Note: There is a book by the same title by Jeffrey Leving – I am NOT reviewing Leving’s book.
I have always had a deep suspicion of divorce lawyers who claim to focus on a certain gender. These lawyers claim that the court system is biased against men or women. Although I have never been up against one of these “gender lawyers,” they have always struck me as unnecessarily adversarial.
Also, from my point of view, the law is the law. Either you know the law or you don’t. It is the same process if you are a father fighting for custody of his children than if you are a mother fighting for custody. The same motions need to be filed, the same procedure needs to be followed.
Thus, it was with a smirk that I picked up the book titled Fathers’ Rights by James J. Gross. I intended to flip through it, roll my eyes and pity the poor father who would take such a BS book seriously.
To my surprise the book is very good! I’ll review it over the next few days.
Conclusion: Don’t judge a book by its title.
Read Part 2 of my review of Fathers’ Rights….
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Mz. Fahnert, not to disagree with you; but in many places in our country the legal system is still stuck in the 1950′s. I’ve never struck or threatened my ex in any way regarding myself. But I have two spousal assaults against me. One of these was trying to protect my son from his overbearing mother. The only thing he did was hug his father and thank me for showing up at his football practice. My son now 26, has never played sports since. During the initial custody hearings with the FOC I was told that although Michigan is non gender biased, I didn’t have the correct physical anatomy to be the loving, nurturing parent. So like the book mentioned in your review, I am ALWAYS warning soon to be single fathers to protect their children and their rights. Don’t let your feelings get in the way of doing what is best for your children.
Dear Mr. Alwood:
I am sorry to hear about the troubles that you have faced as a father and the pain that this has caused your child.
I agree with you that the legal system can be biased against men. However, my thought is that a “gender” lawyer will not necessarily obtain a better outcome for you than a “regular” divorce lawyer.
The key to getting a good lawyer is finding someone that is knowledgeable and sympathetic to your cause without being unnecessarily adversarial.
Like my review of Father’s Rights showed, these kinds of lawyers can be found in the “father’s rights movement” as well as outside of it.