David W. Teeter, Attorney

California native David Teeter has quickly become a valuable asset to James P. Joseph & Associates and its clients. Still in his early 40s, David possesses strong skills as a trial lawyer and litigator, a family-law negotiator, and a financial evaluator all of which help the firm's clients navigate the journey of divorce. "David brings a professional's dedication to the law," says the firm's leader, James Joseph. "He's certainly a big part of our clients' success."

David, who joined the firm two years ago, practiced with some of the best-known divorce lawyers in the region, including the famed Raoul Felder of Manhattan. Today, David says he finds the positive and collegial workplace of JPJ&A to be a "great place to come to every day the kind of environment that really is focused on obtaining the optimum result for our clients." Growing up in Sacramento, David says his favorite relatives were lawyers "they loved what they did. And that had a big impact on me." He majored in math at Berkeley ("I was good at it, and my math skills were the source of my confidence as a student"), and went straight on to law school. His first job was with the San Diego Public Defender's Office, where he got the chance to try cases almost immediately. Two years later and restless ("San Diego was a small town compared to the places I'd lived") he moved to New York, taking a job with the 35-attorney Legal Aid Society, where he continued to defend citizens charged with crimes. "It was rewarding our job was to work to ensure the system worked for everyone." His trial skills were recognized by a promotion to Deputy Bureau Chief of the Felony Trial Bureau, before he joined a firm dedicated to both criminal-defense and matrimonial law. Once there he quickly focused on the latter. "The personal component in matrimonial law really attracted me to it I knew I was helping good people in difficult times, often due to no fault of their own." Prior to joining JPJ&A, he worked for two divorce-law boutiques, the last being Felder's midtown practice, gaining professional perspective other lawyers rarely gain. "Divorce has basic components whether you are a Manhattan socialite or a traditional-minded spouse in the suburbs. Support, equitable distribution and custody issues are at the heart of every case." He has handled all types of cases, from straightforward and amicable matters to complex and contentious trials and appeals.

Cheerful, generous with his time and productive, David plays a valuable role in many cases at James P. Joseph & Associates. He and his wife Ilana have three young sons, and a home schedule "packed with Little League games." They are members of Anshei Shalom Synagogue in West Hempstead.

I've been fortunate to have handled all kinds of divorce cases over the last few years. And in many cases, I went up against talented adversaries. Today I see that for every lawyer, no matter how famous or high-profile, it's all about preparation and intelligently executing strategy for our clients. I have hung my hat' at JPJ&A because this is exactly what our firm provides its clients."

Observations & Perspectives

Our firm has a positive and effective approach to all cases that we agree to take on we focus on the winning issues of your case, the issues that will help you obtain a fair and lasting resolution, so you can move on with your life.

That's in contrast, of course, to stubbornly pursuing aspects of a case that are not, in the long run, going to obtain any meaningful benefit for the client. Sure, we can pursue custody of children by a parent who works 80 hours a week but how will the court react to that demand? Is that in your interest and in your children's interest to pursue? It is important to be realistic about that process. If following extensive discussions, this is what a client truly wants, then we will counsel him or her on making the necessary changes to obtain such a result.

I have always had strong math and quantitative skills a part of the process that many divorce lawyers are not as proficient at, and yet is an integral part of all financial aspects of divorce. My skills at reviewing financial statements, identifying financial assets and understanding the components of a financial settlement all help our clients, in a very direct and immediate way.

James P. Joseph & Associates truly is a great place to work We have an excellent team, which benefits every client that retains us. We review our work and our case files together and that, I can say from experience, is not the way all firms operate. Our success is reflected in the ever growing demand for our firm's services.

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