Lynda Hinkle, Esq.
Lynda Hinkle, Esq.
Partner, The Law Offices of Lynda L. Hinkle
Separating fact from emotion
Lynda Hinkle, Esq. has always strived to be a voice of reason in a difficult time.
“From the moment I started studying law, it’s always stuck with me that my number-one priority is to hear people’s stories and help unravel their problems,” says Hinkle, a family law attorney and partner of The Law Offices of Lynda L. Hinkle. “I bring a practical element into a practice that can be very emotional. I’m able to focus on finding solutions that help clients move forward with their lives and be happy instead of staying dragged down by what they just went through.”
“Even now, I think we don’t understand the trauma we’ve collectively gone through and how it’s impacted our culture, our relationships and ourselves as individuals.”
After this year, those emotions are even more heightened, she says.
“Even now, I think we don’t understand the trauma we’ve collectively gone through and how it’s impacted our culture, our relationships and ourselves as individuals,” says Hinkle.
Initially, she saw a definite uptick in domestic violence issues when the lockdowns started, but it took longer for her to be able to bring those cases to court.
“People weren’t ready to do anything,” says Hinkle. “There were financial and security issues. I had people who needed restraining orders, but where do you go in the middle of a pandemic when the financial picture for the entire family is uncertain?”
Once restrictions started to lift, people started calling her in earnest, she says – especially for matters like divorce.
“People are divorcing like crazy,” says Hinkle. “After spending such a stressful time too close together and allowing tensions to build up weeks, or even months, the conflicts became even more powerful.”
Dealing with so many raw emotions every day can take a toll on even the most level-headed of people, she says.
“Most of the time, I try not to take it home with me, because I have to create a boundary,” says Hinkle. “Some of the domestic violence cases or cases involving children at risk definitely stick with me, but your regularly scheduled dramatic divorce doesn’t to the same degree.”
Instead, she focuses on the reality of the situation.
“I really enjoy when I’m able to get somebody through emotional situations just by being honest,” she says. “I’ve had a few clients this year thank me for this, for not letting them spin out of control and focusing on numbers and facts that help them move on.”
She’s always been someone who’s very practical when presented with a problem, she says. Case in point: she never set out to create her own practice, especially not immediately after passing the Bar Exam. But for her, it was simply a solution to a problem.
“I entered the field at a time when the job market was bad, so I created my own job,” says Hinkle. “Every day, I focused on the task at hand, leaning on mentors and learning the practical elements of law that they don’t teach you at school.”
And after 11 years in practice, she’s still learning every day, she says – that’s the way she likes it.
“There’s always some new wrinkle in a case, something different happening that you have to learn how to respond to,” says Hinkle. “I always push to learn, grow and be creative. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that adaptation is survival and innovation is thriving.”
Prepping your case
Family law matters can be tricky, says Lynda Hinkle, Esq, partner of the Law Offices of Lynda L. Hinkle. But just a few simple pieces of advice can make all the difference.
Look at it as a business
Don’t let emotion be the thing that leads you, says Hinkle, especially in a divorce.
“Personally, I’ve been through a divorce, and I know how much emotions can get in the way of your objectives,” she says. “You have to come into this as a negotiation and find ways to filter the emotion into a more productive use than just prolonging the experience and increasing the expense of the divorce.
Let go of your ego
“People will make very bad decisions on the basis of ego,” says Hinkle. “If a deal comes to the table where you get what you want, you get to keep more money in your pocket, but the other person feels like they’re winning, just let it go.”
Take the win, she says, because more often than not, people sabotage themselves just to take the other person down with them.
Understand what you need
Before going into a case, have a clear understanding of exactly what you’re fighting for, says Hinkle. “Knowing what you want, what you can’t live without and what it’s ok to lose will ultimately put you in a much better position to win all of those things in the end,” she says.
