Lita Annette Pettusdotson

Lita Pettusdotson

As this matter was posted anonymously, I can comment more freely than I normally would. There are some cases that come into your offices that ring bells that you should pass on but you try to assist because that is what your instinct and training has guided you to do. This matter had multiple attorneys on it prior to me and the attorneys withdrew and then the party choose to self-represent and ended up with a child custody contempt of order finding. Such a case is extremely rare in family law matters. I took the case on and it became essentially THE focus of my practice. I ultimately left the case based on the continued behavior of the client. Both the client and the attorney have the right and power to remove themselves from a case where the working relationship has broken down. A client that fails to listen to the advice of counsel sets themselves up for failure a good percentage of the time. But in the end it is their case. Such was the case here and the judge informed the client as such. I made my intentions for leaving the case clear. This former client has a long way to go in this matter with the court. There are now multiple outside third parties instituted in the case by order who will hopefully bring the matter to some resolve over the course of the next months or years. No one is perfect and that includes attorneys but I worked and focused on this matter more than most professionals I know. A review of my record is clear that this matter was atypical of most of my clients responses and that is because this case was atypical of the types of cases that generally present in the average family law practice. I wish this client well in their endeavors with the court.