Partners Launch New Family Law Firm Based on ‘Big Picture’ Approach

Four pro-family lawyers have fashioned a new company, Elovitz, Edwards, O’Nan & Buerlein, saying they shared a comparable philosophy to training law.
Asked to describe their approach in what can regularly be contentious divorce and custody cases, Austin Buerlein replied that he and his partners—Rachel Elovitz, Regina Edwards and Gillian O’Nan—take a long-term view of households’ nicely-being after the legal complaints.
“We are doing what we will to maintain events’ capacity in an effort to cope after a divorce,” Buerlein stated.
“A lot of circle of relatives legal professionals cross scorched-earth proper out of the gate,” he explained. “We suppose extra lengthy-time period. Our purchaser goes to ought to cope with this person for the relaxation of their toddler’s existence. I think loads of lawyers overlook that—the massive photograph.”
As can be the case at smaller companies, workplace space played a function in Elovitz, Edwards, O’Nan & Buerlein’s formation.
Elovitz and O’Nan have been working towards together at Elovitz O’Nan due to the fact that 2014 and had introduced an accomplice, Kelley Webb. They decided they needed extra space, and some had grown to be had in their building at 38 Old Ivy Road in south Buckhead, in which the new firm now occupies the entire 2nd floor.
The partners were speakme with Edwards, an established solo circle of relatives law practitioner, about joining them when they discovered that Buerlein becomes planning to depart an established Marietta firm, Browning & Smith, to begin his personal practice.
“A bunch of transferring components came collectively at the equal time,” Elovitz said.
“We put the pieces together—and realized we should merge and transition into a new area as a brand new firm,” said O’Nan, the managing accomplice for Elovitz, Edwards, O’Nan & Buerlein, which launched in January.
Shared Values
The four have had instances against every other over the years, and Elovitz and O’Nan said they discovered that they shared comparable values once they met thru a contentious child custody case six years in the past.
O’Nan, who in 2013 had just left circle of relatives law firm Levine, Smith, Snider & Wilson to start her own keep, said she was representing a father who’d taken off for Europe along with his baby without telling the child’s mother, who became represented by means of Elovitz, a solo own family legal professional on account that 2001. The mother and father had in no way married.
Two days after getting into an look for the daddy, O’Nan stated, she withdrew from the case. She’d found out from smartphone conversations with Elovitz that the daddy had lied to her approximately the circumstances.
“Some of the greatest days of my felony career have been taking flight from a case,” O’Nan stated with a laugh, adding that she’d fired some clients once they “have been now not in line with my values.”
That made an impact on Elovitz. “This became a genuinely moral legal professional,” she said. “I cherished that—and we stayed in contact.”
The consulted informally over the cellphone on cases, Elovitz stated, until figuring out in mid-2014 to become regulation companions.
Elovitz said that she and O’Nan invited Edwards and Buerlein to enroll in their company due to their comparable outlook.
“One of the things I like about Austin is that he is easy to get alongside whilst nonetheless acting as a strong endorse for his customers,” she stated.
“Regina can be as hard as nails when she desires to be,” Elovitz added. “If the other legal professional is being unreasonable, she will be able to reduce via that.”
Buerlein said that after 10 years in practice he had evolved a self-maintaining exercise. “It changed into time to make a bounce,” he said. “I got here up with a short list of legal professionals that I desired to exercise with and met with Gillian and Rachel. The next thing I knew, I become a firm with 4 women.”
Edwards had run her personal store considering that 2006. “The existence of a solo maybe type of lonely,” she explained. “I’d call Gillian to dance off thoughts, and I notion it would be first-rate to have companions so we ought to work on each others’ instances and proportion advice.”
Elovitz, Edwards, O’Nan & Buerlein handles all aspects of family law, representing both ladies and men. Buerlein said the 4 partners are skilled with complicated infant-custody instances and that everyone has dealt with divorces concerning estates of greater than $25 million.
The companions declined to call customers. “You’re no longer going to peer us at the information talking approximately our customers,” Edwards stated. “But we’ve represented some excessive profile athletes and entertainers.”
Along with excessive-internet-really worth customers, Buerlein stated, the firm represents “people from all walks of existence and backgrounds.”
The 4 take care of instances statewide, but in the main in Fulton, Cobb, DeKalb, and Gwinnett counties. Collectively, Buerlein said, they have got sixty-four years combined revel in and have regarded in about 1,500 court docket hearings in Georgia.
Elovitz and O’Nan additionally function guardians advert litem and, like Edwards, mediate divorce and home violence instances.