Behind the Gavel: Thriving in High-Conflict Family Law Cases With George Spanos

July 31, 2024 | Written by Gladiator Law Marketing

George Spanos is a Partner at Rogers, Shea & Spanos in Nashville, Tennessee, where he specializes in family law, focusing on complex litigation issues like high-asset divorces. George has a strong academic and practical foundation that began at the Nashville School of Law and unfolded through extensive experience during his legal studies. As a Certified Rule 31 Mediator and a Board-Certified Family Trial Law Advocate, George actively contributes to the legal community in leadership roles in the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association and the Tennessee Bar Association’s Family Law Executive Council.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[2:21] George Spanos shares how and when he knew he wanted to be an attorney
[3:46] How practical experience as a paralegal helps in understanding the legal field
[4:14] What areas of law does Rogers, Shea & Spanos specialize in?
[5:52] Challenges encountered in high-conflict child custody disputes
[6:33] The role of mediation in family law cases
[8:55] George talks about his involvement in legal organizations, teaching, and legislative work
[11:59] How George rose to the partnership level at the firm
[13:00] Common misconceptions about family law

In this episode…

Handling high-conflict family law cases requires exceptional skills and strategies. How do successful attorneys manage complex litigation involving high-asset divorces and contentious child custody disputes? According to George Spanos, a renowned family law expert, the key lies in effective communication and meticulous preparation. He highlights the importance of understanding both the legal framework and the emotional dynamics at play. By leveraging practical experience gained through hands-on work, attorneys can better manage client expectations and achieve favorable results. George emphasizes that staying organized and adaptable is crucial to handling the unpredictable nature of high-conflict cases. In this episode of 15 Minutes, host Chad Franzen sits down with George Spanos, Partner at Rogers, Shea & Spanos, to discuss thriving in high-conflict family law cases. They talk about the benefits of mediation, the challenges of high-asset litigation, and the importance of continuous legal education. Tune in to learn how George’s unique approach helps clients navigate their toughest legal battles and find a path forward.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Special Mentions

Quotable Moments:

“You learn how to use the law; you learn how to be a lawyer from the day-to-day, practical experience.”
“If you can’t select mediation, you get a trial. You’re going to be told what’s happening, whether you like it or not.”
“You have to have good organization… if you have access to my calendar, you know what I’m doing pretty much all hours of the day.”
“Everything they learned about family — even being able to decide what you’re trying to accomplish — is really going to help you.”
“As an attorney, you have to have a good understanding of business law, probate law, maybe criminal law.”

Action Steps:

Seek practical legal experience alongside academic studies to gain insight into the day-to-day realities of the legal profession: Being in the thick of real-world legal challenges supplements academic knowledge, providing a holistic view essential for nuanced fields like family law.
Embrace mediation as a critical tool for dispute resolution, aiming for outcomes that clients can shape and own: Mediation empowers parties to have a say in their future, making it a more controlled and satisfying process than court decisions.
Develop expertise in related areas, such as business and probate law, to effectively manage complex family law cases: Breadth of knowledge ensures comprehensive legal advice and bolsters the capability to handle wide-ranging issues within family law cases.
Prioritize time management skills to juggle various professional commitments without compromising quality: Effective time management is the linchpin for balancing diverse roles and ensuring each commitment receives due diligence.
Engage with professional legal communities for continuous learning and to influence positive developments in legislation: Active involvement in legal organizations not only supports personal growth but also contributes to the evolution of fairer legal systems.

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Gladiator Law Marketing, where we deliver tailor-made services to help you accomplish your objectives and maximize your growth potential. To have a successful marketing campaign and make sure you’re getting the best ROI, your firm needs to have a better website and better content. At Gladiator Law Marketing, we use artificial intelligence, machine learning, and decades of experience to outperform the competition. To learn more, go to gladiatorlawmarketing.com or schedule a free marketing consultation. You can also send an email to ad**@gl*******************.com .

