DuPage County Divorce Lawyer Raiford Palmer Wins $300,000.00 Judgment for Divorce Malpractice

At the end of July, 2008, Raiford Palmer secured a judgment by default for $300,000.00 against an attorney who failed to timely file a Petition to Extend Maintenance ("alimony"). In that case, a woman was awarded maintenance for four years in her divorce, and by her divorce decree was allowed to "review" the maintenance with the court (meaning she could file a petition to extend and/or possibly increase the maintenance up to four years following the judgment). Our client hired a lawyer before the four-year deadline specifically to try to extend the maintenance.  The attorney filed the Petition late, and our client missed out on potentially many more years of maintenance. We were able to secure a judgment against the attorney in favor of our client. Even more unfortunate, the lawyer did not have legal malpractice insurance coverage, and the attorney recently filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, presumably as a result of this judgment.

We are not pleased to pursue another lawyer (especially one in this very difficult business of family law) but we do represent clients in legal malpractice claims. We hope our client is able to eventually recover some money from this -- the bankruptcy may eliminate the chance for payment.

The lesson to be learned here for any person seeking family law services from an attorney - please make sure your lawyer is insured. In the event of a mistake by the attorney, the insurance could mean the difference between hundreds of thousands of dollars and zero. Also, never rely entirely on your attorney to keep an eye on critical deadlines such as the review date for maintenance - keep your own diary and if your lawyer is not responding to your satisfaction, either make the lawyer do so, or get another attorney. Too much is at stake to let this slide.

If you need DuPage or Cook County family law lawyers, please call our firm to schedule a consultation at 630.665.7676. 

Raiford Palmer Named a Fellow in Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois

The Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois named Raiford D. Palmer a Fellow on May 21, 2008.  To be admitted as a Fellow requires four full days of training in collaborative technique and communication skills, submission of a detailed application, and approval by peers in the Institute.  Fellowship also requires continuing training and education.  The Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois promotes the resolution of cases collaboratively as opposed to resolving them via litigation.  The idea is to save clients from the cost of litigation both financially and emotionally, and to get families on the path to rebuilding lives and moving on sooner.  This means meeting across a conference table rather than in the courthouse - working together to settle differences in a controlled environment as opposed to using the court to decide disputes.  Mr. Palmer is proud to be associated with the Institute and believes the approach will help a large number of clients. 

Not every case is suited for a collaborative approach, but our firm believes in the Collaborative approach and will be glad to discuss it with you.   Call 630.665.7676 to schedule an office consultation.

Illinois Post Divorce Decree and Appeal Information Updated

By popular demand, we've completely overhauled our information page regarding post-judgment and post-decree remedies and family law appeals for Illinois cases.  If you don't see information here regarding any family law topic, please email to let us know.  We will try to answer your question and improve this website in the bargain, at no cost to you.  Call 630.665.7676 to schedule a consultation with us.  We value your input and thanks for helping improve this website.