IS THERE REALLY SUCH A THING AS A MEN’S DIVORCE LAWYER?

According to an article published this summer in  the Wall Street Journal, there is an increasing trend among divorce lawyers to market their practices specifically to men.

As a marketing tool, from the perspective of the lawyer, this makes perfect sense.  There is nothing new about niche marketing and boutique divorce firms have been all the rage for years. A lawyer who can convince his or her demographic that he or she is a champion of men and understands the injustices that too often befall them in divorce court, can gain a leg up on colleagues who trust clients to understand that experience representing both men and women benefits clients of both genders.

Jennifer Smith,  the author of the WSJ article entitled “Lawyers  Carve out ‘Divorce for Men’ Niche”,  makes it clear that the trend is about marketing and not about law.  The article discusses packing lawyers’ websites with SEO rich keywords and phrases appealing to men’s fears and concerns.  There are plenty of plausible reasons for this, none having to do with outcomes for clients.  Lawyers who limit their practices in this way may believe that any focus in advertising is a good thing, or may have a personal bias that male clients are generally in a better position than women to finance divorce.

The question for men facing divorce, by contrast, is whether the fact that their lawyer markets exclusively to men will make a difference in the outcome of their cases.  When pressed for answers on what kind of special advice such firms offered,  self-described men’s lawyers reported advising clients not to get into arguments with their wives which might result in false claims of abuse, and not to relocate to distant places if they planned to seek joint custody of their children.  Hardly profound insights or advice different from that which any experienced divorce lawyer would offer.

There is no doubt that at least some of the lawyers, who limit their divorce practice to men, genuinely believe that men tend to be short-changed in divorce court. Many might be proponents of alimony reform — a hot issue across the country.

Query, though, whether any judge is likely to be swayed in his or her decision by the politics of the husband’s lawyer as opposed to by the  facts of the case.   To the extent that gender biases exist in any jurisdiction, count on the fact that the experienced lawyers in that jurisdiction are aware of them and are prepared to address them on behalf of their clients.  All of us are bound by Rules of Professional Conduct that require us to represent our client’s zealously.

Before selecting a lawyer who touts himself or herself as a man’s divorce lawyer, men should first ask: does it cost extra, and, if so,  exactly why?