Since they graduated from Widener University School of Law in Delaware in 2006, Kate and John Hatfield have become closer, personally and professionally.

They moved to Jacksonville to practice law, then they married and started a family.

After each was admitted to The Florida Bar in 2007, Kate Hatfield opened The Consumer Law Firm to help clients navigate Florida’s Lemon Law that allows arbitration of disputes between consumers and motor vehicle manufacturers.

John Hatfield used his prelaw school experience as a claims adjuster to work for an insurance defense firm.

“I really enjoyed doing Lemon Law, but it didn’t pay the bills, so I started taking on auto cases. As I got busier, I asked John to help me,” Kate Hatfield said.

“It started out that I was going to help her, then it turned into a full-time job,” he said.

That’s why The Consumer Law Firm became Hatfield & Hatfield, focused on personal injury and traffic cases.

In December 2014, the Hatfields purchased the building at 210 E. Forsyth St., where they practice each day with a paralegal and a legal assistant.

They find the proximity to be complementary.

“We’re opposite in a lot of ways. It helps to have two sides looking at something,” John Hatfield said.

“He’s good at research and writing and that is not my strength at all. I’d rather pick up the phone and call somebody than write a letter,” Kate Hatfield said.

Their professional skills translate to their personal partnership.

“We know how to work it out. We do a lot of negotiating, here and at home. We’re partners and we are committed to being partners,” Kate Hatfield said.