9 www.lawyer-monthly.com Lawyer Monthly Legal Awards 2024 a small IT company from the beginning of their relationship. However, once it turned sour, the man simply cut the woman off, saying she didn’t deserve anything after 20 years as they didn’t actually live together immediately after they met but only a few years later. He also mentioned that the company was registered under his name only. The opponent’s very seasoned lawyer presented their version of the documents regarding the case. The witnesses gave conflicting testaments, and on top of that, my client married another man when she entered the country 25 years ago but never actually lived with him. Neither of these helped our case. We had to prove before the judge that despite this lady being married to someone else, in reality, she actually lived together with the defendant. This served as a base for her monetary claims from the 20 years of jointly amassed wealth. Throughout the lengthy trial, I proved the woman, in fact, lived with the defendant in a cohabitating relationship, and they shared finances. The most intriguing evidence was a bank statement we managed to attain at the last minute. The court refused to accept our initial motion for proof, but it was allowed in the end. The statement, therefore, proved that both parties contributed financially and that my client paid a substantial amount of money towards a property the defendant claimed was his own. However, it wasn’t this one piece of evidence that brought us results but the comprehensive deposition and the often seemingly hopeless persistent arguments we fought during the trial. The judge made the right decision even though we were in a tough situation and without the defendant’s evidence. Family law often involves high emotional stakes, especially in divorce and child custody cases. How do you manage client expectations and emotions while maintaining focus on the legal aspects? Family law is the most sensitive field. Thus, one must pay a lot of attention to the client’s interests and find common ground. The task at hand isn’t only to perfectly represent a client but to determine the emotional connection the client still has with a partner or spouse. Namely, because people tend to be driven by sudden fury when they visit a lawyer. If a lawyer solely focuses on this initial rage, then at the filing of the statement of claim, the mistake of being overcritical of the defendant can happen. Thus, in these cases, it is important to interview a client more often. It is also essential to draw attention to hastily made comments as they bear legal consequences and won’t be in the best interest of the case. One of these instances is when an angry client accuses the other party of committing a crime. Or another one when the defendant angrily calls the lawyer of his partner. It is imperative to only communicate with your own client as a lawyer, completely avoiding the misconception of displaced interests. Child placement often comes with its own issues. For example, when a parent takes the child without the prior consent of the other parent and uses the child as a tool for extortion. This can be solved with a temporary court-ordered measure, but unfortunately, despite this, a parent can go without seeing the child for two or three months. It is crucial to bestow the client with legally defensible advice. What do you believe are the most important qualities for an attorney to have in order to successfully represent clients across such diverse areas as criminal law, family law, and property law? It doesn’t matter whether it’s criminal or family law. The most important point is to be able to interpret a case in the language of law without the irrelevant parts. If a lawyer can do this, that’s half the success already. I often observe colleagues getting lost in detail, especially in these two fields. They don’t find the legitimate substantive law they wish to pursue, or they can’t distinguish between statements of the facts and statutory elements in criminal suits. Q Q There isn’t a better challenge than to stand by someone who often has the whole world against them because everyone deserves defence, regardless of the nature of the case. “
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