Promise One: We treat you like a person, not a case number.
We realize your divorce, your situation, and your family’s needs are unique, so we respond accordingly. You may have to raise children with your former spouse and want to lay the groundwork for an amicable co-parenting future together. Or you might just want to divide the property, make a clean break, and get on with your life. No two people are exactly alike and no two people experience divorce in the exact same way.
This is why we take the time, before anything else, to understand your situation, your needs, and your goals. By focusing on your desired outcome, we can tailor our services to meet your needs and help you through your divorce in the way that’s best for you and your family. We do this by offering a range of options and specialized services designed to meet the diverse differences of individual families. Together, we’ll find an approach that feels right while giving you the best outcome possible.
Promise Two: We have straightforward pricing with no hidden fees.
If you’ve visited other law firms, you already know the routine. They won’t tell you the specific fees you’ll pay because they bill by the hour and can’t calculate your costs. At Rosen, we tell you the fees in advance, so there are no surprises and you can relax knowing how much it will cost in the end. We make a promise to you and we stick to it. That makes a difference.
Promise Three: You work with a team of professionals who are experts at what they do.
When you hire Rosen you get a team of professionals to guide you through the process. Our experts have experience in bankruptcy, taxation, litigation, child development, business valuation, mental health, and all of the other issues that might arise in your case. We have the resources you’ll need to create an excellent result.
Our attorneys are recognized as experts across the nation. When law schools, lawmakers, judges and other attorneys need an expert they contact a Rosen attorney. Our attorneys regularly testify before the North Carolina General Assembly and have been appointed by the Governor to the Domestic Violence Commission. We’ve lectured and advised judges from North Carolina to California and have served as experts for the North Carolina Conference of Chief District Court Judges and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.
When we say attorneys of “our caliber” we mean experts who focus on cases like yours all day, every day. You don’t want a dabbler — someone who deals with a traffic case in the morning, a will over lunch, a landlord-tenant dispute in the afternoon, and squeezes your case somewhere in the middle. You want someone with the expertise to solve your problem.
Promise Four: We give you personal attention.
Our attorneys handle a limited number of cases. We typically have 15 to 25 clients at a time. Many divorce attorneys handle two to seven times as many “files” (and that’s the word they use for “clients”. When you need attention your attorney has the time to provide what you need. This enables us to provide unparalleled counsel. When you call, we answer.
Promise Five: We bring you into the process through the most innovative technology.
We have the technology to be efficient, productive, quick, and to keep you instantly informed. For example, each client’s file is stored on our secure network. Your attorney has every document at hand and so do you. We provide you with access to all of your files through a secure client portal This gives you 24/7 access to your critical matter, including client information, correspondence, court documents, as well as other case related information.
Your attorney can instantly conference in any of our experts and help in your case. We offer the latest in video conferencing and screen sharing technology. You’ll be able to stay abreast of the developments in your case anyway you choose.
These are our five promises. Keeping these five promises has allowed us build a successful practice spanning the state. We’ve learned quite a bit along the way and been asked nearly every question you can imagine. Let’s take a look at some questions in this next section.
Great. You’re on Board with Rosen Law Firm (smart move).
The Three Questions Everyone Asks Us
We find that our clients almost universally have three things on their mind. They want to know:
1. Am I going to win?
2. How long is this going to take?
3. How much am I going to spend?
First, it is often said that no one wins in a divorce case. We will do all we can to see that all issues are raised, that your case is structured to your advantage, and that you lose as little as possible. However, if your intent is to punish your spouse or to win by way of an all-out, no-holds-barred victory, then we recommend you retain another law firm; in most cases that goal is unattainable.
Regarding how long your case will take, it is virtually impossible to say at the outset. We will be better able to give you a range of time after your case has been partially prepared and we understand the issues. Generally, the amount of time required is determined by the complexity of the contested issues, the intensity of the feelings be-tween the parties and the court’s calendar, if going to court is required. Frankly, weighing these issues, we find that the biggest factor is how angry the husband and wife have become with one another. The more anger, the longer it takes to resolve issues.
Last, at Rosen, we charge certain fees for certain services. During your consultation, our attorneys can provide you with a detailed explanation of the exact legal fees for your case. We provide you with a specific fixed fee so that you can plan for and deal with the expense of your divorce.
Our fee may seem high when you first hear the number. You may find another attorney that will quote you a lower retainer when using an hourly rate. When an hourly rate is charged it is common for the client to hear only the amount of the initial deposit toward the fee. Later, when additional fees are charged, clients are surprised and become understandably upset. That’s why we provide you with a complete fee at the beginning of your divorce.
