Impact on the Economy

The downturn of the housing market, financial markets collapsing and unemployment at a 15 year high, how do these economic conditions affect and impact your divorce?

The answers to this very important question are still emerging. Law tends to lag in providing solutions to fast moving events. Judges are struggling to make fair decisions but are sometimes stuck having to implement rules that have little relevancy in today’s economy.

It is now more important than ever to have a family law lawyer who is creative and willing look for solutions in places other than dusty law books. It is also important for attorneys to focus on reducing litigation costs at every opportunity.

Both Mark Ressa, Esq. and Jason J. Elter, Esq. are providing solutions to get their clients you through the divorce process quickly and economically.

Approach

BayAreaDivorce.com was established by Mark Ressa, Esq., an attorney with extensive experience representing thousands of clients in all areas of family law including child custody, visitation, child and spousal support, property division, paternity, domestic violence and juvenile dependency matters.

Mr. Ressa's approach to family law is pragmatic and designed to produce results. "From the first interview, we identify what matters most to the client. For example, a client might think it important to remain in the family residence. It might be to have a greater share of time with the children. It might be to terminate a spousal support order others say will go on forever. Armed with this knowledge, we define and integrate the client's long term objectives into a legal strategy that is consistent with the law and best minimizes the emotional and financial impact of divorce."

Next, Mr. Ressa focuses on getting the client through the divorce with all deliberative speed. "Once we have identified what matters most to the client and devised a strategy to accomplish those goals in the most direct and efficient fashion, we try to get the client through the divorce process as quickly as possible consistent with doing a great job. Although the court system allows a great deal of latitude how quickly parties are allowed to finalize their divorce, beyond the 6 month minimum timeframe, the most frequent complaint heard by clients after paying too much for their divorce, is how long it took. This rarely benefits the client."

An area in which attorneys do their clients a disservice is in not exploring alternatives to litigation. This is especially true when those alternatives may require an attorney to refer the client elsewhere. "There is more than one way to divorce a spouse. Regrettably, attorneys rarely explore alternatives outside their own field of expertise."

Unfortunately that leaves the client to make what might be the most important decision of their divorce without professional guidance. "A couple seeking a divorce might be better off mediating their divorce, resolving it through collaborative non-adversarial strategies or by purchasing only the services they need. But if a client goes to an attorney who has no appreciation of the pros and cons of these alternatives, or if an attorney is simply interested in selling what they have to sell, the client loses out and ends up with litigation which may not be the solution that works best for them."

In that regard, Mr. Ressa makes an analogy to the practice of medicine. "Imagine a patient going to a doctor and not being told about alternative treatments for a particular disease or condition. Imagine undergoing surgery because that is what the doctor knows best even though surgery might not be the best treatment for that patient's condition. By the same token, a person contemplating a divorce, a very important life decision indeed, is entitled to be informed about the full range of options available."

It is important to note that Mr. Ressa's law practice is separate and distinct from Mr. Elter's so those contemplating retaining Mr. Elter should discuss with him his approach.

Our Philosophy

Attorneys Mark Ressa, Esq. and Jason J. Elter, Esq. share an approach to family law that emphasizes pragmatism, educating the client, expectation management and analyzing negotiation and litigation alternatives in favor of court battles yet are highly skilled in the litigation arts.

All litigation alternatives, i.e., not going to court, are explored first but when those avenues are not available, beneficial to the client or productive will the attorney revert to litigation. Not only do we feel this is in the client's and their family's best interest, but it also keeps costs associated with the divorce process to a minimum.

Attorneys Mark Ressa, Esq. and Jason J. Elter, Esq. also leverage technology to make the divorce process more responsive, efficient and less costly. For the Bay Area Divorce™ client that means communicating with their Attorney Mark Ressa, Esq. or Jason J. Elter, Esq. via email instead of playing telephone tag, a common client complaint.

• It means working with forward thinking attorneys who incorporate practice and document management software efficiency and reliability into their operation instead of relying on paper day planners and bulging paper files.
• It means online court filings instead of the more costly and time consuming courier services.

• It means receiving documents in PDF format via email instead of waiting for a delivery, with the attendant costs and delay, from the postal service.
• It means working with attorneys who leverage the speed and thoroughness of online research services instead of collecting hundreds of dusty law books.