Four seasoned circle of relatives attorneys have fashioned a brand new company, Elovitz, Edwards, O’Nan & Buerlein, announcing they shared a similar philosophy to practicing law. Asked to explain their method in what can often be contentious divorce and custody instances, Austin Buerlein replied that he and his companions—Rachel Elovitz, Regina Edwards, and Gillian O’Nan—take a protracted term view of households’ well-being after the legal lawsuits.
“We are doing what we can to preserve events’ capability to be able to cope after a divorce,” Buerlein said.
“A lot of circle of relatives attorneys go scorched-earth proper out of the gate,” he explained. “We think more lengthy-time period. Our purchaser goes to should deal with this individual for the relaxation in their child’s lifestyles. I assume a whole lot of lawyers neglect that—the big photograph.”
As may be the case at smaller firms, workplace space played a function in Elovitz, Edwards, O’Nan & Buerlein’s formation. Elovitz and O’Nan have been practicing together at Elovitz O’Nan seeing 2014 and had introduced a companion, Kelley Webb. They determined they wished more area, and a few had come to be available of their construction at 38 Old Ivy Road in south Buckhead, in which the brand new company now occupies the whole 2d ground.
The two partners spoke with Edwards, a longtime solo family law practitioner, about becoming a member of them when they discovered that Buerlein changed into planning to depart an established Marietta company, Browning & Smith, to begin his very own practice. “A bunch of transferring components got here together at the identical time,” Elovitz said. “We placed the pieces together—and realized we might want to merge and transition into new space as a new company,” stated O’Nan, the managing partner for Elovitz, Edwards, O’Nan & Buerlein, which released in January.
Shared Values
The four have had cases against each other over time, and Elovitz and O’Nan said they determined that they shared equal values when they met through a contentious child custody case six years ago. O’Nan, who in 2013 had merely left family law firm Levine, Smith, Snider & Wilson to start her own store, said she changed into representing a father who’d taken off for Europe together with his toddler without telling the kid’s mom, who turned into represented by Elovitz, a solo circle of relatives legal professional because 2001. The mother and father had by no means married.
Two days after entering a look for the father, O’Nan stated, she withdrew from the case. She’d determined from phone conversations with Elovitz that the father had lied to her about the situation. “Some of the best days of my criminal profession have been retreating from a case,” O’Nan stated with amusing, adding that she’d fired a few clients once they “we’re now not in step with my values.” That made an impact on Elovitz. “This changed into a virtually ethical lawyer,” she said. “I loved that—and we stayed in contact.”
They consulted informally over the phone on cases, Elovitz stated, still figuring out in mid-2014 to end up-regulation companions. Elovitz stated that she and O’Nan invited Edwards and Buerlein to join their firm because of their similar outlook. “One of the things I like approximately Austin is that he is easy to get alongside even as nevertheless acting as a sturdy advise for his clients,” she said. “Regina may be as tough as nails when she wishes to be,” Elovitz delivered. “If the other attorney is being unreasonable, she will reduce through that.”
Buerlein stated that after ten years in an exercise, he had advanced a self-maintaining practice. “It became time to leap,” he stated. “I came up with a shortlist of legal professionals that I wanted to exercise with and met with Gillian and Rachel. The next aspect I knew, I become in a firm with four women.”
Edwards had run her very own store given that 2006. “The lifestyles of a solo can be lonely,” she explained. “I’d call Gillian to dance off ideas, and I idea it’d be exceptional to have partners so we could work on every others’ cases and share the recommendation.”
Elovitz, Edwards, O’Nan & Buerlein handle all family regulation factors, representing both ladies and men. Buerlein said the four companions are experienced with complex baby-custody instances and that everyone has treated divorces related to estates of greater than $25 million.
The companions declined to call clients. “You’re no longer going to see us on the news talking approximately our clients,” Edwards stated. “But we’ve represented a few high profile athletes and entertainers.” Buerlein stated that the company represents “people from all walks of existence and backgrounds along with high-net-well-worth clients.” The 4 take care of cases statewide, but usually in Fulton, Cobb, DeKalb, and Gwinnett counties. Collectively, Buerlein said, they have 64 years of blended experience and have appeared in about 1,500 courtroom hearings in Georgia. Elovitz and O’Nan also function as guardians ad litem and mediate divorce and home violence instances like Edwards.
