Divorce: There Will Be Collateral Damage

I am a strong advocate for family.  I am also a divorce attorney.  If viewed as two isolated viewpoints, you may believe I live a very conflicted life.  In reality, the two belief systems are very much connected.  Divorce plays an important role in our community by offering people a way out of abusive, and often dangerous, situations.  It also provides a vehicle to end marriages which have simply failed because of the failures of the parties.  This in turn allows the parties to move forward in a more healthy way.

As you can imagine, there are certain side effects that people expect to result from their divorce, ie a smaller income, a division of property, less visitation with their children, or a child support obligation.  However, the collateral damage which results from a divorce is often much deeper and personal than people imagine at the outset.

In almost every divorce there will be emotional and psychological effects which will be experienced at some point, and often are carried for months or years even after the divorce has been finalized.  Many people believe these psychological and emotional effects stem from the high conflict nature of a contested divorce.  But I see the effects even in my most amicable divorces.

There comes a point during the divorce when reality actually sets in.  When people realize that their lives are now different.  When they realize that not having full access to their children 24 hours a day 7 days a week hurts more than they imagined.  When they realize that their spouse, despite all of his/her aggravating habits will still be very involved in their children’s lives.

Now, I do not believe everyone who gets divorced should not get divorced just to avoid feeling the unexpected hurt, guilt, or emptiness that will inevitably come.  In many cases, the hurt they feel during their marriage is much worse.

What I am suggesting is that everyone involved in a divorce should seek treatment from a qualified therapist to help them cope with the adjustment from married life.  The transition is not easy, but it can be made bearable with the support of a qualified divorce adjustment therapist.

I maintain relationships with many qualified divorce adjustment therapists that are willing and able to help my clients, which helps my clients make informed and rational decisions during their divorce and helps them cope with the inevitable collateral damage they suffer during and after the divorce is final.

Social Security Disability Advocate

As a Social Security Disability Advocate, I help people suffering from a disability apply for and receive disability benefits through Social Security.  When a person suffers from a disability, their first concern is taking care of their own health and personal needs.  If the person recently became disabled, then they are also dealing with the stress and anxiety that comes with relearning how to do tasks that may have at one time been easy for them to complete.

People suffering from disabilities should not be required to fill out the complex Social Security Disability application, gather all of their medical records, and interact with the Social Security Disability office without assistance.  That is where I can help.

I can help people with their initial Social Security Disability application, help them apply for reconsideration if they have been denied, and I can represent them at an appeals hearing if necessary.  I will also assist them in gathering all of the medical records and doctor affidavits.  Once I am representing someone with a disability, the Social Security Office will send their correspondence through me, so that I can explain it to my clients.

In many cases, I can help people apply for disability benefits without them having to pay any money out of their pocket.  Then, Social Security ultimately decides what I am entitled to receive in payment, usually only if we are successful in getting benefits.  This means that people who are already suffering financially because of mounting medical bills or because they are no longer able to work can receive services without having to worry about coming up with a retainer up front.

Lastly, I am willing to represent people from Logan to Saint George.  I am even willing to work with people in surrounding states as well.

As always, I will continue to provide legal services in the areas of Divorce, Custody, Wills and Trusts, Car Accidents, and Worker’s Compensation.  In fact, I have had a successful month mediating and litigating divorce matters.  However, in addition to these services, I would love to help your friends or loved ones who may be suffering from a disability.

Ammon Nelson Law, PLLC has officially been in business for one year! It has been an exciting and successful inaugural year for my firm.  I want to thank everyone who played a role in helping me build my firm from virtually nothing to the thriving and busy practice that it has become.  If you have referred me to your friends, given me advice, supported me with encouraging words, or have otherwise supported me, thank you.

I have been busy over the last year.  In addition to helping several clients successfully start and complete their divorce and custody matters, I also helped clients with a variety of other legal matters.  I have negotiated settlements in contract disputes, helped landlords evict unsavory tenants, drafted estate plans, navigated Utah liquor laws, settled personal injury matters, and successfully finalized step-parent adoptions all in Ogden and surrounding areas.

In addition to successfully completing the above types of matters, I continue to help people with social security disability applications, guardianships, divorce, custody, car accident, collection, collection defense, and general litigation.

As always, I work hard to ensure that my clients’ rights are represented.  Aside from ensuring that all necessary research and preparation is done on every case, keeping my clients informed regarding their matters, working to push client cases quickly through the court system and aiming to keep client bills low, I also provide my clients with resources to ensure they have the tools to handle the stress and emotional consequences of litigation and the help they need to move forward with their lives.  A special thanks to the family therapists, massage therapists, accountants, and other attorneys who have stepped up to ensure my clients receive all of the support they need.

I look forward to the coming year and the expected challenges of expanding my practice while still providing the personal, comprehensive, and results driven legal services that have made this first year a success.  I also look forward to deepening and enriching the relationships I have made in the community over the past year.  I would not be celebrating the success of the last year without your support.  Thank You!