Do I need to show up for court if I was never served papers?
Do I need to show up for court if I was never served papers? I live in South Carolina. I cannot speak for or about the jurisdiction of South Carolina…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 37: Arb-med
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant I have mentioned in previous posts that I am interested in the field of alternative dispute resolution, or “ADR”. What is ADR? Its any means…
How can I enforce my power when I have final say in joint custody?
My sons father and I have joint custody but I have final say over his well being health and education. How can I enforce my power? If you are asking: “How do I enforce in good…
Pending divorce spouse has moved out and stopped paying bills.
Pending divorce spouse has moved out and stopped paying bills. Should I report to my attorney or just wait until we go to court? Report this to your attorney immediately. There are…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 36: Planning
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant Planning is something that I have always aspired to do in my life but being a legal assistant has helped me realize that there is…
Why are child support and custody attorneys so expensive?
Because the work: requires a lot of knowledge of both the written (and unwritten*) rules that most people don’t have the time, interest, or ability to learn and apply correctly;…
Which is the best matrimonial site in the USA with a free trial?
There are many websites with lots of free information that is good. The problem is being able to tell the good content from the bad. This is why, whether you…
What happens to a restraining order respondent who misses the hearing?
What happens if you’re a restraining order respondent and you miss the hearing? There are a few possibilities, and I will address them in the order of what I think…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 35: International Law
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant In light of recent events in Russia and Ukraine, I have been thinking a lot about the nature of international law. In situations like these,…
How do you win a case against your ex for false accusations?
If you find an attorney who knows a sure-fire, fail-safe way to defend an ex-spouse or an ex-boyfriend/ex-girlfriend against “false accusations,” that attorney is likely a multimillionaire because possessing such…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 34: Electing judges
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 34: Electing judiciary officials By Quinton Lister, legal assistant I mentioned in a previous post that if I were to build…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 33
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant One part of my job as a legal assistant that I have yet spoken of has been my day-to-day interaction with potential clients. When you…
Must I hand a cop my license, or just show it?
I get this question a lot, and frankly, I am curious to know the answer myself: If you have a dedicated sleeve in your wallet that holds your driver license…
Do I need to show up for court if I was never served papers?
Do I need to show up for court if I was never served papers? I live in South Carolina. I cannot speak for or about the jurisdiction of South Carolina…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 32: If I could redo the legal system
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant My boss, Eric Johnson, a divorce attorney, thought it might be a good blog post to write about what I would do if I were…
Do lawyers approach people in high profile cases to offer their services?
Do lawyers typically approach people who will have high profile cases, like Kyle Rittenhouse, to offer their services? Some do. Some do because they are allowed by the ethical rules…
Should I use free family law resources?
Merely use them? I don’t see the harm in being familiar with them. Reading, watching, listening. Learning. That’s a good thing. A very good thing. Being dependent upon only free resources? No. That’s…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 31: Brian Flores
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 31: Brian Flores and the NFL By Quinton Lister, legal assistant My experiences as a legal assistant to a divorce attorney…
Would you want to groom your children to become lawyers?
Would you enlist your children into a pre-law school program which grooms them to become top notch lawyers? No. I have gone in the opposite direction. I have told my…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 30: Good Judges
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant In the course of my 7 months as a legal assistant to a divorce attorney in Utah, I have already shared some of my thoughts…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 29: Be Smart
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant The lesson I have been learning in my time working as a legal assistant is how important it is to have legal representation. Not just…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, Week 28: With liberty and justice for all
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant Why is navigating the legal system complicated? There are many reasons. Several things complicate the nature of our legal system. One thing is money. Lawyers…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 26: Lying
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant Lying is corrosive. Lying does not allow us to be the best version of ourselves. Lying keeps us in denial about the actual state of…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 25: Roots
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant It is hard to change any undesirable thing without looking at and understanding its fundamental components. For instance, with addiction, the issue is often not…
What are some ways to not appear judgmental as a lay witness?
What are some examples of how to not appear judgmental as a lay witness in court? Tell the !@#$% truth, not stories you hope will dupe the court into doing…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 24: Legal reform
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant As a legal assistant who is relatively wet behind the ears, my thoughts on legal reform will likely seem naïve. With that as a disclaimer, here are my…
What is a court proceeding?
