Stuart MacKenzie | Hayward Family Lawyer

Family Law can be very stressful to the clients and it is, therefore, rare for a client to express a lot of gratitude when their case resolves. However, in the last 12 months I have had at least three cases where a client just burst into a grin and gave me a big hug after custody of their child was awarded to them. That was very gratifying to me each time it happened.

Our office presently has three attorneys, two paralegals and two other support staff but it was not always this way. For a lot of years I was the only one in the office. The change from one to seven took many years and was due to working hard on my cases, getting good results, getting referrals from other attorneys and Court personnel, and, of course, through advertising. The days of the yellow page book have been replaced by our having a good presence on Google.

Clients should recognize that there are a few factors which they might not have considered which can affect how fast or slow their case resolves and how high their bills can go. We try to settle cases efficiently and with a minimum of litigation. This keeps costs low and means settling the case sooner than later. However, not all attorneys practice law in the same way. Not only are there differing hourly rates between attorneys but there are some who believe doing more is better. Moreover, some believe cases can only settle though going to Court and litigating. This drives up your fees since we have to deal with those tactics. Additionally, if your ex is especially angry and aggressive, this also makes settlement difficult.

believe the importance of hiring a family law attorney who regularly practices in the Courtroom where the case is located is underappreciated. Local counsel are both familiar with how Judges generally conduct cases and, more importantly, the Judges know the attorneys and, therefore, know which ones they can rely on for accuracy and efficiency.

When we give a free initial telephone consultation we essentially try to explain the overall process that the client will embark on based on the facts the client provided us, that is, how a case proceeds, how long after filing a Motion can it be heard in Court, that the parties meet with a Family Court mediator on custody issues before going to Court etc. and, of course, what the retainer fee is and what the hourly rate is. In other words, giving the lay of the land to a newcomer to the legal system.

• Member, Alameda County Bar Association, Family Law Section (1998-Present)
  
  

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