Raised Between Two Homes: An Attorney's Personal Take on Custody Done Right

Long distance parenting plans, blended families, and Arizona child custody look very different from the inside. Billie Tarascio talks with Modern Law attorney Eilen E. Castellano Tatis, who spent her childhood moving between her mom's home in New York and her dad's home in Utah after her parents divorced. Eilen explains what her parents did right, why she still credits them at 26, and how that experience shapes the way she guides Arizona families through divorce and custody today. 

Eilen E. Castellano Tatis is a family law attorney at Modern Law, serving clients across Arizona in divorce, child custody, and parenting plan matters. She started her career as a homicide prosecutor in Maricopa County, moved to civil litigation at a 170 plus attorney Phoenix firm, and chose family law because it lets her advocate for people instead of entities. She earned her law degree at the University of Arizona and brings courtroom experience plus lived experience to every case.

Key Takeaways:

- Long distance parenting plans can still build close relationships with both parents

- Kids carry the memory of how their parents handled the split

- Keep children out of the middle instead of using them as messengers

- Remarriage and stepfamilies change the dynamic more than the divorce itself

- Parents who protect the other parent's relationship give their kids stability

- Zealous advocacy and de-escalation work together in family law

- Winning one argument today can cost your client the next ten years

- Ask what you are actually trying to accomplish before you escalate

- Family law rewards emotional intelligence as much as legal skill

- Separate what feels upsetting from what needs a legal response

- Criminal cases end at sentencing while family cases shape the future

- Choose mentors who want you to outgrow them

Chapters:

00:00 Meet Eilen Castellano Tatis

00:58 Growing up between two households

04:31 How her parents kept her out of the conflict

07:41 The moment that led her to law

10:29 Homicide prosecution and the toll it takes

13:44 Why she moved to family law

15:42 When to fight and when to de-escalate

22:34 Cycling, mentors, and life outside court

28:37 The clients and cases she wants most

Connect with Eilen E. Castellano Tatis:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eilen-e

Modern Law: https://mymodernlaw.com/our-team/eilen-e-castellano-tatis/ 

Talk to a Modern Law attorney about your divorce, custody, or parenting plan. Call 480-649-2905 or visit https://mymodernlaw.com to schedule a consultation.

Note: this episode includes a first hand account of a violent death the guest witnessed as a young child. Listener discretion advised.