According to Black's Law Dictionary (11th ed. 2019): PROCEEDING proceeding (16c) 1. The regular and orderly progression of a lawsuit, including all acts and events between the time of commencement…
What has a lawyer said that made you question their expertise?
What’s one thing you’ve heard a lawyer say that made you question their expertise? I was in court for a hearing in a divorce action where opposing counsel objected to…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 23: Injustice
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant My blog post from this last week has got me thinking about the idea of injustice. So many issues in life are unfair. Even in…
Are Licensed Paralegal Practitioners a good idea?
I just received and responded to a survey from Alyx Mark, assistant professor at Wesleyan University and a law and society scholar. After completing the survey, I sent this e-mail to Professor Mark:…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 22: The Rule of Law
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant Rule of law. The restriction of the arbitrary exercise of power by subordinating it to well-defined and established laws. My time as a legal assistant for a divorce…
What is a costly part of divorce that almost no one thinks of ahead of time?
Every aspect of divorce. Every single one. Two cannot live separately and divorced for less than they did together. Litigation is mind-bogglingly expensive and protracted. Even an uncontested divorce can…
How do I find out what my divorce case number was, if I’ve forgotten it?
It’s easy if you know what you’re doing. And if you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s easy to find someone who does know what to do. In many jurisdictions,…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 21: Never
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant I am still new at my job. I have only been a legal assistant since Summer of 2021, but I know for myself that I…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 20: Lawyers
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant My boss at the law firm where I work (Utah Family Law, LC) has informed me more than once that, “divorce lawyers are, with few exceptions, terrible people”. I am…
Is the divorce rate rising during the COVID-19 pandemic?
I’ve been a divorce attorney for 25 years, and I don’t see any difference in the divorce rate between the pre-and post-COVID-19 eras. That’s not a scientific study, just anecdotal…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 19: Litigation
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant Litigation is not fun. It’s anything but fun. Now, I am not a lawyer and I have only been a legal assistant since this past…
Why is a lawyer charging me $1,500 for a court order?
I do not know. Ask your lawyer. And ask sincerely. Feel free to be frank, but ask sincerely. If his/her answer does not make sense (and you’re being honest with…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 18
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 18: Financial Declarations and Initial Disclosures By Quinton Lister, legal assistant My minimal exposure to the legal profession as a legal…
I have no money and a non-cooperative ex, how do I get legal help?
How can I obtain assistance in a custody matter when I have no money and my ex-husband is not following the current court order? In some jurisdictions there are legal…
What is the biggest mistake lawyers make during closing arguments?
What is the biggest mistake a lawyer makes when making closing arguments? Being long-winded and/or obnoxious, repetitive, rambling, imprecise, boring. But here’s the kicker: if you are clear and concise,…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 17: Fairness
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant Before I started working as a legal assistant I was a philosophy major at BYU. During that time I read a portion of John Rawls treatise on justice. Mr. Rawls…
What is the first step if you get served with papers for divorce?
Rip off that band-aid and go see a lawyer immediately. Not “as soon as possible,” right now. Now. Without delay. Without any delay. Yes, I know you don’t trust lawyers. I know…
Where can I find a pro bono lawyer when being charged with contempt of child support in MN?
You may have a very difficult time finding free legal representation, BUT you may have a much easier time getting advice as to how you can and should proceed and…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 16: Self-awareness
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant This new experience working in the legal field has been full of unexpected lessons. One is that it really does help to be self-aware. What…
How do I get an attorney to represent me against my abusive ex narc?
How do I get an attorney to represent me in court against my abusive ex narc who is filing for emergency custody of our children? Two things (if the lawyer…
What are the biggest mistakes lawyers make when presenting their case?
What are some of the biggest mistakes lawyers make when presenting their case to a jury? Being long-winded, repetitive, rambling, imprecise, boring. But here’s the kicker: if you are clear…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 15: Objections.
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant I think one of the least understood facets of the legal system by lay people (like myself, a new legal assistant) is the concept of…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 14: Preparedness and Honesty
By Quinton Lister, Legal Assistant My new job as a legal assistant to a divorce attorney has opened my eyes to the necessity of preparation. There are emergencies and surprises…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 13: Thoughts on ADR
By Quinton Lister, Legal Assistant Part of what has drawn me to my current position as a legal assistant to a divorce attorney is that I wanted to learn more…
