Helping to find smoother path
Lawyer Sarah Moon was on a traditional career path when a chat with a friend led to a change in direction.
Moon had been at Nelson law firm Pitt & Moore for four years, specialising in relationship property, with the aim of heading towards a partnership.
But earlier this year a coffee with a friend, who had set up her own family law practice, made her rethink.
“She and I had similar levels of experience. I thought well if she’s thriving, I can do it too.”
It’s a leap that’s not been without its challenges, but in September the 31-year-old opened her own practice, Clean Break, helping people to navigate a smoother path through the legal and financial aftermath of separations.
Moon said she felt privileged to do the work, even though it dealt with difficult, often traumatic episodes in people’s lives.
“I keep a box of tissues handy – people cry from grief, stress and sometimes relief,” she said.
Clients also surprised her with their resilience and “capacity for joy”.
“They gradually grow more optimistic about their future… it’s more rewarding than any other area of law I have practised.”
Moon said most people can, and should, settle their relationship property and other issues outside of court.
“It (court) is horrible, expensive and messy. It hardly ever results in the exact outcome you expect, so there is a lot of risk.
“Court is usually better for the lawyers than anyone else, so I try to keep my clients out of court.”
In New Zealand most relationship property is divided equally, but there are exceptions involving economic disparity, for example between a breadwinner and a stay-at-home partner.
Moon said that often caught people by surprise and the law on the issue was not set in stone.
Moon has just moved into her own offices in central Nelson, and is planning to eventually provide more than just legal advice to her clients. That could be checklists for moving house, a guide to telling kids about separation or perhaps even an in-house therapist to provide emotional support if required.
She believed shame around divorce or separation was not helpful or necessary.
“No-one I have ever helped has left their relationship for no reason,” she said. “We all deserve to be happy; we all deserve to be safe and I don’t think we should put up with a life less than that.”
Dealing with break-ups had not eroded her faith in relationships but rather reinforced their value, she said.
Two of her friends have asked her to officiate at their wedding next month, so she is completing training to become a marriage celebrant.
She sees the funny side of a divorce lawyer becoming a celebrant, but “who better to understand how important and fragile relationships are than somebody who sees that day in, day out.”
By Warren Gamble, Nelson Mail
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