Having a recent conversation with someone I consider a very seasoned lawyer in the world of DIVORCE some interesting thoughts came to light… reasonable vs unreasonable. Nothing stays the same for very long, the days of getting outrageous ‘Fee Awards’ from the bench I think are gone…. the old lawyers and the old judges are for the most part gone, either via retirement or death. Some of those old time bench officers would hammer some litigants with court orders and being responsible for big fee awards. ‘Sell the house to pay the lawyers’.
When you had two DIVORCE lawyers taking ridiculous positions and having a client with the money to Play High Dollar Legal games it was all good. Even if you were representing the client with no money, have no worry the one who makes the most money will pay all the lawyers, winner, winner, chicken dinner! There is one lawyer that comes to mind, Patrick DeCarolis who as I recall made a fortune for himself representing the side with little or no money. Patrick is one of the best lawyers in the industry who can spin wet shit into solid gold! Sounds ridiculous, but this type of a practice is not easy and takes a damn good lawyer, welcome to Patrick’s world! Not sure if DeCarolis likes chicken or not, I do know he loves Italy!
Having that ‘unofficial’ judicial relationship is not what they once were….for sure there is certainly some of that game play that still exists, just not as it once was. There should be a separation between the bench and those who come before them, but it was obvious at times that some bench officers were thinking hard on retirement and all that brings. The glory at the end of the tunnel for many judges is that “RENT A JUDGE”, big time money. Especially in the Southern California DIVORCE scene. Oh the Beverly Hills BAR and those very clever ‘Puff Dinners’ they throw honoring one bench officer or the other always seemed like cloaked corruption to me. ‘Tonight we are honoring the Honorable One for combing his hair with one hand’. And there would be a dinner and an award given to that judge who was the flavor of the night, and how nice “ The Gold Comb”.
DIVORCE is very costly and not for the faint of heart, and it is not just the lawyer that sucks you in. You, the client is just as guilty as I have always said, vengeance is very costly. Understanding the rough waters of DIVORCE in the world today has certainly changed. I can recall a case where the wife was a junkie and kept trying to destroy her husband and his business. Sure, the guy liked young whores, but even as young as they may have appeared they were 18, after all that was what the I.D. read.
However the accusations made it into legal letters and then out of no where a ‘sexual harassment‘ lawsuit is filed against the big rich guy. The current wife was a cute young junkie whore and now is an old junkie whore and thus lies the problem…. no one really wants an old whore, except her DIVORCE lawyer collecting $35,000.00 a week! Even funnier yet, is that the case has not even gotten to court.
Laura Allison Wasser, Esq., in my opinion has been way, way ahead of the times in the world of DIVORCE! You would always hear many of the ‘old timers’ make comments that ‘Laura is not a litigator’. Laura’s detractors too had similar unkind comments. If true, why did it seem that Laura Wasser seemed to land so many huge celebrity cases? The other interesting issue, of course, was Wasser’s cases got very little publicity other than the initial filing that the media would run with and then it would go very quiet.
One reason is that Laura Wasser, Esq. handles her case with care and professionalism, and she knows the law, did I also mention class? Knowing the law and having the ability to come up with settlements that are not costing her clients hundreds of thousands of dollars just for boxes of silliness in the form of legal work, is not Laura’s style. When you get a DIVORCE lawyer like Wasser and her thoughts on DIVORCE and smart clients who seek her out you will often get litigants who got the job done. Done, no discount operations here don’t misunderstand what I am saying, any real talent is not going to be cheap, Wasser knows the system and has filled a notch that few can ever achieve, and makes a really nice living.
It is a fact that today if you want to have an ugly DIVORCE there are still hundreds of DIVORCE lawyers out there that are willing to do that assuming that ‘Mr. Green’ is healthy. Lawyers like Laura Wasser, Michael Trope, Adam Lipsic and several others are in the business of putting together settlements that are strong and that leaves the litigants still standing. None of these litigants are being taken out of the ring by stretcher in a semi conscious state. The ability to negotiate is truly an art form, that few DIVORCE lawyers seem to have mastered in todays world of DIVORCE. Being reasonable is not in the best interest of the DIVORCE or any lawyer, after all billing by the hour is a wonderful thing, just not for the folks paying the freight. $35,000.00 a week feels better than $140,000.00 a month…. you see, genius!
You want the other side of the coin and want a vicious miserable and costly DIVORCE, Judy Bogen, Esq., Lisa Helfend Meyer, Esq., Benjamin Valencia, Esq., Michael Collumn, Esq.. All of these attorney’s are well known litigators who will fight and litigate your DIVORCE. Will you win, what exactly does that mean, “win”?
Judy Bogen, Lawyer has been around a very long time and when it comes to bringing a voice and presence into a courtroom, you won’t be disappointed…..’You will hear her before you see her!’ One of my favorites to listen and to watch back in the day. My god, so powerful and fearless in the defense of her clients. Neal Hersh and Joe Mannis both have a presence in court and will present and defend your case that will keep you on the edge of your seat as if your observing a bullfight, great lawyers and the best that money will buy and they really dress nice! Personally I really adore them both, for what seems forever.
Lisa Helfend Meyer, Esq. will say and do almost anything in the course of presenting and representing you in a DIVORCE. Further to have a good old street fight and call it a DIVORCE, Meyer has the foundation and staff to keep her looking fresh while kicking ass. With Meyer as old as she is, she is still the one that keeps that firm of ‘Flying Assholes’ in the air. All of this legal entertainment comes at a price and brother you will pay and pay, as long as you are having a good time why not? I can recall one well known Bench Officer and someone I always enjoyed talking with in chambers, told me that for many a DIVORCE is very much a form of “Sport”. Just like hunting quail or racing a yacht it is all a game of sport, and they love the action.
Then we have someone like Samantha Spector, lawyer or PR person or a marketing genius? What I ask, is this little dumpy pain in the ass really famous for? Actually not much, let me explain, she could not present a case if her entire miserable career depended on it. Spector in her own unkept way seems to attract high paying clients and to be honest, NO ONE KNOWS HOW!!! I have lost count in all that I have spoken to who have asked, “How ?” Having dealt with her in the past when she was bringing most of her cases to Lisa Helfend Meyer I did realize, she was bringing great high dollar cases to the offices of Meyer. One method that Samantha Spector uses is hanging out at the most high dollar restaurants and making the scene, and I guess she has a great line of bullshit to fish the market with. In her stable there has been several law firms that she has used to do her heavy lifting, such as the practice of law, that seriously it would appear she has no idea what she is doing!
However, as a lawyer, if you saw her in court you would think that she was some kind of ill designed floor lamp! However you must give credit where credit is due, she gets paid from the firms she brings into her cases. These firms actually to do all of her work and she sits there passing tissue and water to co counsel and collects one hell of an hourly wage for herself too, as she passes mints!
You see lawyers have this backroom deal of paying each other for referrals and all kinds of fun stuff. I have heard that some law firms will pay their buddies with a good referral upwards of 30% of what the firm bills! Plus they also show up to all the depos and court appearances and all those meetings and they bill their hourly rate as if they were the primary lawyer. If you are a lawyer and can’t tie your shoes this is one hell of a way to make a living as a DIVORCE lawyer. Think of it, you are almost paid twice as a reward for having the ability to attract business and basically sell the case to another firm and all you have to do is harvest….. your fees!
My office refers our clients to lawyers and Nazarian and Associates collect nothing in referral fees. For sure our services are often used to assist in the case along the way and why not, it was our case to begin with. The last several years we have referred millions of dollars in fees for many DIVORCE lawyers in Southern California.