I love practicing law because it is one of the most challenging, interesting jobs in the world. I practice family law because I’m committed to kids. My parents passed on their commitment to children to me. There were seven of us, six of whom were adopted. My folks have cared for over 175 foster children and taken in scores more informally. Children are their life’s work and they’ve had a profound effect on all of us who were fortunate enough to be their kids. My dad was a minister and teacher and was at home with us much of the time. He was my model for what a dedicated father should be like. He used to say, “You can do anything you want to do,” and his confidence carried me through all the hard times and gave me the confidence I needed to succeed.

Much of my own parenting was done alone, and it was in my struggle to raise my kids by myself that I saw how much children need a loving, committed father. I wouldn’t have said that when I started the job of single parenting. I thought I could raise my kids just fine on my own. Maybe, with enough time and money (which I didn’t have) I could have, but even with all the time and money in the world, I couldn’t have given them the one thing they didn’t have . . . a good dad. They never knew what it was like to have a father who both protected and nurtured them, who listened to them without judging them, who took them seriously, believed in them, and was able to communicate his faith in them in a way they could understand.

When I started practicing, I didn’t intend to focus on fathers, but more and more often, clients who were great fathers came into my office saying, “All I care about is my kids.” Before long, it seemed like most of my clients were men. Unlike many of the women I’d represented, as a rule they didn’t come to me asking, “How much do I get?” Then, I had cases that shocked me. My male clients told me their stories of being victims of domestic violence, or even sexual assault. Most of the time, they wouldn’t hear of taking their wife or female partner to court. It would be too embarrassing. Only one young man did ask for legal protection, and I’m pleased to say that he got it.
The thing that finally convinced me to focus solely on fathers and custody was watching the difficulties faced by my dearest friend and co-counsel, Joe Whaley, in the last year of his life. Joe struggled with the legal system as a single father, while coping with a severe illness. His experiences trying to protect and care for his kids without the support of the legal system brought home to me the need for attorneys dedicated to challenging the inequities facing fathers. My experiences with my dad, my clients, and my late co-counsel have convinced me that the best way to protect children’s rights is to protect the rights of good fathers.