Advice to People Going Through Divorce Attorney in Hopkins, Minnesota

Advice to Family Law Clients

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Well, the most important piece of advice I give my family, law clients is what I had just mentioned was kind of a five-year rule or I boil it down to a two-year rule or something like that. You cannot step into an area of law that is more emotionally charged than family law. And you have clients that are motivated not always by what’s going on in their head. A lot of it’s motivated by what’s going on in their stomach.

I had a logic teacher in college that used to say, “Mr. Brandt, you think with your head. Not your stomach.” And you try to get your clients to do that. That’s one of the important things. But another important thing to me about family law is that people are stepping into an area they’ve never been before. It’s something that their life is out of control, they have no control over it, and that is the worst position to be in, I think, in any arena in your life. I believe that my job as a family law attorney is to educate the client on what the law is, to get them to understand the law. And then I also need to help them be able to decipher, what are the important facts? And I allow them, if they’re able, to do the legal analysis themselves.

I represent them, but I want them to understand the law. I think it gives them a sense of control, I think it gives them a sense of – it makes them more at ease for what the – for the proceedings that are going on. They’re not walking totally dark. And when I do that, I think – really, overall, in any area of my legal profession is the issue of trust. And if I can get them so that they feel comfortable with what they’re doing, I think that they will trust me. And I’m stepping in their shoes, I’m being them, I’m their advocate, but yet I still want them to make the decisions.

And I tell almost every family l law client, I said, “I’ll let you make whatever decision you want. If it’s a bad decision, I’ll pound on the table. And if you still want to do it, I’ll jump on the table. And if you still want to do it, I’ll do a backflip on the table. And if you still want to do it, I’ll let you do it, but it’s your decision.”

Minneapolis Family Law, Real Estate & Estate Planning Attorney John Brandt, talks about important advice he gives to his family law clients.

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