Are you making the right decision?
Family law cases are usually emotionally charged. For that reason, Rosen Law Firm encourages its clients to seek counseling before or during the legal process. Depending on the client’s needs, counseling is recommended for different purposes. One client may benefit from marriage counseling to improve or reconcile a relationship. Another may instead need divorce counseling to discover what went wrong, how to cope, and pick up the pieces and go on.
A client will often put off going to a counselor because his or her spouse will not. Don’t wait for your spouse to participate. Individual counseling can be extremely helpful and satisfying. Often parents and children attend counseling together to lessen the effects a divorce or custody dispute has on the children, and to help the family put their emotions back together. How do you find the right counselor? If you do not know where to begin, our firm will recommend qualified counselors. Your employment, social, or religious contacts might also provide leads.
When choosing a counselor, be picky. Counselors have different styles or approaches. Search until you feel comfortable. A counselor may provide a first session at no cost or at a reduced rate to see if it’s a match. Ask about cost in your first meeting. Check your health insurance policy to see if your plan covers any part of the cost.
Reassurance from friends and family members or legal advice from your attorney may help at this time, but a counselor is trained to address your emotional ups and downs. Make an appointment with a counselor. It will help you and make your attorney’s job easier.
What Happens Next?
At Rosen, we see you, our attorneys and our support staff as a team. We all work together to achieve your desired goals. Getting off to a strong start is important. Not only will it help your legal process, it will help you personally deal with a process that can seem some-what daunting. With that in mind we’ve outlined what you can expect as we begin working on your divorce. You’ll see what you can expect from us and also get a feel for what you’ll need to do in the first days and weeks of our working together.
NetDocuments. Within 24 hours of retaining the firm, you will receive an email from NetDocuments.com about choosing a password and setting up your account. This is the service we use for giving you access to your documents. The account will use the email address you provided to us when scheduling your initial consultation and a password that you select. Be sure to set up this password within 48 hours, or the system will lock you out and will require a manual set-up.
NetDocuments gives you access to all of the files we keep that are related to your case. In addition to the financial information that you provide, documents from your spouse and your spouse’s attorney are stored there, as well as all documents sent to and received from the courthouse. You will receive an email notification any time we upload a new document to your file so that you can stay on top of the latest developments.
Financial workbook. A financial workbook in the form of an Excel file will be emailed to you within 24 hours after retaining our firm. The purpose of this financial workbook is to help us negotiate a settlement in your best interest using the most accurate information possible. It’s important that you fill it out as soon as possible and re-turn it to your attorney.
Contact by your attorney. Your attorney will promptly contact you. This may or may not be the attorney you met with when you first visited our office. We look over your situation and select the attorney who is the best fit for your needs. Your attorney will have already been briefed on your divorce and will be ready to move for-ward on your negotiations.
Your financial workbook will be analyzed and a summary provided to your attorney. Now your attorney has information on both the emotional and financial sides of your divorce. It is important to re-member that your case cannot move forward until this vital information has been provided to your attorney.
What you can do right now?
As you have probably already sensed, good communication be-tween you and your legal team is vital. That’s why we use efficient systems such as NetDocuments. You can help your divorce progress faster and more smoothly by providing us with right documents in the best data formats. This will ensure that your information gets into our database and to your attorney as quickly as possible.
Although we can accept information in any format you may have, the process will go much more quickly if you give us documents that take less time to categorize and file electronically. For example a computer file called “Smith – Bank Statement – Oct 2014.pdf” and emailed to us will be easier to process and get to your attorney than a CD full of files with names like “1234.pdf.” In turn, the CD of files would be better than a box of paper documents delivered to our office.
The financial documents that are important to your case include statements and appraisals for real estate, bank accounts, vehicles (including boats and RVs), personal property, valuables, investments (stocks, bonds and mutual funds), debts, business interests, life insurance policies and taxes. To help you gather all the required documents, a comprehensive list is on the next page. Again, sending these in an electronic format whenever possible will speed up your divorce.
At Rosen, we recognize that separation and divorce is a legal, financial, and emotional process. We are here to assist you as much as possible with all parts of this process. We hope to help transform what is a potentially damaging life transition to a healing process for your family. This may at times require a lot of emotional energy on your part. It is natural for the process to feel overwhelming at times. Please talk to your attorney whenever you have questions or concerns.
