Brendan Hammer

ONE SIZE DOESN’T FIT ALL: FINDING THE RIGHT LAWYER WHEN THINGS GO WRONG

Recently, I needed a new barber and so I asked for recommendations. I also looked online for people with strong reviews. The gentleman I went to was amiable, professional, and highly recommended. But the experience just wasn’t great. We didn’t exactly hit it off, the conversations were stilted, and the cut was a bit underwhelming

GRATEFUL FOR THE OPENINGS THAT A CLOSING PROVIDES

This Thanksgiving will mark the 8th post-divorce holiday feast dedicated to gratitude, family, and tradition that I have celebrated with my ex-wife/coparent and our son. This year, we will be celebrating in Southern California. In previous years, we have enjoyed the holiday in Mexico, Canada, England, and elsewhere. Particularly relevant this year, we will spend

RELOCATION AND RESTORATION

A few days prior to writing this, I sat in the Presiding Judge’s courtroom at the Daley Center — waiting for a ruling on a three-month long relocation and custody trial. As I waited, I thought about my own personal experience with relocation. Eight years ago this month, my then-wife (also a divorce lawyer) and

The Divorce Détente and Creating Family 2.0

This month, my ex-wife and I will mark the eighth anniversary of our divorce. Since that time, we have co-parented our son with an unorthodox and unusual degree of collaboration as a team and as a family, together although apart. Some people assume that we were able to divorce amicably because we are both divorce

Costanza on Custody: The Art of Doing the Opposite

In the season five finale of the television comedy series Seinfeld, George Costanza laments his many failures and the dismal state of his life at that point. His friend and sounding board, Jerry Seinfeld, suggests to him that “if every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right.” Taking the

Marriage, Margaritas, and Mimesis

I once spent 45 minutes in the DuPage County Courthouse arguing over the allocation of a Margaritaville® Frozen Concoction Maker. That device (it was the three-pitcher “Tahiti” model) is readily available at local stores and online for the reasonable price of $559.99. I can assure you that between myself and opposing counsel, our combined fees

Brendan Hammer

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