My lawyer and my STBXH's lawyer are hashing out the details as I am requesting alimony after one month short of 28 years of marriage. The county I live in is not good about granting alimony, but I am trying nonetheless as I will be in the poor house unless I remarry or get a roommate (neither of which are on my radar). The fact of the matter is my lawyer is the son-in-law to the judge that is known to be the worst with approving alimony; and they can't work together as it is considered a conflict of interest. I was advised to pick my lawyer (by a lawyer I liked and would prefer to have) in order to get a better judge (welcome to small town politics). I have an 18 and 17 year old at home (and a 23 year old who lives with a roommate).