Chris Ford is an excellent attorney. He listened and understood the facts of my case, and informed me on the various possible outcomes. I never felt "left in the dark" as to what was going on in my case, or that he had a case load too big to handle my specific needs.
I believe the most helpful skill Chris possesses is superior legal writing skills. He prepared thoughtful, thorough and reasonable responses to the opposing party. The opposition he created in response to a motion to modify custody, demonstrated how well he understood my case. He helped me defend myself against a plethora of erroneous accusations, by writing the facts in such a way that the judge understood why these claims should not be taken seriously.
My coparent has a history of lying, manipulating and controlling behavior which was finally seen by the court. My coparent would say or do anything to win, even if it meant hurting our child in the process. I was relieved the judge reviewed the evidence provided, my statements, and arguments to understand the "full picture".
The entire court process was lengthy. It lasted from mid 2016 to early 2018, although, this was not due to Chris' actions. The opposing party would not comply to court orders, and delayed the outcome of the case whenever possible. It was a frustrating experience, but I was relieved when the judge final said the "fishing expedition was over".
Every step of the way Chris eased my stress with keeping me informed. He is professional, ethical, and intellectually very bright. Trust me, I know from experience, these are not attributes to be taken for granted. Not all attorneys care about the clients they represent, spend the mental energy it takes to understand the case, or even have legal writing skills required to make compelling arguments.
The last time my coparent pursued a modification of custody, I made a grave error. I thought that since I am good parent, and had done nothing to lose joint custody, that almost any attorney I chose would create the same result. After all, this was the 4th time a case was brought to court with baseless accusations. I jumped through all the hoops to disprove everything I could that was thrown at me from a drug test, to my daughter getting evaluated by a psychologist, to printing text communications that demonstrated my coparents lack of communication. You name it.
What I learned the hard way, is that it doesn't always matter what the facts really are. Sometimes it matters more which attorney makes the stronger argument and the optics of the situation. Presenting yourself in such a way the judge likes you or at least doesn't not like you (goes for the attorney and client), formulating strong rebuttals to false accusations, strategies attorneys take including how they use the courts time, meeting disclosure and filing deadlines, and understanding how to boost their client up when the opposing party has mischaracterized evidence and who you are as a person.
I didn't hire Chris this last time and everything possible went wrong from the start. Had I hired him, or found a way to afford him I know that the most recent case would have gone drastically differently. He would have responded to the motion with a thoughtful, professional, and thorough opposition. He would have submitted the evidence I gave him that was most helpful to the case on time. He would have known the history of cases with my coparent. He would have redirected questions in a way that any misunderstanding or clarifications that were needed would have been resolved quickly. He would not have allowed misheard statements to make it within the record as facts. He would have presented himself well in court, and I really don't think he would have gotten bulldozed the way my attorney and I were in this last case.
I made a terrible decision based on financial cost, but what I didn't realize is that the financial cost means nothing compared to the cost of losing time with your child. I would do anything to take this decision back and just come up with the money to prevent this heart wrenching outcome that has hurt my child, her sister, my family and me.
Excellent representation comes at a financial price, and sometimes a steep one for a superior attorney with the qualities needed to fight complex cases, but consider what the price is for losing time with your child, and what the outcome could mean to your bond with your child. Cherished missed moments with your child, you don't get back and there is no price tag on that. read more
