If you are interested in what it’s like to be a divorce attorney, you should read the article published yesterday in the Asbury Park Press, which profiled Ron Rosen, who practices in West Long Branch, New Jersey. Of course, every attorney is different, but the following quotes from Mr. Rosen are insightful and apply to most quality divorce lawyers:
- You have to wear a lot of different hats. You play legal adviser, financial adviser, psychologist, grandfather, parent, hand-holder and sometimes reality-checker.
- You’re looking at some of the finest people in the county at their worst.
- Divorce is a very emotional thing to go through. It might be more psychologically taxing than death. When a parent or a spouse or a loved one dies, there is a finality. When you go through a divorce, that person is still around….
- I give information to people who have no idea what to do, so he or she can get out of a bad marriage. There’s a tremendous amount of myths….
- You have to have a good ability to speak to people. You have to take a lot of weight and responsibility on your shoulders, but you can’t personalize everything.
- You have to be a little thick-skinned. People can turn on you at a moment’s notice. If something goes wrong, and they can’t yell at the judge or the spouse, it’s your fault.
- It’s a varied practice. You have to know math, psychology, history, pensions. You have to be able to read a psychological evaluation as easily as a forensic accountant’s report.
- You have to be well-rounded, somewhat forceful and you have to be able to listen to people, so you can find out what the problem is.
Source: "At Your Job: Divorce Lawyer" by Dennis P. Carmody, published in the Asbury Park Press.