When I announced a few years ago to family and friends that I had made a decision to leave the life of a lawyer behind and pursue my passion of helping clients manage their divorces better, my decision was met with an element of curiosity and confusion. Wasn’t being a lawyer what I had always wanted to do? Isn’t it what I sweated those long hours at law school for? Isn’t it because I wanted to help people and drive change? The answer is a resounding yes, which is why I decided to start a company to provide bespoke support to clients going through a split and a life crisis. I wanted to focus instead on the wellness of the whole individual and I could not do that and help them get the best outcome for their family as a family lawyer. As a lawyer, I was required to advocate for one client, most often to the detriment of the other and this just did not fit well with me.

Over my many years practicing family law and as a mediator, I have met with very successful men and women who are very good at what they do in their work-life but are lost, confused, and unable to cope with the new reality of being a divorced dad or mum, the division of assets, the shared parenting arrangements and moving from a co-dependent relationship to living on one’s own. As a lawyer, I could only help them with one aspect of their divorce, which is the legal process. I could not assist them with the complete alteration of their lives, which needs a reorganization and adjusting to life as a single person. As a lawyer I would receive emails day and night from panicked, confused clients with innumerable questions which were wide and varied, all totally outside the realm of the law and the reason for this is that they had no idea what to do or how to manage the process of divorce and separation. It did not sit well with me nor make sense to charge them $450.00 per hour to answer these questions as this was not legal work.

So I decided I wanted to adopt a holistic approach and assist clients by “project managing” their divorce for them. It would save clients time, money, and stress so why would they not use the service? It was very clear from all the questions I was getting that there was a gap in the market that was underserviced. The trauma of divorce is not well understood. We are still using strategies that worked well in the 20th century to deal with “millennial divorces.” As a result, there is so much frustration and time wasted by clients who are trying to navigate a system that is alien to them and they were losing a lot of money on legal fees in the process.

The proverbial saying goes that “a problem shared is a problem halved” and it expresses the idea that when facing a difficult situation it helps to talk through the problem and seek assistance. Anyone who has gone through a difficult situation knows that making decisions at these times are challenging. Once the decision to divorce is made, it follows that decisions have to be made soon after regarding parenting, property division, living arrangements, finances, etc while one is still overwhelmed and dealing with grief. The decisions that are made at this stage will impact the rest of your life so it is important that the situation is thought through and good decisions are made.

When faced with a divorce, the most accomplished, smart, intelligent person will be at a loss and is left with more questions than answers and may end up making wrong decisions in the heat of the moment, which they live to regret. The need for additional support has become more apparent through the pandemic with many people reaching out to me not knowing what they should do. So many are dealing with the breakdown of a relationship while trying to keep their businesses afloat or ensure they keep their jobs. I have seen a rise in the divorce rates as a result of the pandemic with family law firms being inundated with calls from desperate clients seeking to flee unhappy marriages. But is that the first call you should be making when the decision to divorce has been made?

I see the need for additional support and assistance and the Divorce Concierge will provide you all the support you need to face this life crisis. I now use the knowledge I have gained working as a lawyer for many years in the areas of family law, mediation, property and conveyancing, and wills and estates to help clients gain an understanding of what it all means. I help them work out a strategy, prepare them for the interview with the lawyer or the mediator, coach them on what questions to ask the lawyer, negotiate legal fees and even attend meetings with them. Splitting up is an emotional and complicated process and clients do not have to go it alone anymore. I help them navigate the complexities of the process. Engaging a Divorce Concierge is like having a personal assistant to help you manage not only the detailed logistics and resources better in your life but the emotional landscape as well and stay grounded and focused through the process. It will also enable you to concentrate on the other areas of your life and ensure you continue to be productive at work instead of having to worry about managing the intricacies of the divorce. My services go above and beyond managing the legal aspects of your divorce as that is but one small part of the process. Divorced people face a myriad of challenges, a completely new and different life, and even with an amazing legal team, there are many decisions to be made that they need help with. So whether you need to seek out a lawyer, a therapist, a mediator, a conflict coach, a real estate agent, or open a new bank account, buy a new car, rent a new home, I can help you identify the resources that are needed and help provide them too.

The inspiration behind creating this service is because of the commitment I have to my clients and not just as clients but as people going through a difficult time and the need for a support system that goes beyond the agreement that is signed and the decision a judge makes. I loved being a lawyer and I learned so much from my mentors, my peers and my clients but it was time to move on and utilize my knowledge in a different way. Check out the services on offer here:

https://annemariecade.com/divorce-support/