HOUSTON—With the national divorce rate estimated at about 50 percent, it’s likely that every American will, either directly or indirectly, experience the dissolution of a marriage at some point in their lives. Dealing with divorce is a difficult process, both emotionally and financially, and decisions made during the process can have long-term effects on many areas of your life. For this reason, selecting the right lawyer may be the most important decision that you make.
Choosing a lawyer to represent you in your divorce is an intricate process. It means establishing a close and sensitive relationship with someone that will continue for months and perhaps even years. It is important to find and hire someone whose philosophy of the proceedings aligns with yours, and as such, you must be prepared to ask questions that reflect your specific concerns.
The first step in selecting a divorce lawyer is to gather names of potential counsel in your area:
From other professionals: Lawyers, accountants, members of the clergy and other professionals meet and work with divorce lawyers in the course of their work and are often good sources of referrals. Ask them for the names of family law specialists with good credentials and reputations and whose qualifications are most appropriate to your case.
From organizations: Your state bar may be able to provide a recommendation for certified family law specialists in your area. To be certified in the field of family law usually requires a certain proven level of experience, study and interest, and specialists must pass an examination in this area of the law.
From your employer: The Employee Assistance (EAP) program provided by your employer may be able to provide confidential referrals to attorneys, and often affords a discount on the services performed. Your employer may also offer access to sponsored legal services, either by subsidizing all or a portion of your legal fees if you use specified legal providers, or by providing the opportunity to join a legal services program in which you pay a set premium in order to receive a certain level of legal services throughout the year.
From friends or relatives: You may know someone personally who has gone through a divorce. They can be a good source of information about lawyers, with two qualifications: First, every client and every case is different, so it is difficult to evaluate the performance of a lawyer in someone else’s case. And second, the lawyer-client relationship is highly personal. So while the impressions of a former client about a lawyer are useful, you should meet the lawyer and make your own judgment.
The second step in the selection process is to interview potential candidates. Most lawyers will offer an initial consultation, and you should use this opportunity to outline your case and ask relevant questions. Listen carefully to the answers given and write them down. This will help you compare your options and determine which lawyer will best be able to represent you.
Some questions you may wish to ask include the following:
How long have you been a lawyer?
What is your primary area of practice?
Do you practice in any other areas?
What percentage of your caseload is dedicated to divorce?
Have you handled cases in the past with issues similar to mine?
What kind of approach do you think is appropriate (aggressive, cooperative, etc.) and why?
What obstacles or issues are likely in a case like mine?
What are my options for resolving these issues?
How long will it take to settle my case?
What costs can I expect?
What are your rates and how often will I be billed?
What other legal fees might I incur?
How will you keep me informed on the progress in my case?
Who else in the office will be assigned to my case and what is their rate?
Are there any steps I can take to reduce my legal fees?
After you have chosen an attorney, it is important to establish ground rules and make sure that you are both on the same page. Take time to discuss your specific objectives and highlight the issues that are important to you. Together you may then outline a plan to resolve those issues.
You should also discuss avenues of communication and determine how best to stay in touch. A common complaint about lawyers is that they are often unavailable and fail to return calls in a timely manner. Perhaps your attorney will suggest contacting his secretary or legal assistant to schedule a telephone conference at a time that is convenient for you both. By setting an appointment, you will be assured of reaching your lawyer at a designated time.
Lastly, be honest with your attorney. Do not withhold pertinent information, even if it seems embarrassing. Your lawyer cannot properly represent you with only a portion of the facts. Nothing has the potential to harm your case more than being surprised at trial by unexpected revelations.
Divorce is an extremely difficult process, and while you may not want the added stress of choosing the right lawyer, in the end it could be the most important decision you make. Above all, you need to find an attorney with experience, for they will not only be able to handle the intricacies of the divorce proceedings, but will also be able to explain the law as it pertains to your case and help you explore your options. At Sullo & Sullo, LLP, we understand the emotional and financial ramifications of divorce and are here to help. If you or someone you know is dealing with the dissolution of a marriage, and would like a consultation, contact the experienced professionals at Sullo & Sullo, LLP at 713-839-9026.
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Showing posts with label family law attorneys houston. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family law attorneys houston. Show all posts
Television Stars Call It Quits After Eight-Month Marriage
HOUSTON—Apparently, "Till death do us part," was merely a suggestion for two of television’s most visible stars, who have elected to divorce after eight short months of matrimony.
