A female defender of men in a divorce said husbands are the biggest losers in this legal process. Barbara Johnson-Stern, a divorce lawyer for 18 years, said court settlements often tip the balance against her clients.
Johnson-Stern only takes divorce cases from male clients. She also heads the lone law firm in the U.K. defending solely men in the process of ending their marriage, according to Daily Mail.
Johnson-Stern said the tables have turned in divorce cases in recent times and views must also change. "Women are often seen as the biggest losers in divorce, but that's an outdated view - it's almost the opposite now," the divorce lawyer said. She assessed this old thinking gives women a "sense of entitlement" in a divorce.
Some 65 percent of woman initiate ending the marriage in court on top of demanding the custody of the children, as well as the rights to the family house. Meanwhile, courts usually hand out rulings ordering husbands to support their ex-wives.
Johnson-Stern said the bias against husbands stems from the mindset that women are the primary carer or parent in the family while the men's main role is financial. Johnson-Stern practiced divorce law in the United States before moving to the United Kingdom to head Cordell & Cordell. "Unfair representation of men in the family law courts applies equally in the UK and US, across all areas," she said, as per Telegraph.
Stereotypes aside, husbands and wives in the middle of a divorce go through the same things. Both individuals seek comfort and advice from friends or family, or descend into loneliness and regrets, or have to pick up the pieces after the marriage breaks down.
Johnson-Stern, however, clarified she's not "anti-women" or that wives should "walk away with nothing" in a divorce, as per Independent. As a lawyer, it's her job to ensure both parties get a fair settlement and that men, like women, have their rights.
