | Rhode Island Divorce Lawyers | Rhode Island Divorce Coach  |  RI Divorce Coach | RI Divorce Lawyer on Twitter | Rhode Island Divorce Coach on Twitter | Rhode Island Divorce Lawyer on Facebook.com| Attorney Chris Pearsall at LawGuru.com | Rhode Island Family Law Lawyer - RI Consumer Tips