Mad Men actress Elizabeth Moss—who plays Peggy in the popular AMC series—filed for divorce from Saturday Night Live comedian Fred Armisen in Los Angeles on Monday, September 20. However, Entertainment Tonight reported that Moss listed June 26 as the date of the couple’s separation, only eight months after they were married in an intimate ceremony in Long Island City.
Moss cited irreconcilable differences in her petition. According to Star magazine, she wants to prevent Armisen from getting spousal support. Sources close to the couple said Moss’s ties to the controversial Church of Scientology were behind the split. Us Weekly Magazine quoted one insider as having said, "Her religion was as important to her as their marriage, if not more. [Armisen] could not get with it."
Others have speculated that their busy schedules were problematic, and they couldn’t make their long-distance relationship work. Whatever the reason for divorce, neither spouse seems to be wasting any time moving on. Armisen is reportedly dating SNL castmate Abby Elliot, 23, while Moss has been linked to Bosnian actor Edin Gail.
Moss and Armisen met in October 2008, when she was a guest star on SNL, along with Mad Men co-star Jon Hamm. They became engaged the following January and were married last October 25. Armisen was previously married to British singer-songwriter Sally Timms.
Before being cast in Mad Men, Moss had a small role in the drama series The West Wing, appeared briefly in the medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, and appeared alongside Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie in the movie Girl, Interrupted. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress for her work on Mad Men in 2009.
Fred Armisen joined the cast of SNL in 2002, and has also appeared on 30 Rock and The Sarah Silverman Program, among other popular shows. He has a cameo in the comedic movie Easy A, and will play Brainy in the Smurfs movie scheduled for release next year.
The dissolution of a marriage, regardless of the length of your union, is never easy. If you or someone you know is facing a split, it pays to consult a professional about how best to protect your interests and assets. The experienced lawyers at Sullo & Sullo, LLP understand the emotional and financial ramifications of divorce and are here to help. Call us at 713.839.9026 for a free legal consultation today.
Mad Men actress Elizabeth Moss—who plays Peggy in the popular AMC series—filed for divorce from Saturday Night Live comedian Fred Armisen in Los Angeles on Monday, September 20. However, Entertainment Tonight reported that Moss listed June 26 as the date of the couple’s separation, only eight months after they were married in an intimate ceremony in Long Island City.
Moss cited irreconcilable differences in her petition. According to Star magazine, she wants to prevent Armisen from getting spousal support. Sources close to the couple said Moss’s ties to the controversial Church of Scientology were behind the split. Us Weekly Magazine quoted one insider as having said, "Her religion was as important to her as their marriage, if not more. [Armisen] could not get with it."
Others have speculated that their busy schedules were problematic, and they couldn’t make their long-distance relationship work. Whatever the reason for divorce, neither spouse seems to be wasting any time moving on. Armisen is reportedly dating SNL castmate Abby Elliot, 23, while Moss has been linked to Bosnian actor Edin Gail.
Moss and Armisen met in October 2008, when she was a guest star on SNL, along with Mad Men co-star Jon Hamm. They became engaged the following January and were married last October 25. Armisen was previously married to British singer-songwriter Sally Timms.
Before being cast in Mad Men, Moss had a small role in the drama series The West Wing, appeared briefly in the medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, and appeared alongside Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie in the movie Girl, Interrupted. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress for her work on Mad Men in 2009.
Fred Armisen joined the cast of SNL in 2002, and has also appeared on 30 Rock and The Sarah Silverman Program, among other popular shows. He has a cameo in the comedic movie Easy A, and will play Brainy in the Smurfs movie scheduled for release next year.
The dissolution of a marriage, regardless of the length of your union, is never easy. If you or someone you know is facing a split, it pays to consult a professional about how best to protect your interests and assets. The experienced lawyers at Sullo & Sullo, LLP understand the emotional and financial ramifications of divorce and are here to help. Call us at 713.839.9026 for a free legal consultation today.
High-Profile Divorces
HOUSTON—We’ve all heard the sobering statistics about divorce rates in the United States, where the cost of dissolving a marriage is relatively low and the process simple. But for high-profile couples with piles of cash and material assets, parting ways can be a costly and complicated affair.
Anyone with cable or Internet access knows the sordid details of Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren’s split, which is rumored will soon be settled for a staggering $100 million. Amazingly, theirs will not be the most expensive A-list divorce to date. Here is a look some of the costliest celebrity divorces:
1. Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall.Estimated settlement: $15 to 25 million.
