Marie Crossley | Wilmington Family Lawyer

I represented a client divorce action in the State of Delaware who was attempting to break free from a long term abusive marriage. The client had no resources in her name and was completely dependent upon her spouse in every way. After first securing a Protection From Abuse Order, I was able to secure financial resources of the marriage to enable my client to live separately from her Husband. I then conducted extensive discovery to assist Wife in documenting the marital estate, as all financial information was kept from her during their 40 year marriage. We worked together to figure out what assets existed and then had to go a step further to trace assets that Husband attempted to hide from Wife and the Courts. Wife eventually was awarded her share of the entire marital estate as well as lifetime alimony. I feel I made a big difference because a lot of attorneys would not have been willing to put the effort and time into the case and to work with a client who needed a lot of reassurance and patience along the way.

I have built a successful practice through hard work, results and client-tailored representation.

The most important things to look for are experience and responsiveness to the client's needs. There are plenty of attorneys practicing over ten years that simply do not take the time to respond to their own clients. Your attorney should return your calls and your e-mails promptly. She should also keep you informed on a consistent basis so that you are aware of court hearings, deadlines and other client responsibilities well in advance. Another area of importance is resources. Does the firm itself have sufficient resources available to handle your matter? Does the individual attorney have staff dedicated solely to her practice?

Local knowledge is the most important part of success. Each county in Delaware has their own way of doing things and the rules and procedures can vary widely from New Castle County to Sussex or Kent. In addition, each individual Judge has their own set of expectations and those individual judicial preferences can be very important to a case. This is where experience plays the most important role. An experienced attorney knows the individual preferences of each jurisdiction, and each Judge within that jurisdiction, making the likelihood of success that much better.

I am practical, pragmatic and mindful of the costs involved in litigation. I want to obtain the best results in the least expensive manner possible for each client, regardless of the size of the marital estate. I work very hard to make sure my client sees the big picture, including what the costs will be and whether those costs justify the action they want to pursue. I am very straight forward in my dealings with the client and the opposing side and avoid the ""gamesmanship"" that can sometimes be a part of divorce litigation. I work very hard to make sure the client's interests are the only interests being served in my representation.

I enjoy establishing a trusting relationship with each client so they know they have at least one person who is solely in their corner as they go through the litigation process.

I enjoy reading, cooking, and travel and do all of that with family and friends.

I am involved in my daughter's school community Fairville Friends School, in Chadds Ford PA as a classroom parent and am currently chairing the Sponsorship and Silent Auction Committee for the Fun Fair event that they hold yearly. It's their largest donation event each year. I am member of the Family Law Section of the DSBA, the Melson Arsht Inn of Court and I do pro bono work for the Delaware Commission for Women, Delaware Volunteer Legal Services, and Delaware Victim Advocacy Project.

• Member, Delaware State Bar Association, Family Law Section (2002-Present)
  
  Pro Bono Attorney, Delaware Victims Advocacy Project (2002-Present)
  
  Pro Bono Attorney, Delaware Volunteer Legal Services (2002-Present)
  
  Member, Melson-Arsht American Inn of Court (2001-Present)
  
  

• Delaware State Bar Association Pro Bono Award
  
  

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