A bit about the law firm...

For those of you who don't know, this summer I began working at a law firm in my home of Las Vegas, Nevada.  The firm specializes in family law, which is very complicated and has a tendency to get very nasty to say the least.  I would like to take a moment to discuss a few general things that I have encountered in my first month of work here.

Generally speaking, a divorce is not looked upon as a positive event.  Granted, there are all-too-frequent occasions in which a divorce is the most positive outcome for a party, with particular regard to instances of spousal or child abuse.  With the exclusion of those unfortunate circumstances, the most painless type of proceeding one can hope for is an uncontested divorce.  This generally results in a straightforward proceeding, where any community property (if the divorce is occuring in a state which recognizes community property) is divided equally, both parties may share debt incurred on joint accounts but are responsible for any debt incurred on accounts held in their own name, the (ex)-wife is able to restore her maiden name, a visitation schedule is mutually agreed upon if any minor children are involved, etc.  Unfortunately, most marriages are not so easily dissolved, and many people associated with the family court system (myself included) feel that the system tends to favor women.  I recognize that it is a natural part of our country's political and social culture to have a tendency to protect women, particularly in a legal sense.  It is however, very disheartening to see that some women use this protection to their advantage, especially in divorce proceedings.

I have had the opportunity to speak to (and work with) several male clients already in my short time working here, and none of them (one small fellow in particular) seem like they would ever lay a hand on a woman, or give their child more than a well-deserved spanking.  However, their wives use the protection of the law to their advantage, and these men have to fight their asses off in court in order to even be granted supervised visits with their children.  Of course, the judge is not allowed to make character judgments, and instead must take the conservative approach by assuming the woman's allegations may be true, and the children or spouse must be shielded from the abusive parent or partner.  It's just shameful to see the court system, which is taylored to protect women (some of whome who actually do need it), manipulated just to squeeze additional spousal and/or child support out of their ex-spouse, and even obtain sole custody of minor children.

Though the family court system is engineered to protect women, I feel the implications of a family court system without safeguards for women would be far more detrimental than the status quo.  However, surely something needs to be done about women with malicious intent who work this system with complete disregard to the man's reputation and parental rights.