FAMILY LAW: HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?

By Attorney Rhonda Telford Naidu, Founder Of Inner Vision Legal

Over the years people have asked, how did you decide to work in family law and not something else? The answer is that I didn’t choose family law, it chose me.

As a solo practice attorney, the saying goes “you take whatever walks in your door and can pay”. This was true for me also when I first started. Over the years, I’ve handled myriad types of cases, from civil (everything from small claims to one case that was so big that had I been a more seasoned attorney, I might not have taken it on) to a fair share of criminal work (enough to know that this is not my forte. Don’t get me wrong, I am a defense attorney to the bone, but in order to do that type of work, it needs to be what you do the majority of the time and not just here and there. You need to know the criminal courts, District Attorneys and the system itself like the back of your hand, and I didn’t want that to be my primary practice field). I won an appeal in the Oklahoma Supreme Court regarding foreclosure and have done my fair share of estate planning work. All of this while taking in as much family law casework as I could, so I could get to a point where I could focus just on family law matters.

After going through my own divorce (which took a total of two years and numerous court hearings), doing family law seemed like second nature to me. Having been in front of the desk so many times, talking to attorneys, telling my story, advocating for my children and what I believed was in their best interest, I now can empathize and be compassionate for those who come into our offices while I sit on the other side of the desk.

Being able to listen is one of the keys to being a good lawyer, but especially one who practices family law. When I was going through my own divorce, I needed my attorney to hear my story and give me the best advice as to how to get where I wanted to go – or the best advice as to why we couldn’t get there. Either way, if they heard me and advised me and worked hard to get the best result, then I knew I had done what I could to be the best mom and advocate I could be for my family and my children.

Narrowing our firm’s focus to only family law has enabled me to stay up to date on the latest case law and statutes that come along and helps me and the firm to be the best we can be for our clients. Family law takes compassion, fortitude, and empathy to work with people going through some of the toughest times in their and their family’s lives. Being on this side of the desk after being in the client’s chair telling my own story allows me to advocate for our clients with the passion and insight our clients deserve because I have been exactly where they are and understand what they are going through. That’s why Inner Vision Legal specializes in family law – because our focus is your family – and we understand firsthand what families need.