“Son,’he said,’ ye cannot in your present state understand eternity…That is what mortals misunderstand. They say of some temporal suffering, “No future bliss can make up for it,” not knowing that Heaven, once attained, will work backwards and turn even that agony into a glory.”— C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
One of the most famous literary works on the subject of the law is Franz Kafka’s “Vor dem Gesetz” (“Before the Law”), which is a short self-contained parable from his novel The Trial. A man waits for years in front of a door, seeking permission to enter the room where the Law awaits him. Bleak House by Charles Dickens is another work where the legal system is portrayed as a soulless machine that seemingly takes forever to reach a conclusion.
There is clearly a disconnect between what most people expect from the law and the way the legal system functions in real life. Rules of evidence, rules of procedure, rules of discovery – all of these rules, second-nature as they are for judges and attorneys, are baited steel traps to most people without a law degree.
In C.S. Lewis’ wonderful little book The Great Divorce, none of the spirits know whether they are in heaven or hell, and it is even harder for mere mortals to figure out which is which.
Without getting too metaphysical, it is nonetheless useful to think of the legal system as offering heaven/hell options to people who come before a Court. Without a guide, a Virgil to your Dante, your chances of getting out of hell alive diminish.
Going to trial is not for the faint of heart. One might even say it is not something anyone should do lightly. It is all-consuming, and the stakes can be very high. In a divorce action, you are playing for the conditions under which you may well live for the rest of your life.
In a lawsuit, the wheels spin very slowly for a long time before they suddenly kick into high gear when the judge unexpectedly rejects your motion or decides on an unorthodox method of valuating marital assets. How do you handle these ups and downs without losing your mind?
The only real answer to that quandary is to hire one of the most experienced legal advisors you can find. If you live in New Haven or Fairfield County (Danbury, Bridgeport, Westport, Stamford), that means making a beeline to the Shelton offices of Hirsch Legal, LLC. Our principal attorney, Carmina Hirsch, is a well-known practitioner of Connecticut divorce and family law. While there will always be unknowns and factors beyond anyone’s control, having a knowledgeable and flexible attorney at your side offers you the best chance to prevail.