When any client retains us, we know that bestows upon us a tremendous amount of responsibility. We take that selection process, the process of hiring the right attorney, as seriously as the client. Many people will shop around for a lawyer these days. Just as we want to make sure the client is comfortable with us, we want to be comfortable with the client as well. We’ve never had to worry where our next case was going to come from or when it was going to come.

People are now much better educated about the divorce process. The media reports on divorce in a much more open manner. And the internet generates endless amounts of information – but not all of it useful, or even accurate.

So education – about the process, about options, about possible outcomes -- is big part of what we do. In our position, as advisors and advocates, honesty is the best way to manage expectations. You should never be fearful of telling a client as many possible scenarios as you can think of – even the worst-case scenario. I’m handling cases all the time that carry risk, some uncertainty about the outcome, because judges have an enormous amount of discretion.

A decade ago my partner Ed Snyder and I were adversaries. We are both very aggressive, but we always had the utmost respect for one another.

In fact, our firm brings many different perspectives to every case. We bring a many resources to every case. We bounce ideas and strategies off each other. I think that’s what makes us unique.

If you work hard for clients, they know it and appreciate it. Even in those cases when a client doesn’t get everything he or she wants, if the client knows you’ve done all you can, the client respects and appreciates your hard work.

There are extreme ups and extreme downs in our line of work. But that’s the nature of it. For me, the most satisfying aspect of my work is having the chance to represent all kinds of people – from the wealthy, the famous, to the classic struggling spouse in a major transition in his or her life. As we say here, we represent everyone from rock stars to rock climbers. And that’s very satisfying.

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