For The Children
I was asked to collect child support arrears, pro bono, for a secretary at our firm. The child was already 18. The dad was in arrears but legitimately disputed about half the amount, as a lot of it was for expenses that were questionable. Also, the AGs had not kept tabs on anything. The guy was unemployed and this was during the Great Recession.
Finally, he agreed to the full amount but asked to pay over five years if, after the principal was paid off, we waived the interest. He even agreed that if he was even one payment late, we could demand the full amount with interest. The client refused. So I asked her what her goal was in this whole thing. Her response made my blood boil. She said, “I want to prove to the world what a lousy father and a bum he is.”
Fortunately, this was before I had filed anything or made any type of appearance in a court. So, I told her that if she wanted to do that, she could hire and pay for an attorney, but it wasn’t going to be this attorney.
Story credit: Reddit / Goinsouth85