ChiTownScion
Call Me a Cab
- Messages
- 2,247
- Location
- The Great Pacific Northwest
Matrimonial and criminal law practice certainly appear dovetail specialties in the States.
And separating wheat out of the chaff wherein homicide and larceny are concerned a lucrative sub specialty.
I've done both: the latter for more than thirty years. As to the former? I prefer criminal clients as they're far more aware of the gravity of their situation. A guy facing 6 to 30 on an armed robbery charge generally is aware that his lawyer isn't a magician, and the best that he can hope for is that a really bad situation comes out not quite so bad.
Divorce clients (pre and post dissolution) often unrealistically believe that a judge can right all the wrongs of a marriage that failed. The worst is when kids are involved, and your client wants to use them in some misdirected pay back move. I refuse to go there, and the "you're my lawyer and I'm paying you" argument is always invoked, either directly or subliminally. Drawing that line in the sand is easy or difficult, depending upon the attorney's financial situation and commitment to principle. Best thing to do is to set the perimeters ab initio.