We stay up late at night worrying about your case,
so you don’t have to.

LaFevor Slaughter

Experienced Knoxville Divorce and Family Law Attorneys

At the end of the day, it’ll be okay.

Let’s face it – going through a divorce can be tough. A lot of folks will tell you that getting divorced can be one of the most painful experiences they’ve gone through.

When you said “for better or worse,” you weren’t prepared for this much worse. And maybe you knew that divorce wasn’t going to be easy, but man – you didn’t know it would be this kind of hard. The kind of hard that keeps you from falling asleep, or has you staring off into space when you’re supposed to be working.

Many of our clients tell us that they are staying up all night worrying about what might happen when they get divorced. They worry about how they are going to be able to support themselves as a single person. Who is going to get the house? How are they going to be able to stand not seeing their children everyday like they are used to because they might have to share custody with their spouse? Are they ever going to be able to retire because their ex is looking to empty out their 401k? How are they going to divide up all their “stuff?”  Are they going to go broke paying for expensive divorce lawyers that don’t really care about them or their case? The list goes on and on.

What is worse is that everyone’s got an opinion about what you should do, but nobody seems to really understand what you need, or why your story isn’t their story. What you wouldn’t give for someone to hear you, right?

Well, we will listen and you better believe that we will hear you. LaFevor & Slaughter is here to help.

Patrick Slaughter

What makes LaFevor & Slaughter different?

LaFevor-Slaughter

Finding the right divorce and family law attorney can be tough. Every lawyer’s website you look at seems to say the same things. They all brag about how much experience they have and how they are going to fight like a bulldog or pit bull for you in the court room. (Ever wonder why they don’t compare themselves to Chihuahuas? We all know that those little suckers are the meanest dogs out there!). They all sound the same, so how do you pick one that is going to care about you?

Let’s be honest; the real secret to obtaining a favorable result in any divorce or family law case comes down to one thing: Preparation. If your lawyer isn’t prepared because they take on too many cases or just haven’t spent the time actually working on your case, you probably are not going to be happy with how things turn out.

We only take a certain number of cases at any given time. We also don’t accept every case that walks through the door. We want to be sure that we have plenty of time to actually work on our clients’ cases and help our folks be prepared for each step in the process.

Here is another secret that most folks won’t tell you: most cases don’t go to trial. In fact, the overwhelming majority of cases are settled either at mediation or through settlement conferences where attorneys help their clients hammer out a deal with opposing counsel. So being a bulldog, a pit bull, or even a Chihuahua isn’t going to work. You need someone who is an experienced negotiator who can convince, persuade, or cajole the other side into giving you the best settlement you can get under the circumstances. We recognize that we need to work just as hard preparing to negotiate you the best settlement we can get. We don’t fly by the seat of our pants with nothing but a legal pad and pen when we attend mediations or settlement conferences. We come in armed to the teeth with the facts and the law as it relates to your case.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Sometimes a case has to go to trial for the judge to decide. If your case is going to trial, you and your lawyer need to be prepared to fight like you are the third monkey on the ramp to Noah’s ark and it just started to rain! If we are going to trial, you can bet we are going have dotted every “I” and crossed every “t.” All of your proverbial ducks will be in a row. We use the latest trial presentation software and technology in order to present a case that is designed from the floor up to persuade your judge to your benefit.

What does a Knoxville family law attorney do that can help me?

A divorce attorney’s job is to help you make sense of it all, so you don’t feel so lost:

  1. To shine some light on the unknowns by giving you answers to your questions.
  2. To respect your money, your time, and your concerns.
  3. To create some different paths forward, so you can take control back over your life.
  4. To make sure some stranger in a black robe doesn’t make decisions about how you live your life, or how you raise your kids.

What kinds of things can a Knoxville divorce & family law
attorney help me with?

Just about anything, really. If it concerns you and your family, we can help. Folks usually call us because they have questions about:

City Bottom
military-tags

Active duty or veteran status?
Then you REALLY need an attorney

Military families face a lot of challenges that civilian families don’t. If you thought getting VA benefits was hard, just wait ‘till you try to figure out how to divide a military pension.

Founding partner James LaFevor is a Vietnam veteran, so we have a special place in our hearts for the men and women who put country first. Military divorces have a whole different set of rules, and, in some cases, an entirely different set of laws. There’s a lot more on the line when the reason you can’t see your kids all that often is because you’re stationed overseas, or when you’re trying to be a good mom or dad while dealing with the effects of service or war.

The good news is we’re familiar with all of those laws, and ready to help you when you need us. Plus, the office of the Judge Advocate General regularly refers military personnel to our office, so we offer a discount on our legal fees for active duty military and law enforcement personnel. It’s a small way we can give back to you when you’ve already given so much to all of us.

Additional legal services for immigrant families

Things can be pretty tough for American families. For immigrants who want to call America home, or who married an American citizen, it can be even harder. Our Knoxville immigration lawyers are here to help families move forward on their path to citizenship. Contact us to learn more about our family immigration services.

Why working with LaFevor & Slaughter can help you

Do any of these sound familiar?

  • “I’m a bulldog, and I won’t stop fighting until we win!”
  • “I’m your sympathetic shoulder to cry on, and I won’t let you, my new friend, down.”
  • “I have decades of experience.”
  • “I’ve won a ton of awards for client satisfaction.”

“I,” “I”, “I.” Whole lotta “I,” not a whole lotta you.

Here’s the thing: we can say all the same stuff – loads of experience, years being established in Knoxville, more client satisfaction awards than you can shake a stick at – but really: does any of it matter? Because at the end of the day,

  • Do you care how many awards we’ve won, or do you care about keeping your kids safe?
  • Do you care how long we’ve been in this building, or do you care about whether or not you’re gonna keep your retirement funds?
  • Do you care how many buttons and stickers you see on this website, or do you care about whether or not you’re going to be able to get past all the baloney and take back control of your life?

We thought so. And that’s why our approach to practicing law is different.

One of the most common complaint that clients have about lawyers is that they don’t really know what it is that a lawyer does. Lawyers are always very good at explaining what is happening in your case; why it is happening, or what you should expect going forward. The next most common complaint is about why lawyers’ services are so expensive, and why their cases are costing so much.

We go out of our way to make sure you are kept up to date with what is going on with your case. We use the latest technology to send you regular case updates via email or text message. We make it super easy to get in touch with our office through email, apps, and Zoom. We have systems in place that allows you to schedule a time on your attorney’s calendar to speak with them about your concerns. We are here for you.

We think it’s better when the focus is on you, not on us. We’ll guide you and help you, but we’re not the hero of your story: you are. And our job as your Knoxville family law firm is to make sure you get the tools you need to be successful. We’re like a pair of eyeglasses: you’re not gonna drive well without them, but ultimately, you’re still behind the wheel.

That being said, when things get rough, we’re right there with you. Those are the moments when you really need a Knoxville divorce lawyer, too, because the law is complicated, and there’s a lot of ways you could end up in trouble. So when those big things are on the line – your kids, your house, your money, your future – we’re gonna fight like a cat on its 9th life To make sure you’re okay.

So if that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach is starting to keep you up at night, let’s talk.

Worries about divorce? We’re here to help

Divorce can be hard. Choosing the right legal team to guide you shouldn’t be. We offer clients a chance to tell their side of the story in a safe and stress-free environment. To schedule an appointment with a Knoxville family law attorney at LaFevor & Slaughter, please call 865-637-6258 or fill out our contact form. We are here to help you take the nest step.