I see lots of crazy sounding headlines every day. If I just believed the headline, and did not read the story, and sometimes seek out facts for myself, I would be woefully uninformed. The same can be said for Family Court cases. Many times, a potential client will come in and declare something along the lines of: “My spouse is abusive to me! I want an abuse divorce.” But once I ask some questions, I will learn that the spouse has never laid a finger on the complaining spouse, which renders a physical abuse divorce impossible. (South Carolina does not recognize emotional or verbal abuse as grounds for divorce). Similarly, a potential client may declare something like: “My spouse is committing adultery!” But upon questioning, I learn that all the alleged adultery is phone sex or texting, which may be proof of inclination, but are not in and of themselves enough to prove adultery. None of this means that the potential clients cannot get relief in Family Court. Separate Maintenance and One Year “No Fault” Divorces remain available to everyone. What it means it that a good, experienced attorney will ask questions, often very probing and personal questions, in order to read past the headlines. No lawyer should ever just accept what a client says at face value. Clients do not understand the law or the intricacies of Family Law. Nuance is important. Details are important. Headlines less so.
I have practiced in Family Court since 1991. Put 29 years of experience to work for you. Email me at mj@mjgoodwin.com to schedule a consultation for Anderson County, SC cases.  Every effort is made to reply to emails within 24 hours.