Written By: Lisa Fantone

Trust me . . . I’ve been there, in your shoes. Nervous, anxious, wondering what’s going to happen next. Terrified, thinking your life is on the line.

And, quite honestly, it is.

Your children, your money, maybe even the family dog. Who is going to get the house? Who is going to get “screwed”?

What if you were in an abusive situation? Or if, heaven forbid, your children were the abused?

Divorce is unknowns

Divorce is a time filled with fear, dread, terror and question after question after question. As difficult as it is to accept, though, divorce is also a time to grow, to learn to stand on your own, and to look in the mirror at yourself. Most people emerge on the other side of divorce in one piece, even though they may have thought at the onset that they’d be in a million pieces before it was all over. Most people learn that they can indeed stand on their own two feet, and if they made it through the hell of divorce, they can make it through anything.

Your attorney can be someone to count on

Your attorney’s office is where you will get legal advice and assistance. Our job is to represent you during the time it takes to bring your case to a conclusion. We will work with you to determine how to separate your debts and assets, how to share the responsibility of parenting your children, and what to expect in regard to spousal or child support.

And it’s time to start counting on yourself

You also have some work to do during this time, in addition to tending to your career, your children, your home. We will ask you for documents and forms. You will need to respond to our requests in a timely way. You will have many questions and concerns. We will request that you email us or call our office during regular working hours, or we may schedule an office visit with you to address those questions. Emergencies will arise, almost without a doubt. When this happens, you will need to remain as calm as possible, trusting that we will attend to your emergency as quickly as we can. We will not respond to text messages on cell phones; in fact, in most cases, our cell phone numbers will remain private.

You will need to take care of yourself while your case continues, whether this means professional or pastoral counseling, learning stress management and treating yourself well with exercise, careful attention to nutrition and possibly a reduction in alcohol consumption.

Trust your attorney to have your best interests in mind

Because of the unknowns of divorce, we can never quote an exact fee for our services, nor can we work on a contingency basis. We cannot control how your spouse acts, or what the other attorney does, or how the Court schedules cases. We are able to control only how we handle your matter within our office. We promise to serve you professionally and with great care and sensitivity.