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Family
/ Domestic Relations
Franklin R. Blatt
Franklin R. Blatt
Law Offices
by Michael Griffis
Franklin R Blatt |
Franklin
Blatt helps pick up the pieces. His clients, caught
in the family meltdowns of divorce or custody disputes,
are frequently angry and emotional. Some want revenge.
It’s Blatt’s task to help them make the best
of a bad situation.
“The
family lawyer is seeing the client at their emotional
worst,” says Blatt, 55, who has a practice in Harrisonburg.
“My job is to set the boundaries, to do what’s
best for the client and not get drawn into the emotional
fray.”
That
steady touch, along with a thorough knowledge of case
law, has helped Blatt win the respect of colleagues
and clients. “Frank is always prepared, he always
does his homework, he never needs an excuse and he never
needs more time,” says attorney Betty Thompson,
who has worked extensively with Blatt on bar-related
activities.
Blatt
graduated from Memphis State University Law School in
1973 and has practiced in Harrisonburg since 1974. His
emphasis is family law where he handles domestic issues
such as divorce, alimony, child custody and equitable
property distribution.
Deciding
what is equitable isn’t easy. Family law clients
are often vulnerable to unrealistic expectations, Blatt
says. He helps clients “draw distinctions so they
can focus on the business aspects of dissolving the
marriage partnership.” He sets the tone by telling
clients that he understands their plight, and he helps
them get emotional support. “Divorce and family
law is very much a personal-service kind of lawyering,”
says Thompson. “There is a lot of psychology that
goes into the practice.”
When
dealing with family matters, Blatt tries to avoid litigation.
He tells clients “even if you reach your goal,
the satisfaction doesn’t last long. After considering
the time away from work, the monetary commitment and
all you will have been through, it really isn’t
worth it.” While Blatt tries to resolve legal confrontations,
if a suit goes to court he says he will “be prepared
from beginning to end and won’t get caught short
in the court room. Often, we’re talking about high-dollar
situations. These cases are won by preparation.”
Clients
appreciate his approach. “Frank taught me a lot
as a person,” says Larry Thomas, who sought Blatt’s
help during his divorce. “He really cared about
my situation. Frank recognized the emotional pain that
I was going through and provided support when I needed
it. He taught me that time takes care of a lot of problems;
it allows people to cool off.”
Blatt
enjoys law because it allows for creativity. Family
law in particular, he says, offers an ever-changing
array of issues. For instance, what’s the best
way to sort out stock options or to set their value?
The parties need to split the options equitably but
“many companies don’t allow them to be divided,”
he says. Plus, options that were once a pot of gold
are now worthless. “You can’t practice cookie-cutter
law. You have to stay on top of things.”
Keeping
up with changes in domestic law is something he excels
at, colleagues say. Once a week Blatt logs onto the
Internet site for the Virginia Court of Appeals to study
the latest opinions in domestic law cases. Brad Roof,
a longtime client, says Blatt is “on top of what’s
happening currently in the law. He would recall the
most recent case about something we were doing. I just
found him to be extremely thorough in whatever he did.”
Even
with a busy law practice, Blatt finds time to serve
the legal community. He is president-elect for the Virginia
Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.
“Frank is very giving and generous of his time
to the profession,” says Thompson. “…
Frank does it from the heart, because he really cares.”
Return
to Virginia Business - December 2002
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