The Rolling Stones’ front man and sexy supermodel met in 1977 and had two children together before tying the knot in a traditional Hindi wedding ceremony in Bali, Indonesia in 1990. Hall filed for divorce in 1999 after learning that Jagger had fathered a child with another woman. Jagger, worth an estimated $325 million at the time, successfully challenged the legality of the Balinese wedding and was granted an annulment. Hall walked away with only a fraction of his estate.
2. Michael and Diandra Douglas.Estimated settlement: $45 million.
The couple met in 1977 at a Jimmy Carter inauguration party and wed six weeks later. During the course of their marriage, Michael became one of Hollywood’s top earning actors, starring in box office hits like Fatal Attraction, Wall Street and Basic Instinct. Amid rumors of the actor’s infidelities and alcohol abuse, the couple separated in 1998. Diandra was awarded an estimated $45 million in 2000, plus homes in Beverly Hills and Majorca.
In June 2010, the couple returned to court to dispute Diandra’s claim to a portion of the proceeds from Michael’s upcoming Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. If the film is ruled to be a spin-off of the original Wall Street, which Michael filmed while they were together, Diandra will be entitled to a share of his earnings per their divorce settlement.
3. James Cameron and Linda Hamilton.Estimated settlement: $50 million.
The famed director wed the star of his first two Terminator movies in July 1997. Though their marriage lasted a mere 18 months, they conceived a daughter together during that time. Their divorce settled shortly after Titanic was released, and Cameron was forced to give Hamilton more than half of the film’s revenues.
4. Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills.Estimated settlement: $50 million.
The Beatles rocker married the former model and charity campaigner in 2002, with McCartney reportedly shunning Mills’ offer of a prenuptial agreement. In 2006, the pair began bitter divorce proceedings, which garnered a great deal of press and were not resolved until March of 2008. They have a daughter together who, in addition to Mills’ nearly $50 million settlement, will receive over $44,000 per year until her 18th birthday.
5. Madonna and Guy Ritchie.Estimated settlement: $76 million.
The Material Girl wed the British film director in 2000, two years after they met at a dinner party hosted by Sting and his wife Trudie Styler. The pair have two children together, Rocco, 8, and David, 3, who was adopted from Malawi. They share custody of the kids, and Madonna shared a large chunk of her estimated $450 million net worth with Ritchie when they settled their divorce for $76 million in 2008.
6. Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving.Estimated settlement: $100 million.
Famed director Spielberg and up-and-coming actress Irving met in 1979, had a son, and later married in 1985. But by 1989 the passion between them had fizzled and the amicably parted ways, with Spielberg giving Irving a $100 million settlement to show there were no hard feelings.
7. Neil Diamond and Marcia Murphey.Estimated settlement: $150 million.
Neil Diamond has known international signing success since the ‘60s, and during his career has sold more than one million records worldwide. When he met the woman who would share his life for 25 years, he was already married to his first wife.
Apparently Diamond went out for cigarettes in November 1969 and never returned. Three weeks later he had divorced and married TV producer Marcia Murphey. In 1994, following rumors of extramarital affairs on Diamond’s part, Murphey filed for divorce citing “irreconcilable differences”. Their settlement was for $150 million, half his fortune, which the singer claims he gave her cheerfully. “She’s worth every penny,” he said.
8. Rupert and Anna Murdoch.Estimated settlement: $1.7 billion.
One of the richest men in the world, Rupert Murdoch developed his worldwide media empire when he inherited his father’s Australian newspaper in 1952. He married Anna in the early ‘60s and they remained together for 32 years and had three children.
The pair split on good terms in 1998 but when Rupert forced Anna off the board of News Corporation, things turned ugly. Rupert finally agreed to give his wife $1.7 billion worth of his assets, $110 million of it in cash. 17 days later, Rupert married Wendi Dang, one of his employees.
As you can see, the higher the net-worth of the individuals involved, the messier the divorce proceedings may be. If you or someone you know is faced with the dissolution of a marriage, it pays to consult a professional about how best to protect your interests and assets. The lawyers at Sullo & Sullo, LLP understand the emotional and financial ramifications of divorce and are here to help. Contact us today for a free legal evaluation at 713.839.9026.
