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Steve Monks
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Name: R.S.
(Steve) Monks
Firm: The Monks Law Firm
City: Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill
Counties Practiced In: Wake, Durham, Orange, Chatham,
Alamance, and Guilford Counties.
Phone #: 919.401.1111
Fax #: 919.404.0568
Addresses: 3737 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh, NC,
14 Consultant Place, Durham, NC,
1829 Franklin St., Bldg. 600
Consultation by appointment only
Website:
http://www.monkslawnc.com
E-mail:
rsmonks@monkslawnc.com
Brochure available at: Upon request
General Profile
How would you rate your approach?
o
Successful Negotiator
o
Tend to Negotiation
x
Believe in Balanced Approach
o
Tend to Let the
Judge Settle It
o
My Forte’ is in
the Courtroom
How would you rate your aggressiveness?
o
Aggressive
x
Balanced (depends on the
situation)
o
Cunning is more
important than aggression
How long have you been practicing law?
o
Less than
3 years
o
3-10 years
x
10-20 years
o
20+ years
How long have you been practicing family law?
o
Less than
3 years
o
3-10 years
x
10-20 years
o
20+ years
Is your practice exclusively family law?
o
Yes
x
No
Do you participate in alternative dispute resolution
(arbitration/mediation)?
x
Yes
o
No
What percentage of your clients are involved in
alternative dispute resolution?
Depends upon the circumstances;
North Carolina law mandates mediation in custody cases. In
other cases, mediation may not be a viable alternative or may
just be a waste of money.
Are you certified as a mediator?
o
Yes
x
No -- However, I have
completed the 40 hour mediation course and have participated in
numerous mediations.
As a family law arbitrator?
o
Yes
x
No
Professional Affiliations and Certifications
Certified by the NC State Bar as a family law specialist?
o
Yes
x
No
Admitted as a Fellow of the American Academy of
Matrimonial Lawyers (www.nc-aaml.com).
o
Yes
x
No
How long have you
been a fellow in the AAML?
o
Less than
3 years
o
3-10 years
o
10-20 years
o
20+ years
Belong to the following bar association family law sections:
x
ABA
x
NCBA
x
NC Academy of Trial Lawyers
Held offices in any of these organizations?
o
Yes
x
No
Board-certified in family law?
o
Yes
x
No
How long have you been certified?
o
Less than
3 years
o
3-10 years
o
10-20
years
o
20+ years
Published or presented any manuscripts, in the area
of family law?
x
Yes
o
No
Are copies of those publications or manuscripts
available?
x
Yes
o
No
Are you on any local or statewide boards or committees dealing with
family law?
o
Yes
x
No
How do you use your associates and paralegals to hold down clients'
bills and expand your ability to work on cases?
I do not utilize paralegals in my
practice. I limit the number of cases I handle in order to give
personal attention to a client’s matter.
What client handouts do you generally hand out to clients that will
help me understand my case?
That depends upon
the case. I provide consultations to clients for a fixed fee.
I have access to resources which may be relevant to a particular
client’s concern. For example; if it is a child support case, I
will typically produce a child support worksheet which will
assist the client in understanding what child support payments
may be. If it is an equitable distribution case, I will
typically provide a copy of the relevant financial affidavits
and forms.
Unique
Characteristics of my practice:
I believe the
things that most differentiate me from other law practices are
the following:
1.
I charge fixed rate
fees. I have been practicing long enough to know generally
what work will be required and typically what the outcome will
be. Accordingly, I can create a bill which reflects that
experience. This fixed rate fee is then distributed over a time
period in which the work is done in order for the client to be
able to afford to pay the fee. A fixed fee arrangement induces
me to produce results quickly and eliminates the typical
concerns client’s have about being billed for every minute.
Basically, we want the same thing…for the case to be resolved
quickly.
2.
I am a litigation
coach. I help clients to represent themselves in Court. I
find that many people can effectively represent themselves if
they are appropriately “coached” and use the correct forms and
legal documents. Plus, not paying the hourly rate that my
client’s opponents are paying enhances their bargaining
position…my client’s cannot be “spent” into submission. This is
the most rewarding area of my practice as it makes affordable
legal services to people who could not otherwise pay. And, many
a client who can afford the regular service prefer this approach
since they realize that no attorney will know the facts more,
work harder, or care about the outcome more than themselves.
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