Episode Transcript

Intro 0:01 You’re listening to 15 Minutes where we feature community leaders sharing what the rest of us should know but likely don’t. Chad Franzen 0:13 Hi. Chad Franzen here, one of the hosts of Share Your Voice, where we talk with top notch law firms and lawyers about what it takes to grow a successful law practice. This episode is brought to you by Gladiator Law Marketing, delivering tailor made services to help you accomplish your objectives and maximize your growth potential to have a successful marketing campaign and make sure you’re getting the best ROI your firm needs to have a better website and better content. Gladiator Law Marketing uses artificial intelligence, machine learning and decades of experience to outperform the competition to learn more, go to gladiatorlawmarketing.com, where you can schedule a free marketing consultation. My guest today is George Spanos, a Partner at Rogers, Shea & Spanos based in Nashville, Tennessee. George’s journey into law began after working in business acquisitions at Dell, Incorporated for four years, leading him to pursue a legal education at the Nashville School of Law. His practical experience at the law firm during his studies provided invaluable insights into the legal profession. George specializes in various aspects of family law, including divorce, child custody and probate matters, with a focus on complex litigation issues such as high asset divorces. He is also a certified rule 31 family law mediator and a certified family law trial, family trial law advocate through the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Outside of his practice, George is actively involved in the legal community. He sits on the executive board of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association and shares its domestic legislation committee, advocating for fair family law statutes. He’s also a co chair of Tennessee Trial Lawyers Domestic Law Seminar, providing legal education for attorneys across Middle Tennessee recognized for his contributions, George was elected to join the Tennessee Bar Association’s Family Law executive council in 2023 he’s also been named a rising star by Super Lawyers and recognized as a top attorney under 40 by the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys. George, thanks so much for joining me today. How are you? George Spanos 2:13 I’m doing great. Thank you. Chad Franzen 2:15 Hey, tell me when and how did you know that you wanted to become an attorney? George Spanos 2:21 Something I’ve thought about in college, uh, undergrad, before I went into the a different route, and I just kind of decided that I wanted to work for myself, do things my own way, not work for a big corporation. And that’s what led me to go to law school. I worked in a law office during law school, the firm I’m at now, and here we are. I’m a partner now, and 10 years after graduating, and we’re going strong. Chad Franzen 2:46 Yeah. Very nice. Great. I mentioned that you worked for Dell for four years. What prompted your transition from business acquisitions at Dell to, you know, pursuing a legal degree. George Spanos 3:00 Like I said, I thought about law school before I ever went into the business world, and it never left my mind. It’s molded over and again just working in a big corporation, it just wasn’t something that I thought I wanted to do long term. And I like the idea of being an attorney, sitting my hours and really being able to decide what exactly I was going to be doing day to day, more control over my life. Chad Franzen 3:24 And you started as a paralegal at the firm you’re now a partner at. George Spanos 3:28 Yeah, I started as a paralegal, legal intern, different titles, different times during those years. But yeah, I was here during the day, going to school at night for four years, and here I am. Chad Franzen 3:41 Yeah, how did that? How did that experience as a paralegal shape your legal education? George Spanos 3:46 I think it’s really helpful. You know, law school is very good at teaching the law and teaching you the the idea of what you’re trying to accomplish. I think working in law office, you learn how to use the law, you learn how to be a lawyer, from the day to day, practical experience of how things work, getting to be in the courtroom, seeing cases tried, seeing a lot of different attorneys, being in front of different judges as a paralegal and just sitting in on cases and trials. I thought it was helpful and very informative. Chad Franzen 4:13 Can you tell me more about what your firm specializes in and what you specialize in? George Spanos 4:19 Sure. So our whole firm is essentially a domestic law practice, family law. We handle all matters of divorce, post divorce, and everything that you can think of, as far as custody, child support and in between. I think that our firm really specializes in high asset cases, complex litigation, high conflict cases. Not to say we don’t handle every kind of case, but those are the ones that take a lot more time and effort and or I think our experience and our knowledge really serves us best. Chad Franzen 4:51 Can you describe an example of a high conflict case and why your firm is able to handle a situation like that? George Spanos 4:59 You know. So anything high conflict, high asset, those kind of things. There’s a lot to be done for different reasons. It’s different from case to case, but it usually requires a lot of communication with clients, a lot more court appearances, usually more unique issues come up. It’s not the exact same thing, you know? It’s not a something you just check off a list and you’re done with the case, as long as you just go through the process and you’re going to and you’re going to end up at the end, there’s a lot that goes on in the meantime, and because we have a lot of attorneys here, we have six attorneys in our office. We have a lot of paralegals that we can really handle those things. We can have more than one attorney working on a case if need be and be ready and available for our clients, if we do have to go to the court an emergency hearing or something else that conflicts with maybe my schedule or my partner is available, that we can get that inner working going and be available to our clients, and we have a lot of experience. Chad Franzen 5:52 What challenges do you typically encounter in a high conflict