Joseph Adam Ditlow

If you are getting divorced, you need an attorney, and arguably, even if you are well-acquainted with the legal arena. I started my divorce without one and soon realized that I needed one, which was one of the two best decisions I made. The second, and of equal weight, was hiring Joseph A. Ditlow (JA...D) of Marrison Family Law. If you don’t know what to look for in an attorney, the internet provides lists of standard characteristics that every good attorney should have. JAD has them all, but let me explain what sets him apart even further: JAD won’t compromise his integrity or reputation for a client. He careful filtered the information I gave him to ensure I was being honest and thorough, giving him a clear understanding of the coming battle. Divorces are charged with emotion. It’s easy for a client to think of an attorney as a counselor and lose track of time. Counselors are far less expensive than attorneys. Still, attorneys need a degree of history and relational information for context. JAD was mindful of the clock and my strained budget and masterfully helped me stay on track and task. More so, though, JAD captured the information he needed to understand me and my concerns. My case took unexpected and somewhat shocking turns and dives that placed enormous and sometimes short-notice demands on assessing how to respond and proceed. JAD remained unshaken, professional, and hugely supportive. His confidence and encouragement was profoundly meaningful and beneficial to me, and his ability to shift gears with speed, accuracy, and clarity exceeded measurable value. I was sometimes given information I didn’t like, or that I thought was wrong or found unfair. JAD understood and helped me face some facts with candor but grace, even when I responded with a lack of grace myself. There was a lot of noise in my case, and because there is only so much time in the court room, we had to discern very carefully what really mattered. JAD focused on my desired outcomes while advising me on what was realistic, what should be our priorities, and what risks should be abandoned until we reached an agreement based on what I could live with. In my case, his method and approach was monumentally successful. There were several things he did that were really the glue that held everything together: uncompromisingly ethical; researching; exhaustively exploring and/or pursuing preferred options with opposing counsel; having flexibility; making connections; really hearing me; checking in on me; being tirelessly attentive and responsive to my case, even after hours; educating me; coaching me on the value of timing and waiting; his own self-discipline; and especially, meeting me where I am based on my world view. JAD and I were together on my case for a long time. Time can make or break any relationship because it provides the opportunity to really see what someone is made of. I am certain that my case is only quiet for the moment, and not really closed. Therefore, knowing what JAD is made of, we will be working together again, eventually. I don’t know what JAD’s personal worldview is. He has never volunteered it, and I have never asked. What I do know is this: My worldview prompts me to thank God for him.