Scottsdale High-Conflict Divorce & Custody Lawyers

There are several variables that can contribute to making a divorce or child custody case high conflict.

• Emotions are running high. Of course, the obvious answer is that people have strong emotions during these cases. These emotions sometimes cause people to act differently than they normally would.
• One party is hurt. This ties into the emotions but when one party is hurt, they often act inappropriately or even with malice.
• One party NEEDS to be right. This can pose a large problem in a case because people lose focus on what is actually important and often risk what is most important in order to be “right.” There are few circumstances where—the driving force in a case is that one party needs to be “right”—is appropriate in family law. More often, it leads to a costly litigation and damaged relationships.
• One party maintains an unreasonable position. When a party maintains a position that is contrary to law, the facts of the case, or is just outright meritless, it can cause tempers to flare. Fortunately, there are tools to help resolve these situations during the case. Unfortunately, sometimes the parties will need court intervention to resolve these situations.
• Domestic Violence/Substance Abuse/Other Dangerous Situations. Unfortunately, these issues are prevalent in family law and often require more intervention from the court. But, given the severity of the potential consequences, court intervention is often necessary to protect yourself and your children.
• The other party’s attorney. Sometimes, the other party’s attorney can add to the high conflict. Some people feel like the other party’s attorney is constantly harassing them, telling them they need to do things or provide information. Often, these are normal requests and it helps to have an attorney on your side not only explain the requests to you but deal directly with the other attorney.