The court process is slow, consumes time, saps energy and exhausts emotion. I have witnessed what years of litigation can do to a family, even when the client obtains the results they want in court. 

The process that litigants must navigate is not easy, even if everyone agrees.  There are many tools in the tool box and selecting the right tool for the outcome a client wants is central to delivering the desired result.   Keeping a case on budget is also critical to delivering the result a client desires.  It is important to make wise or economical actions to advance your case.   

Whenever possible, and when it is in the client’s best interest, mediation is an approach that should be explored.  But mediation is only one tool.  Litigation is an equally important tool that often must be used to deliver an outcome desired by a client. 

A big factor in a case is the actions and expectations of the other spouse/parent, and they type of lawyer they hire.  These factors are outside a client’s control.  But a client can control the selection of their own attorney which one of the most important decisions made in a case.