If you want to get divorced in Illinois, then you might be searching the internet for tips on getting divorced. Your divorce might involve child custody, division of assets, and spousal maintenance (alimony). And of course, you want a good lawyer. There are lots of articles out there about finding the best divorce lawyer.
But has anyone come right out and said you should hire a lawyer because the color of that lawyer’s skin? Probably not. Until now.
Read on to find out why I think there are some great benefits to hiring a black lawyer.
What many people may not realize is that they hold some serious race-based biases. I’ve seen this time and time again when co-counseling with black divorce lawyer Rhonda Stuart (check out her website).
So what does that have to do with hiring a divorce lawyer?
Simply put, I’ve seen that many lawyers are surprised to face a black lawyer. Furthermore, many seem to assume that, since Attorney Stuart is a black lawyer in Chicago, she must not know what she’s doing. It’s not surprising that some lawyers think this way – the legal profession is dominated by middle-aged white men.
Being underestimated can be a great advantage. In my opinion, Attorney Stuart’s status as a female black divorce lawyer causes other divorce lawyers to underestimate her. And that causes them to be unprepared, to try to pull stupid tricks that fail, and to waste effort trying to intimidate her.
Consider the following:
- Being unprepared: One of the worst things to do in any competitive situation is to underestimate an opponent. When other lawyers under estimate Attorney Stuart because she’s black, they do so at their own peril.
- Pulling stupid tricks: Courts have rules. Sometimes lawyers try to bend the rules because they think the opposing lawyer won’t notice. But when those tricks fail, they end up looking stupid in court and wasting their client’s money.
- Trying to intimidate: When attorneys try to intimidate other attorneys, often they end up looking stupid. I’ve seen that happen a lot.
That’s why it can be a great idea to hire a black divorce lawyer in Chicago. Don’t get me wrong. You should never hire a lawyer simply because of skin color. I’m simply pointing out that there can be some great advantages to hiring a black divorce lawyer. Black divorce attorney Rhonda Stuart practices in Cook and Lake county, in cities such as Chicago, Skokie, Evanston, Deerfield, Highland Park, and Waukegan.