child custody dispute? George Spanos 5:58 You know, there’s not a single one that’s the same. I think any challenge you can think of we’ve run across is really a lot of things that play into, you know, your client’s mindset, their spouse’s mindset, how the case is being managed by opposing counsel, how the judge expects a case to get handled. And obviously the facts are the most determinative thing. It’s it’s what’s comes through the door, and you’re gonna have to figure out a way to deal with it and make sure you’re trying to work for your client’s objectives and do what’s hopefully, what’s best for the kids. That’s always a goal there. Chad Franzen 6:32 And you do mediation as well. You help families resolve matters outside of court. George Spanos 6:38 I do. I’m a Rule 31 Mediator. I’ve had, I’ve had that for a few years now. Enjoy doing it. We all have to mediate. In Tennessee, if you have kids, especially, you’re going to have to go to mediation. Any divorce is going to require it, and any post divorce is going to require it. So we’re in mediation a lot. So we’re always working with mediators. And I enjoy being a mediator as well. Chad Franzen 6:59 Would you say there are benefits to going through mediation rather than taking it to court for a family you know, who’s in conflict. George Spanos 7:06 Yes, in Tennessee, you have to go to mediation. So it’s really a choice, but it is helpful. It is going to help mitigate the cost. Hopefully people can set aside the idea is that they set aside differences, and they really come to a solution that maybe it’s not exactly what they want, it’s not exactly what their ex spouse seem to be ex spouse wants, but they can come to an agreement and say, you know, this is what’s best, and we can put this all behind us and move on. And that that’s really powerful. I mean moving forward and being able to work under an agreement that you came to, you got a hand in. You know, if you can’t select mediation, you get a trial. You’re going to be told what’s happening, whether you like it or not, and you’re not going to have a say in it. You can ask for things, but you lose complete control, and this is a way to have a hand in the overall outcome. Chad Franzen 7:57 Is trial like the worst kind of possible scenario that could happen? George Spanos 8:02 It depends on what’s going on in the case, if there’s just no way to settle, if there’s nothing reasonable happening and the only offer on the table is something that your client just can’t live with. And of course, trials where you’re going to go because you can’t do anything else. You know, from a client standpoint, I think that it might be the worst case scenario only because everything else you have to do along the way, you have to get a mediation first, you have to give the best got a best shot effort to get this done. And if you then goes to trial, you’re adding more time. And it’s difficult living through divorce or a post divorce case. There’s a lot going on. There’s a lot of stress and pressure, and it’s on everybody that’s involved, and being able to move past that is always best case scenario. Sometimes you have to go to trial, and that’s just the way it works. Chad Franzen 8:50 Tell me about your involvement with the Tennessee Trial Lawyers and other legal organizations. George Spanos 8:55 Yeah. So I’m involved pretty heavily with the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association, the TBA, the Tennessee Bar Association’s Family Law Executive Council for the Tennessee Trial Lawyers. I’m the secretary of the organization. I also share the domestic legislation committee, and I co chair the the domestic law form that we have in Nashville every year. Every now and then we’re able to extend that out to other parts of Tennessee, but we have our long firm tradition of having it here in Nashville, we have 8090, attorneys usually show up for that annually, sometimes more. It’s a great program. We try to put on hot topics in the law, things that people are really interested in, newer trends, and also hear from judges about things they’re seeing. So it’s very formative. It’s a great CLE, and I’m happy to help put that on with my office. One of my other partners is our co chair, so we do a lot there, and then for the Tennessee Bar Association, the family law executive committee. That committee is really tasked with helping develop CLE and also work with. Uh, our lobbyists for legislative purposes new laws that come in to play things that we’re looking at from that standpoint, and reviewing anything that really applies to family law, and seeing if this is something that organization can support, or if there’s reasons that we have to object to it because maybe it’s a conflict with other laws, or it’s taking an approach that we’ve seen doesn’t work, and our experience helps us weigh in on that. So I’m happy to be part of that organization as well. Chad Franzen 10:25 And you also do teaching. George Spanos 10:29 Yes, I am a adjunct professor, an online class with the University of Memphis, an undergraduate class. Chad Franzen 10:37 How do you like that? George Spanos 10:40 I like it. I like that. It’s online. It’d be hard to get to Memphis from here on regular but I enjoy it. It’s helpful. It keeps me busy. Chad Franzen 10:49 So how do you balance everything? How do you balance your involvement in those associations, teaching and then, you know, your successful law practice? George Spanos 10:57 You know, I think you have to have good time management. You have to keep a good, strong calendar. If you want to know what I’m doing, if you have access to my calendar, you know what I’m doing pretty much all hours of the day, from the class, from the organization, from clients, from court. It lays my life out. I think that’s the only way you can do it. As an attorney, you have to have good organization. Chad Franzen 11:17 You were named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers and recognized as a top attorney under 40 by the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys. How did that impact you? George Spanos 11:26 You know, it’s an honor. I appreciate it. It doesn’t change what we do here inside the office four walls. But, you know, it’s nice to be recognized for for putting in a lot of good work and hard work and getting nominated for those things. I don’t think it changes anything