The Miles Mason Family Law Group, PLC provides uniquely qualified service through the team approach. Clients feel that their problems are being handled by people who truly care a great deal about them. Some clients tell us they feel we have become their trusted friends and “lawyers for life.” Miles Mason, Sr. is the founder of the Miles Mason Family Law Group, PLC, selected as a Super Lawyer by peers, and rated 10.0 out of 10.0 by Avvo. We recommend against relying too heavily on Internet reviews and testimonials because they may be too easily manufactured.
Avoiding Critical Mistakes and Financial Pitfalls
You’ve worked and sacrificed for everything you have. The attorneys and staff in the Miles Mason Family Law Group, PLC have a comprehensive understanding of family law and background in all its many aspects. There is, however, another dimension to family law representation – the personal touch. It is our mission to spend as much time with each and every client as that client needs, ensuring that each client’s individual concerns and problems are met. In an effort to respond as quickly as possible to every client’s daily questions, our team approach takes advantage of experienced paralegals and legal assistants, who can provide a listening ear and serious professional guidance.
One of the biggest strengths is the sheer length of time the Miles Mason Family Law Group’s core has worked together. Having this length of experience together makes a huge difference.
Miles Mason, Sr. is also a Certified Public Accountant
When complex and sophisticated financial considerations need to be addressed, Miles Mason, Sr. can offer a uniquely qualified perspective. Prior to becoming an attorney, he was a Certified Public Accountant. We may also collaborate with forensic accountants outside our firm to obtain pension and complex asset valuations and prepare needs and ability-to-pay analyses, which form the basis for alimony recommendations. Engaging a forensic accountant early in the case helps reduce costs by avoiding more expensive attorney rates and by narrowing the focus to the most important financial issues. This can also lead to completing a thoughtfully prepared settlement proposal earlier in the process.
In addition to legal problems, divorce can present both emotional and complex financial issues. Our staff recognizes the detrimental effects that stress can have on clients’ decision-making. We often refer clients to counselors for many different reasons. Some clients need more help than others. Every client who has worked with a counselor has told us that the counseling process has helped to relieve anxiety, regain control over emotions, and be more decisive.
Speed Matters
No one wants a divorce to last one second longer than necessary. After we have learned about the history of the marriage, ascertained the client’s divorce goals, and gotten the pertinent financial information, we conduct team meetings at regular intervals, as well as at critical points in the case. Team meetings consist of lawyers, paralegals, and legal assistants. We exchange information and analyze each situation in relation to the client’s stated goals. Strategy and planning are assessed and evaluated. If an important change in strategy is recommended, a meeting with the client will be scheduled. By working together, we can work faster and more efficently.
Every divorce, even ones which do not present sophisticated financial concerns, requires an in-depth knowledge of the parties’ education, employment history, and earnings capacity. The Miles Mason Family Law Group team excels in careful financial budgeting and detailed asset and debt inventory and analysis. After receiving the client’s completed homework, the team prepares financial statements which are organized in a format we invented, one which is most conducive to divorce settlement analysis. By being better prepared sooner in the process, a spouse can gain an important early negotiating advantage.
Peace of Mind: Taking Back Control of Your Life
Clients often express goals of keeping out of court, feeling secure about decisions, and finding a way to be heard by their spouses. An important part of our service is to make the process more understandable and less complicated. Personalizing the divorce to the clients’ needs is a primary key to successful representation. Clients feel the difference when the time is taken to explain why certain strategies are more likely to help avoid protracted litigation. Drawn-out court battles drain finances which are needed more than ever when the divorce is creating two households from one.
If a case settles, it will do so because of either informal negotiations or mediation. In all cases, we take as much time as the client wants explaining the negotiation and settlement process. We have learned that preparing clients in advance for difficult negotiation crossroads can mean the difference between success and failure. Sometimes, however, going to court cannot be avoided, and exceptional trial advocacy is required. The team approach really shines in high-conflict litigation because the team is able to combine resources without relying too much on any one professional to do everything needed in the case.
