Dear Attorneys,
My lawyer told me that she doesn’t argue “pots and pans.” I gave her a list of personal property that I want, but my soon-to-be-ex won’t agree. We’ve tried to negotiate a bit, but now she says I may have to go to arbitration. What does that mean?
Sincerely,
Arbitrating Asker
Dear Arbitrating,
That is a fairly common scenario. While some family law attorneys will actually negotiate personal property (aka personalty), many will not because of the amount of money that the back and forth negotiations costs you, as a client. Essentially, if your attorney did negotiate personal property, the amount of money you would pay for such negotiations would often exceed the value of the personal property over which you are arguing. Therefore, while we generally hope that parties can reach an agreeable division of their personal property, that is not always the case. When no agreement is reached, attorneys will generally send their clients to binding arbitration. The arbiter is a neutral third party who will help the parties to negotiate an agreement. That agreement and binding and thus, must be followed in the same manner as your court order, or divorce decree.
If you have additional questions, contact Wolf & Shore Law Group. We are here to make your family law matters easier, not harder. Ever argue with a woman? Let Wolf & Shore Law Group go to work for you. Call us at 203.745.3151 or email us at info@wolfandshorelaw.com.
Very Truly Yours,
Wolf & Shore Law Group
*The situations represented in our Dear Attorneys column are entirely fictional and any resemblance to a specific case is unintentional. We cannot, and will not, offer legal advice to anyone who is not a client. However, if you do have questions or concerns, you should contact an attorney at your convenience.