overall. Uh, other than clients, do you like to ask about it? And it’s that’s nice that they they’ve taken time to look into things. It’s how you know if they’ve looked up anything or not. Chad Franzen 11:50 You started out as a paralegal or a legal intern, whatever the name is. How did you kind of rise to the level of partnership from there? How did it come to that? George Spanos 11:59 Well, the idea was I would eventually join the firm as an attorney, and from there it was. So getting through law school was step one, obviously. And you know, I thought I did a lot of good work. I listened, I tried to learn from the attorneys here. I was working on cases, I was drafting briefs, I was doing a lot of work on the practical side of things, that helped me really jump into things once I got my law license. I was used to day to day, and I didn’t have to learn, necessarily, how to be a lawyer. After learning what the lawyers have to know, I was working on that at the same time. So I think it gave me a jumpstart, really, to my career. Chad Franzen 12:34 And you were you aware of the Williamson County Mock Trial company? How was that, how was that? George Spanos 12:43 You know, it’s, it’s one of those things that it doesn’t sound like the greatest thing they have to do every year, but I really enjoyed it. The kids had a great time. They’re really dedicated. You can see how much effort and time they put into it. And it was nice being able to give something back and help run that organization, or that part of the organization for so long. Chad Franzen 13:02 Are there any misconceptions that are common about family law that you’ve seen through the years? George Spanos 13:07 You know, I think people don’t realize how much we have to know and how much we’re really in charge of when it comes down to divorces. You don’t think about the business aspects, especially if a more complex case, for instance, when people have businesses and everything else, we have to have a hand in it, and that means we have to really understand how these things work. We have to understand the laws well beyond just what it takes to get a divorce and just the knowledge it takes. And usually people don’t understand that at the front end. By the end of the case, they realize how much we do have to understand for them and really know about not just their life, but how their everyday goes about, especially businesses and other complex things like trusts and other agreements they might enter into. Chad Franzen 13:48 I’m guessing some of these can be kind of like hot button situations. How do you kind of help clients navigate through these difficult legal especially in the midst of maybe swirling emotions, things like that. George Spanos 14:01 Well, you know, helping them deal with the swirling emotions is step one and and there’s no way to say, Hey, don’t worry about this. Don’t let it stress you out. It’s a given. Those things are going to happen. There’s a lot of stress and divorce, there’s a lot of worry. You don’t know what’s going to happen. The future is completely unknown. At this point. You thought you had a path in life, and maybe now it’s changing. And really, what we try to do is help them break it down to say, look, this is what the divorce process is. This is how we’re going to get from step one to the final step. And here’s what we’re going to do along the way. And understanding that process is really the first thing that helps them. And then a being able to answer their questions, give them advice from experience, and give them examples of how things have worked in other cases and with other attorneys that we’ve seen and how the judges usually look at things. It’s real helpful. There’s no way to make it go away, but it’s just more of a management. Chad Franzen 14:53 Now that you’ve been an attorney for a while, what do you enjoy most about the position, the job do? George Spanos 15:01 Uh, you know, at the end of the day, if you’re in family law, you have to have a goal of helping people. I think that we do that, and that’s rewarding, knowing that you help some people get through a difficult time, especially when there’s complex issues, and there’s really tough issues, and we handle a lot of stuff that’s that’s not fun, that’s not very easy to deal with. And I think a lot of attorneys, when you tell them you do family law, they kind of go, I do not want to do that, because there’s a lot at stake in helping people put parenting plans together for their kids and figuring out how that’s going to work. So it is rewarding to do that. And like I said before, from a personal standpoint, being able to help manage my own schedule, manage my own calendar, and working for myself is always a plus. Chad Franzen 15:40 I have one more question for you. But first, how can people find out more about Rogers, Shea & Spanos? George Spanos 15:48 Easiest way is to go on our website. We have a pretty detailed website about everything our firm does. The attorneys here, including myself. Our website is midtnawyers.com Easy to look at. We go around a lot of Middle Tennessee. We focus in Davidson and Williamson counties, where we have offices, but we do go to a lot of surrounding counties, which there’s a lot of circling Nashville here. Chad Franzen 16:10 If one of your students you know ends up graduating from the last couple and they they decided they wanted to become a family law attorney, what? What is some advice that you would give them that you could only know because you’ve you’ve done it, they wouldn’t have learned maybe a law school or something like that. George Spanos 16:29 You know, I would say that everything they learned about family law is great, but they’re going to have to learn about all these other areas of the law. They really have to have a good understanding for business law, probate law, maybe criminal law, it all comes back into play, whereas other places you might be able to really narrow down. Here it’s you have to learn how to expand your knowledge. Chad Franzen 16:48 Okay, that’s good. Hey, George, it’s been great to talk to you. Thanks so much for your time today and for sharing your insights. Really appreciate it. George Spanos 16:55 No. Thank you so much. It was a pleasure talking to you. Chad Franzen 16:57 So long everybody. Outro 17:01 Thanks for listening to 15 Minutes. Be sure to subscribe and we’ll see you next time.