Law firms find a niche representing men in divorce cases

lostapwbm · 2017-11-08T16:58:19+00:00

It took seven years for Don Morchesky to get a divorce. The conflict between husband and wife became so volatile during the marital separation that in 2013 it led to a house that they both owned burning down.

Really? The house just spontaneously combusted? Nobody's fault? An act of God?

Their divorce dragged on because of a criminal investigation that led to his ex-wife pleading guilty to arson and being sentenced to three years probation in Westmoreland County. When he got word this summer that his divorce was final, Mr. Morchesky said all he felt was numbness.

Not an act of God but an act of Cupcake.

The couple started their road to divorce in 2010 when she moved out of their Greensburg home and served him with papers seeking spousal support. He needed a lawyer, and he liked the idea that the attorneys at Cordell & Cordell specialized in representing men.

“There’s two sides to every story,” he said. “And you would think that if somebody picks just one side and specializes in that side, they gain experience and knowledge from that one side. They know what has worked in the past and what hasn’t.”

Several law firms across the country have decided to advocate for men’s and father’s rights in the family court system because of what they call a bias that exists toward mothers being granted custody of children and other types of treatment in divorce proceedings.

The Firm For Men advertises itself as the only family law firm in Virginia that does not represent women. The Mark Werner Law Firm only represents men and fathers in the Phoenix area. Laura Dale & Associates caters to affluent men in the Houston area who are concerned about losing half their business in a divorce.

Cordell & Cordell, which has 12 attorneys in Pittsburgh but is based in St. Louis, stands out as the nation’s largest national law firm that focuses on representing men in family court. The firm has roughly 250 attorneys in 100 offices across the U.S. and London.

Mr. Morchesky and his ex-wife had no children during their 22-year marriage and there were no custody issues to settle. He said they split the loss 50-50 on the house. His ex-wife ended up with 55 percent of their remaining marital assets, since she was a non-breadwinning spouse.

Keep in mind that this is AFTER she burned the house down.

“I don’t know if things would have been different with a lawyer who doesn’t represent men,” said Mr. Morchesky. “But I feel I was properly represented. I felt I made a very wise choice and decision because of their resources available that they could most appropriately represent me given the complex nature of my situation.”

Ted8367 · 2017-11-09T02:08:57+00:00

Brian Knavish, spokesman for the Allegheny County Bar Association, said he knows of no Pittsburgh-area family law firms that cater or market only to women.

Once again, women are the victims.

Title	Law firms find a niche representing men in divorce cases
Author	lostapwbm
Upvotes	30
Comments	2
Date	November 8, 2017 4:57 PM UTC (8 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MensRights
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/7bmm6y/law_firms_find_a_niche_representing_men_in/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MensRights/law-firms-find-a-niche-representing-men-in-divorce.911555 https://theredarchive.com/post/911555

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