**Career job information for job seekers and find good employment job
By Micah Pilkington
Very few people glide straight through high school to college to a career that they love. Most of us spend a few confusing years questioning what we want to do with our lives. A certain level of maturity is needed in order to succeed in school and the professional world; it takes time and effort to grow your skills and implement a strategy for a satisfying career.
Attorney Mary Whipple always had an interest in the law, but found that she wasn’t ready to commit to college straight out of high school. Mary spoke with WorldWideLearn.com about how hard work fostered her career path from waitress to family law attorney. She talks about how a criminology degree paved the way to law school, the skills needed to be an effective lawyer, and what anyone interested in a career as an attorney should consider.
World Wide Learn: Mary Whipple, what is your job title?
Mary Whipple: I’m an attorney, and I’m the owner, or principal, of the Law Office of Mary C. Whipple.
WWL: You practice family law. What does that entail?
MW: Family law encompasses divorces, legal separations, terminations of domestic partnerships, and all of the things that go along with that, as far as child custody, child support, spousal support, property division, and domestic violence restraining orders. However, I do not do adoptions, which is also considered a part of family law.
Family Law Attorneys Help Clients in Crisis
WWL: How did you decide to concentrate on family law?
MW: While I was in law school -- I went to Loyola University Chicago School of Law -- they had a community law clinic where we would take cases that were supervised by professors. Most of the cases that I had were family law cases.
I was good at it, as far as being able to relate to the people -- I could have empathy toward them. These were people who didn’t just need help with their legal issues. They were also going through a crisis. And so I think that appealed to me -- the human element, being able to actually help people as well as dealing with their legal issues.
WWL: What’s the statistic-- a death and a job loss are the only things as stressful as a divorce? It’s a traumatic time.
MW: It is. Even when I have clients who have made the decision [to divorce] – it’s what they want, but those people are still going through a crisis. It’s just the degree. Because it’s their life, and the things that are most important to people, generally, are their children and their money, and -- generally -- divorce severely impacts both of those things.
WWL: What kind of questions do you hear from people who come in to consult with you?
MW: So many people come in and say, “I have no idea what this is going to look like.” They’ve never been through anything like it before, and they don’t have any idea what the law is with regard to either being required to pay, or entitled to receive, support. That’s a big one people want to know. “How much am I going to have to pay?” or “How much am I going to get?” Also, “how long will it take?” And “How much is it going to cost?” The latter two questions I cannot answer. There’s no such thing as a “typical divorce” so there’s no way to predict the answer to those questions.
Also, the way things are right now – I practice mostly in Contra Costa and Alameda counties. Especially in Contra Costa County, there are so many houses that were lost to foreclosure, and people aren’t able to move. So they’re getting a divorce, but everyone’s living under the same roof. That’s so common right now, and it’s so difficult for the people. It creates a terrible situation. The court will generally not make custody or support orders with regard to children or spousal support when people are under the same roof. ( jobs employment ).........
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