A little background - 4 years of marriage and one 2 year old. Haven’t talked about separation yet. Overall civil with occasional arguments. But things can get quite shitty after the separation news breaks out. As per the common wisdom on reddit, I started doing lawyer consultations with the hope to find a litigation oriented and retain them. I met one today and here is how it went.

  1. Contrary to common wisdom of serving and then talking, he suggested he write a letter to my wife or I talk to her in person. But he finally decision is yours.
  2. He said you move out of house if you fear false DV charges. He said using camera or audio recording as a precaution might not prevent charges. Also cameras as expensive and inflame tensions.
  3. He said he will take power to make decisions on my behalf and try to act coordially with OP. But if required he can litigate and get aggressive as well.
  4. He seemed quite extroverted, straightforward, and empathetic and claimed he does not like to overcharge etc.
  5. He did a free consultation for about 1.5 hours and answered all my questions. Even then, I said its time to wind this up as I have taken up a lot of time.
  6. He said if my ex withholds the baby we can file a urgent application. But the OC can do some tricks to dodge it and may be able to drag it. Overall I should be able to see my child in 3-6 months.

Thoughts?