Our Unique Process

For one reason or another, the area of divorce and family law litigation is filled with either predatory attorneys or attorneys who are just not very good or thorough. Will Fontenot and Cobie Spevak started the law firm of Fontenot Law because they knew they had the talent and experience to make a difference because they could provide far better representation, at a fair, non-predatory cost, than what was being offered. Clients have definitely noticed the difference, as you can see from our reviews on google.

Our bedrock philosophy is to follow the desires of the client by first finding out what is most important to the client, not to our own financial gain. For some clients, budget is the most important part of the case because they do not want to spend valuable resources on a long matter. For other clients, legal fees are not as important as matters like keeping a business, an inheritance, a retirement account, or other assets from being taken in the divorce by the other spouse. Custody can also be something that clients wants to fight very hard for.

Once we find out what the client values the most, we work together at the firm to determine the strategy that makes it most likely to achieve the client’s desired outcome. If we believe what the client wants is not warranted by the law or the facts, we will let the client know instead of taking advantage of the client financially, which is what most family law attorneys will do. Ultimately, the client, not the attorney, will make the decision. Then we will do everything we can to try to make it happen, no matter what the client has chosen.

Creating value for the client is another principle that we live by. Many clients don’t really understand that an attorney can take advantage of clients who are in a vulnerable position due to going through a difficult dispute. Clients in this position need to know which arguments and strategies are worthwhile or not based on what the client stands to gain. That is value for the attorney fee dollar.

We take action with a purpose. We do not scatter shoot, or randomly try things to see if they work or not. This wastes the client’s money and violates our principles of creating value. If we file a motion or set a mediation or hearing, we do so with a purpose designed to achieving the client’s goals.

The process starts by the client having a free consultation with an attorney, usually Will Fontenot. The client can ask specific or general questions. Mr. Fontenot will answer every question as specifically as he can. The consultation will last as long as is needed for the client to feel comfortable that all questions have been answered, and to determine if hiring Fontenot Law is right for them.

Once a client hires Fontenot Law, they sign a fee agreement, and make a deposit. The deposit usually consists of the first 10 hours of legal work. Within about 3 to 5 days of making a deposit, the client will have phone call with Cobie Spevak, who will conduct a thorough interview of the client in order to draft the document the client needs to get the case started, either a Petition or an Answer, or whatever document is needed to move the case forward. During this call, we will ascertain what is most important for the client to achieve, and we will discuss a strategy for achieving that goal.

To make sure the client is always aware of what is being billed, you will receive a bill every two weeks, unlike other attorneys who bill ever 60 to 30 days. We want you to be in control of what is spent on a client’s case so the case does not exceed your budget. The client is always in control of what actions are taken or not taken so that the client can achieve whatever legal results their budget will allow.

Our promise to you is that we will do only what is necessary to accomplish your goals on the case, no more and no less.

If you would like to determine if the Fontenot Law process is what you are looking for in an attorney, our consultations are free. You can set one up by simply calling the office and talking to Stefanie at 801.312.9330.