Ready for Anything
Jeffrey A. Liebmann, the founding attorney behind Liebmann Family Law, shares 30 years of wisdom and experience to help clients prepare for a new life after divorce.
The marriage is over. Plans of growing old and gray together have faded to black, either because of infidelity, abuse, divergent interests, financial challenges, or myriad other reasons. The road to forever ends at the quickly approaching stop sign called divorce.
What do you do now?
Someone who knows precisely what to do when couples have decided to end their marriage is Jeffrey A. Liebmann, the owner and shareholder of Liebmann Family Law, in Newtown, Bucks County. He is also among the most experienced, respected, and sought-after family law attorneys in the Delaware Valley, having been recognized the past three years by Super Lawyers, a rating service of outstanding lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.
For three decades, Liebmann has concentrated his practice in areas such as divorce, child custody, grandparents’ rights, child and spousal support, and other family law-related matters. His advice to those seeking a divorce: Be prepared.
“We call it separation planning,” he says. “Gather up all your important documents: the mortgage, credit card bills, bank account information, retirement account information. This helps immensely when you sit down with an attorney for the very first time.”
While gathering financial information is necessary, perhaps the most impactful step for a divorcing couple is finding the right family law attorney. In an initial meeting, people should take into account the attorney’s legal background and experience, as well as their own needs, and ask to review testimonials of previous divorcing clients, to gain insight into how a prospective attorney may help attain their desired goals.
“Another bit of advice is, don’t hire the first attorney you contact,” Liebmann says. “You have to work with an attorney, so you have to feel most comfortable with them. Some attorneys will tell you to fight like hell when fighting like hell is not necessary, and some will tell you not to fight when fighting is necessary. Also, if you get a sense this man or woman is going to cost you a lot of money and not listen to your concerns, they’re not the lawyer for you.”
In his nearly a third of a century practicing family law, Liebmann has found that another vital component for divorcing couples is to be open to discussion.
“Keeping an open line of communication is so important when couples are going through divorce proceedings,” he says. “Obviously, sometimes that’s just not possible, but I advise clients to figure out a way to talk about any issue, not shut down. This is especially important when there are young children, and if couples have decided to stay in the home together during the process, which makes the process a lot less expensive.”
Sometimes, he says, the custody aspect of divorce is what makes everything “go off the rails.”
“I’ve also seen where a spouse who has been cheated on threatens to tell their kids,” he adds. “I tell them the issue is between you and your spouse, [and] that this is not an issue the kids should be aware of and would only hurt them. I remind them that the consideration of their kids is always paramount.”
Liebmann has experienced couples on the verge of divorce delay their intentions until after the winter holiday season. January has become a popular month for divorce filings, according to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, with the peak period in March. Among the leading factors for delaying the proceedings until after the holidays is not wanting to break unhappy news to family and friends during a time rooted in togetherness.
“Couples just don’t want to say to their children, ‘Daddy or Mommy is moving out for Christmas,’” he says. “So, people plan to hold off. They decide to start their new beginning at the start of the new year. I know we tend to get much busier after the holidays.”
Liebmann also warns divorcing couples not to go into an initial meeting with a family law attorney with preconceived notions.
Liebmann also warns divorcing couples not to go into an initial meeting with a family law attorney with preconceived notions.
“I get a lot of people who believe they’ve accumulated a lot of retirement assets and they’re going to just walk away with that,” he says. “They believe their spouse shouldn’t get their equitable share because they were the ones that worked for it. Sometimes, clients come in as a result of infidelity and want their pound of flesh. That can be expensive and ultimately not what they’re looking for.”
‘Make an Informed Decision’
An active member of the Family Law Section of the Bucks County Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Association, Liebmann received his undergraduate degree from St. Joseph’s University, and his Juris Doctor from the Widener University School of Law in 1990. A 42-year resident of Bucks County, Liebmann is also active in various charitable community endeavors. He is a founding member and director of Friends for Heroes, which raises money for local veterans through a golf outing each August and for which he has been recognized by the Bucks County Bar Association for his community service.
An active member of the Family Law Section of the Bucks County Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Association, Liebmann received his undergraduate degree from St. Joseph’s University, and his Juris Doctor from the Widener University School of Law in 1990. A 42-year resident of Bucks County, Liebmann is also active in various charitable community endeavors. He is a founding member and director of Friends for Heroes, which raises money for local veterans through a golf outing each August and for which he has been recognized by the Bucks County Bar Association for his community service.
Liebmann and his fellow attorneys in Liebmann Family Law—Mindy J. Snyder and David J. Sowerbutts—pride themselves on having represented clients from different backgrounds; they have helped everyone from small-business owners to CEOs of large corporations, and from labor union members to high-net-worth individuals, in varied facets of family law. He strives to make sure that he provides top-notch representation to every client. He is extremely detailed and highly responsive to all his clients as he understands the emotional turmoil associated with family law issues. His decades of experience and commitment will help clients get through every step of the process with confidence.
“We know the process of family law completely here at Liebmann Family Law,” Liebmann says. “I’ve done it for 30 years. I go out of my way to try to make the process understandable for clients. If they’re pondering a decision whether to divorce, I make it more relatable, less intimidating. If people are thinking about what their life will be like if they begin this process, they can talk to me at no charge. I’ll let them know how the process works so they can make an informed decision. Giving them all the facts, explaining the process, that’s always been the most important thing for me.”
Liebmann Family Law
The Atrium
4 Terry Drive, Suite 4
Newtown, PA 18940
(215) 860-8200
liebmannfamilylaw.com
The Atrium
4 Terry Drive, Suite 4
Newtown, PA 18940
(215) 860-8200
liebmannfamilylaw.com
Photograph by Jody Robinson
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, December 2021.