Anyone with cable or Internet access knows the sordid details of Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren’s split, which is rumored will soon be settled for a staggering $100 million. Amazingly, theirs will not be the most expensive A-list divorce to date. Here is a look some of the costliest celebrity divorces:
1. Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall.Estimated settlement: $15 to 25 million.
The Rolling Stones’ front man and sexy supermodel met in 1977 and had two children together before tying the knot in a traditional Hindi wedding ceremony in Bali, Indonesia in 1990. Hall filed for divorce in 1999 after learning that Jagger had fathered a child with another woman. Jagger, worth an estimated $325 million at the time, successfully challenged the legality of the Balinese wedding and was granted an annulment. Hall walked away with only a fraction of his estate.
2. Michael and Diandra Douglas.Estimated settlement: $45 million.
The couple met in 1977 at a Jimmy Carter inauguration party and wed six weeks later. During the course of their marriage, Michael became one of Hollywood’s top earning actors, starring in box office hits like Fatal Attraction, Wall Street and Basic Instinct. Amid rumors of the actor’s infidelities and alcohol abuse, the couple separated in 1998. Diandra was awarded an estimated $45 million in 2000, plus homes in Beverly Hills and Majorca.
In June 2010, the couple returned to court to dispute Diandra’s claim to a portion of the proceeds from Michael’s upcoming Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. If the film is ruled to be a spin-off of the original Wall Street, which Michael filmed while they were together, Diandra will be entitled to a share of his earnings per their divorce settlement.
3. James Cameron and Linda Hamilton.Estimated settlement: $50 million.
The famed director wed the star of his first two Terminator movies in July 1997. Though their marriage lasted a mere 18 months, they conceived a daughter together during that time. Their divorce settled shortly after Titanic was released, and Cameron was forced to give Hamilton more than half of the film’s revenues.
4. Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills.Estimated settlement: $50 million.
The Beatles rocker married the former model and charity campaigner in 2002, with McCartney reportedly shunning Mills’ offer of a prenuptial agreement. In 2006, the pair began bitter divorce proceedings, which garnered a great deal of press and were not resolved until March of 2008. They have a daughter together who, in addition to Mills’ nearly $50 million settlement, will receive over $44,000 per year until her 18th birthday.
5. Madonna and Guy Ritchie.Estimated settlement: $76 million.
The Material Girl wed the British film director in 2000, two years after they met at a dinner party hosted by Sting and his wife Trudie Styler. The pair have two children together, Rocco, 8, and David, 3, who was adopted from Malawi. They share custody of the kids, and Madonna shared a large chunk of her estimated $450 million net worth with Ritchie when they settled their divorce for $76 million in 2008.
6. Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving.Estimated settlement: $100 million.
Famed director Spielberg and up-and-coming actress Irving met in 1979, had a son, and later married in 1985. But by 1989 the passion between them had fizzled and the amicably parted ways, with Spielberg giving Irving a $100 million settlement to show there were no hard feelings.
7. Neil Diamond and Marcia Murphey.Estimated settlement: $150 million.
Neil Diamond has known international signing success since the ‘60s, and during his career has sold more than one million records worldwide. When he met the woman who would share his life for 25 years, he was already married to his first wife.
Apparently Diamond went out for cigarettes in November 1969 and never returned. Three weeks later he had divorced and married TV producer Marcia Murphey. In 1994, following rumors of extramarital affairs on Diamond’s part, Murphey filed for divorce citing “irreconcilable differences”. Their settlement was for $150 million, half his fortune, which the singer claims he gave her cheerfully. “She’s worth every penny,” he said.
8. Rupert and Anna Murdoch.Estimated settlement: $1.7 billion.
One of the richest men in the world, Rupert Murdoch developed his worldwide media empire when he inherited his father’s Australian newspaper in 1952. He married Anna in the early ‘60s and they remained together for 32 years and had three children.
The pair split on good terms in 1998 but when Rupert forced Anna off the board of News Corporation, things turned ugly. Rupert finally agreed to give his wife $1.7 billion worth of his assets, $110 million of it in cash. 17 days later, Rupert married Wendi Dang, one of his employees.
As you can see, the higher the net-worth of the individuals involved, the messier the divorce proceedings may be. If you or someone you know is faced with the dissolution of a marriage, it pays to consult a professional about how best to protect your interests and assets. The lawyers at Sullo & Sullo, LLP understand the emotional and financial ramifications of divorce and are here to help. Contact us today for a free legal evaluation at 713.839.9026.
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