Jim Siemens

Certified Family Law Specialist

During weekend reading, I came across an article in the Wall Street Journal that confirms principles and practices that set Siemens Family Law Group apart from the rest.

The article is titled “n” and in it, the authors, Alan Siegel and Irene Etzkorn, suggest that lawyers and technologists are the “taproots of complexity”.  I think that is a fair charge.  The authors go on to say that “complexity is a coward’s way out”.  I think there is truth in that too.

Family Law is complex, and it’s a good family law lawyer’s job to distill and clarify that law so that his or her client really understands how the law will meet the particular facts of their case.  Complexity really doesn’t serve the client.  At its worst, complexity can be used as artifice that serves the lawyer to the disadvantage of a client.  I see that sometimes, and I don’t like it.

In previous posts, I have mentioned the word empathy and the concept of empathic listening (the groundwork for effective communication).  Siegel and Etzkorn mention that word too.  They define empathizing as the perception of others needs and expectations.  That definition seems right to me.  They go on to say that empathy is “the only way to shorten the distance between an organization providing services and the individual receiving them.”

We want to shorten the distance between complex law and our clients.  Not with gimmicks and forms.  But with effective communication with each of our clients, so that they understand the process, the law and how the law applies to their unique set of facts.

Incidentally, I find that the same kind of communication works in mediation and the courtroom.

I’ll be sharing this article with my team, and we will be talking about how to keep the in play at Siemens Family Law Group.