Family Forum / Marriage / Divorce / January 2006

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry, that just struck me as toooooo funny. :))))

There are many here who will sympathize precisely with that statement.

This is entirely possible.

Not a chance in hell. A GOOOOOODDDDDDD lawyer would have advised you
about this, and would have picked up on your residential status and
also advised you about possible course(s) of action and their
consequences.

Bottom line is that lawyers ultimately take instructions from clients.
If you had walked in and said "Get on this - NOW!", and then he failed
to do so, you MIGHT have an argument, but would likely get nothing but
trouble for your troubles in trying to call his or her lack of
inaction "malpractice". But this is, from what I understand, not what
happened. You probably walked in and said: "We need to talk about my
separation, and at some point in the future, my divorce". Well at $200
plus per hour, I am sure he was happy to sit and listen and take your
money. [sucker!]

One thing you should learn about lawyers - and right now -  is that,
like all humans, there are good and bad. There are those that are
looking to help clients, and there are those who are looking to help
themselves (to your wallet and bank account). There are those who
genuinely care (few and far between), and there are those who do not
give a flying fig (most).

If your current lawyer dropped the ball on this, then I would DO YOUR
HOMEWORK and hire another lawyer (a better one).

Remember that lawyers are just like other "professionals" such as
doctors and accountants. There are doctors that like to think that
they are in charge when it comes to your healthcare. Unfortunately, a
lot of people think that doctors are first cousins to God, and just
let them do whatever they want because the doctor is supposed to be
the expert and knows what he or she is doing, right?. But if the
doctor screws up, YOUR a.s suffers, not the doctors. Even if you sue
them for malpractice and win, all you get is money - you wont get the
damage un-done. You need to be pro-active in your treatment. To
understand options, and risks, and YOU need to make the decisions that
YOU feel are in your best interests! The doctor is there to provide
professional advice. If you go against his or her professional
opinion, they may not like it, but YOU made the decision - and
hopefully an informed decision. They are duty bound to either carry
out your instructions, or remove themselves from your treatment.
Period.

I love what Chris Rock said... "Why do they call what Doctors do
'practice'???? NO way! Let the Doctor 'practice' on a dummy! When he
workin' on ME I want him to KNOW what he is doin'!!!"

So it is with lawyers. Lawyers will run amok and run up HUGE bills if
you do not keep them in check. You need to be active in your defense.
It may cost a little more to pay the lawyer to explain options, but it
is well worth it. It keeps him or her honest. If they think you do not
know the difference, then they can rin amok. If they think that you
know and understand the situation, and are actively keeping an eye on
both results and billing, then they will have a tendancy to be a
little more careful with your case.

Remember one of my rules of divorce:

Cover your a.s! No one else will, not even your lawyer!

In the end, after the divorce is over, the bills are paid, and the
lawyer is long gone, YOU will remain - and what is left of your life.
YOU are responsible for how your new life will take shape. If you let
others have a free hand without exercising due dilligence, then you
desrve whatever you get (good or bad).

And here is the kicker, your life could still go into the dumper no
matter what you do! But at least if you do everything you can to
effect a positive outcome, then you will never be able to spend the
rest of your life looking back and thinking...

"Damn, if only I had been more involved...."

"If only I had gotten a better lawyer..."

"If only I had ________" (fill in the blank).

You get the picture.

SO, what's it gonna be???? Are you a winner, or a loser? You gonna get
in there and do your best, or are you going to just hand over the
controls and see what happened after the fact???

You life, your call. I sure know what I would be doing.

Johnny,

This is completely my opinion but what the hell.

Don't worry about what county is better and all that good stuff.  Your bride
took care of that for you and filed in County A.

Get your paperwork in and talk with your attorney about any other issues you
might have.  Plan the rest of the game, don't look back on the dropped ball
earlier on.

Good luck.  Oh, and get your bride to do some of the driving for the kid(s)
if you can.

Big