Every year law students flock to summer positions at law firms to gain the experience they need to sort through their interests in different areas of law and to get a taste of the lives of practicing attorneys. The following are my first impressions after a month spent with a busy family law practice.

A. The essentials of a busy family law practice include:

  1. Kindness— being kind is the only approach to take in this area of law. Lawyers who practice family law are working with clients who are going through some of the most difficult and complicated times in their personal lives. Simply having compassion and always being willing to help the clients goes a long way.
  2. Reading every single document that you are sent. This goes without saying. Regardless of whether the document is an order, a motion, an email chain, or any other communication it is essential that it is read. It only takes one email or one filing to dramatically change the direction of a case.
  3. Keeping organized— as with most things in life, everything has a deadline that must be met and with a busy practice this becomes more challenging. It is imperative to maintain an organized and up to date calendar while juggling deadlines and hearing dates for multiple clients.

B. The most surprising things I have learned about a family law practice are:

  1. The sheer amount of international child abduction cases. There are far more active Hague cases in the United States and around the world than most people would imagine.
  2. The role of a family law attorney extends far beyond the courtroom. So much of what is done in a family law practice does not occur in the court at all. Rather, much of a family law attorney's time is spent on the phone with clients and opposing counsel, drafting documents, and conducting legal research.
  3. The amount of work that goes into trial preparation. For example, preparing for an international child abduction case is fast paced. These proceedings are conducted on an expedited schedule in which a decision must be reached within six weeks of the commencement of the proceeding.

C. The top lessons that I have learned in a month here are:

  1. Success in a family law practice requires patience, kindness, and dedication. Also, having a team that works together to overcome obstacles and that encourages one another is extremely effective and creates a healthy, collaborative environment in which the practice can flourish.
  2. Real world experience makes the rules learned in a law school classroom far easier to understand and relate to. For example, in civil procedure, law students learn about Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and discovery rules, but these rules are far easier to understand when drafting a motion to dismiss or preparing discovery requests.
  3. Finally, a family law practice is more than the time spent in court arguing over who gets what in a divorce. Family law attorneys sort through the complicated personal issues that clients are often faced with and help them through these tough times. There are many times that an attorney's counsel extends beyond the basic practice of law and by going the extra mile they create an environment of support for their client.

Emily Schmidt, a law clerk, assisted in the preparation of this blog post.

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