Empathic Vancouver, BC family lawyer?
April 30, 2012 2:08 PM Subscribe
Please help me find an empathic Vancouver, BC area family lawyer.
Asking for a friend:
My lawyer went on mat leave. (This is Canada, so that may mean 8-12 months or longer.) I hadn't seen her for a long while, so I ended up meeting with a lawyer last week. However, having talked to her on the phone twice and met with her in person once, I've come away all three times feeling terrible. The lawyer I had before was deeply empathic and never made me feel like this.
I'm looking for a lawyer who is trauma-informed, feminist and kind. This may relate to separation & divorce, spousal abuse and even a need for child protection law knowledge. I need a lawyer who won't beat up on me for taking time to process information or for dissociating or going through the cycle of abuse dynamic. I have left my marriage - I'm not an idiot and I need a lawyer who won't make me feel like one. Child protection made me feel way more understood than she has in my struggle to understand the dynamics of an emotionally/psychologically abusive relationship and the effects on my children in witnessing that. I get that she knows her stuff, but I need someone a little more warm and fuzzy.
(As a side note, I told the lawyer last week that I'd retain her. I haven't signed anything, but i did use 30 min of her time today. I'm a bit unsure whether I can just pay her out for that time or if it's more complicated, as I haven't received the retainer letter yet. I haven't' told her that I've changed my mind yet, as it just dawned on me that we're perhaps not a good fit, if I end up in tears every time I talk to her.)
Asking for a friend:
My lawyer went on mat leave. (This is Canada, so that may mean 8-12 months or longer.) I hadn't seen her for a long while, so I ended up meeting with a lawyer last week. However, having talked to her on the phone twice and met with her in person once, I've come away all three times feeling terrible. The lawyer I had before was deeply empathic and never made me feel like this.
I'm looking for a lawyer who is trauma-informed, feminist and kind. This may relate to separation & divorce, spousal abuse and even a need for child protection law knowledge. I need a lawyer who won't beat up on me for taking time to process information or for dissociating or going through the cycle of abuse dynamic. I have left my marriage - I'm not an idiot and I need a lawyer who won't make me feel like one. Child protection made me feel way more understood than she has in my struggle to understand the dynamics of an emotionally/psychologically abusive relationship and the effects on my children in witnessing that. I get that she knows her stuff, but I need someone a little more warm and fuzzy.
(As a side note, I told the lawyer last week that I'd retain her. I haven't signed anything, but i did use 30 min of her time today. I'm a bit unsure whether I can just pay her out for that time or if it's more complicated, as I haven't received the retainer letter yet. I haven't' told her that I've changed my mind yet, as it just dawned on me that we're perhaps not a good fit, if I end up in tears every time I talk to her.)
The BC Family Resource Blog may have some useful info.
posted by KokuRyu at 4:25 PM on April 30, 2012
posted by KokuRyu at 4:25 PM on April 30, 2012
Take a look at Clicklaw for BC legal advice. One of the recommended resources is the Lawyer Referral Service.
posted by kaefer at 4:52 PM on April 30, 2012
posted by kaefer at 4:52 PM on April 30, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by wutangclan at 3:10 PM on April 30, 2012 [1 favorite]