Meet Sabrina Layman

The word I use that guides me as an attorney is honesty. I don’t want people to come to this office so that I can tell them what they already want to hear, or what they think they should know. I want to be honest with them about the case they have. I want to be honest with them about the cost — emotional, physical, and financial. And I want to be honest with them about outcomes and the possibilities. 

Especially in family law, where everything is about balance and equity, there’s always this idea of fairness. Honesty is really the better approach to all answers. It may not be what you want to hear at the time, but at least the first person telling you the honest answer is me, as your lawyer — not the court when you hear the decision. I don’t ever want a client to be shocked by an outcome. 

So if you approach every case with honesty, the outcome is more likely to be accepted, and the client will trust you and trust the process. 

For me, the most rewarding aspect of working as a family law attorney is helping good people in bad situations. The folks that come in to see us are really representative of our community at large — they’re just in a tough spot at that time. When I meet with them initially, they’re going through one of the hardest times of their life. By the end of the case, they’re often in one of the best positions they’ve ever been in. 

Watching someone work through that process, and helping guide them through the law, the equities, and the court system, gives me an opportunity to meet some truly great people and see them reach a place where they feel good about themselves again. And I love that.