When it is necessary to protect a client’s rights, Archer Law Office attorney and paralegal staff are aggressive and thorough in advocating for what is in the interest of a family and its caregivers. The firm regularly fields calls from family members who may require assistance in a variety of judicial settings, and advises clients on how to accomplish their goals while minimizing expense and family discord.
The firm most commonly encounters clients who need assistance with family members whom they either do not trust or whom they suspect have acted to the detriment of a loved one. Depending on the facts and circumstances, it may be possible for a client to apply for and receive tenmporary restraints against such a person when there is danger to themselves or their family, or when someone is wasting the assets of an incapacitated person or an estate. The firm also occasionally advises clients when guardianships or protective arrangements are appropriate or whether less restrictive measures might solve the problem.
When a guardianship is in progress, or an estate is being contested, the firm will also intervene on behalf of a family member to protect a loved one or their interests. Such matters are usually bitterly contested and the financial interests at stake are a proxy for latent family disputes that have been years in the making. When money or control is involved, though, those issues bubble to the surface and are often played out on a public stage, much to the detriment of the whole family unit. It is the firm’s obligation at this point to remind clients that in these cases the attorneys tend to be the main beneficiaries of the conflict, and that all family members tend to suffer financially and emotionally. In some cases it is still important to protect the health and safety of a loved one, and the firm has tried guardianship and estate cases in New Jersey and Pennsylvania to their conclusion.
Most often, though, the firm’s attorneys provide their greatest service to clients by guiding them away from a litigation solution to problems. Ideally the firm’s crisis management staff can broker a solution that makes sense without recourse to the courts. Sometimes attorneys can be called in to mediate a situation before it gets out of hand. In any case the firm advises clients of the dire impact that litigation and contested situations can have on a family dynamic. A potential litigant must not enter into litigation lightly, lest they ruin a family relationship forever.
