Good morning FF,
I'm embedding my answers in
bold.
So...this lawyer gets money and two prior ones quit because of not getting money..right? This is true.
Why do you think this one got money? I don't know. One thing that bothered me (and I'm really short on trust re: lawyers these days) is that he didn't tell me he'd been paid, and I set up borrowing money from friends just so I could talk to him prior to going into the hearing, which is now 2 days away.
Why does the lawyer think he got money and the others didn't? I didn't ask him. I have a few guesses.
Be aware, many people like FIL have a "wear them down" legal strategy and it appears to be working with you. You just want to be done...(understandably) I have really been thinking about this. First, I think the FIL will take the offer as indication of my weakness & his success in "wearing me down." What I did not tell my L is that the offer would have to be met line-by-line. No negotiation on it. And I know my FIL, and I know (or at least suspect) he will attempt one more low-ball or unreasonable offer, which I will reject, and to which I will offer no counter-offer, and time will have run out & we'll be heading into that hearing (telephonic due to COVID-19). If the judge enforces the prenup, the divorce will essentially be over. If the judge rejects the prenup (a distinct possibility, we head to trial, meaning I'm in this for at least another 6 months.) And you are right about the wear-them-down strategy, and something needs to be put into the marital settlement that will prohibit the FIL from suing me, or if that's not possible, then litigation must be under the jurisdiction of my state. FIL reminds me of an angry bull snake & the only way to keep one of those from continuing to attack is to cut off its head. Or shoot it. In other words, in this case, for a human by completely disempowering legal remedies.
I would recommend you sit on settlement offer for a while. Let this L look at all evidence you have and then listen to his thoughts. Yes. Listening to any lawyer these days is hard for me. I've been burned on 4 previous lawyers, 5 if you include the one who represented me in the prenup, and I've ended up believing that lawyers represent the rich much more vigorously than they do those of more limited means. Thank you for your response. As always, it is insightful and helps me slow down, dig in, and find that grit that has sustained me these past 3 years.
Best,
FF
Thank you!
TMD