I have been engaged in discussions and emails today with Thomas F. McDow, a family law attorney from Rock Hill whom I highly regard and respect (he will be one of the speakers at the South Carolina Bar’s guardian ad litem training I will be moderating on January 28, 2011). During our discussions he made an excellent suggestion to publicize something he’s been doing for family court temporary hearings. Since his suggestion is seemingly obvious but even I do it only intermittently (and few other local attorneys do it ever), I am honoring that suggestion.
He suggests family court attorneys provide two copies of their affidavits for family court hearings to opposing counsel: one for the attorney and one for the client. He notes that it takes little additional time or expense to make one additional copy and that it saves opposing counsel the trouble and expense of going back to the office after the hearing to copy all the opposing party’s paperwork for one’s client. Further it is much easier to review and discuss the opposing party’s submissions while waiting for the hearing if the client and the attorney each have a copy of the paperwork.
If enough family court attorneys did this it would become routine practice and make every attorney’s job easier. I will strive to be more cognizant of this in the future and hope my fellow family law attorneys will do the same.
Thanks Greg.