Dear
We are randomly contacting an equal sampling of male, female, younger, and older attorneys to explore the field of family and divorce practice.
Could you please assist us in our survey regarding the practices of attorneys in this area who counsel and advise individuals pertaining to divorce?
Yes No Do you recommend or advocate a “cooling off” period after a crisis event for a couple or recommend that they seek counsel and negotiate their problems, or
Yes No Do you move more quickly for a divorce petition filing, assuming the couple has done whatever therapy “work” that can be done?
Yes No Do you caution them about the gravity, complexity and expense in the decision to divorce.
Yes No ..specifically mention the social complexities of unraveling a marriage of twenty years, or longer.
Yes No ….specifically mention that unresolved matters of child-rearing will not end with divorce, but often become more painful or protracted.
Yes No ...mention recent research about the common patterns of marital deterioration or resolution.
Yes No I mention methods or practices that have helped couples to improve marital satisfaction and thus they have remained together
Yes No I mention the guilt, anguish, or regret that can be experienced in relinquishing vows and commitments.
Yes No I specifically discuss the dramatic reduction in household income (and the dramatically increased possibility of bankruptcy) that often accompanies divorce.
Yes No I specifically inquire regarding my clients attitude and participation in efforts to ameliorate marital difficulties. If this is being done, I am likely to recommend a substantial waiting period.
Yes No I specifically inquire about the specific causes and beliefs regarding a client’s wishes to pursue marital dissolution.
Yes No If a client reports abuse (physical, verbal, or emotional) I will ask for details, so as to assess the gravity of such allegations.
Yes No If my client has the obviously greater earnings or resources (or potential) , I warn them that some level of support or alimony, particularly in the dissolution of a longer marriage, is quite likely.
Yes No If the couple has school-aged children, I am likely to mention that school and behavior problems accompany divorce at a much higher rate than intact households.
Yes No I mention that divorce from a subsequent marriage, statistically, is more likely. (A higher percentage of 2nd and 3rd marriages end in divorce than do 1st marriages.)
Yes No If a therapist or doctor refers a client to me for divorce information or filing, I am assured that the “other party” is at fault as there has already been a professional screening of “the facts.”
Yes No I specifically mention the increased dependencies of the single, divorced elderly vs. the maintenance of vows to support each other through difficulty.
Yes No I find divorce work to be one of the more satisfying aspects of my profession.
Please complete and return to the address on the enclosed envelope.
