I have a very strong background as a trial lawyer, and when I began practicing divorce law nearly 30 years ago, I was never afraid to try a case and I never will be. Today I'm known for coming in for ninth-inning relief on many cases, for taking on tough cases that others, frankly, can't or don't want to take to trial. My courtroom experience is one of my strengths. Even though fewer than one percent of New Jersey's divorce cases are tried to conclusion, my trial skills are ready to be utilized.

There are no winners in divorce - to many it is a lose-lose situation, and the objective is to minimize the losses. The children suffer. There are personal upheaval and emotional trauma. There are unbelievably difficult issues, and I am sensitive to every one of them, every step of the way.

But at its core, after the emotions are stripped away, divorce is about a business partnership that's being dissolved. It is a process of valuing assets and reaching an agreement on equitable distribution. To be a good matrimonial attorney, a lawyer has to give the client a lot of commercial and business advice.

There are many other issues, especially psychological issues. As the old saying goes, in criminal law you see bad people at their best, but in divorce law you see good people at their worst.

When someone comes to me for the first time, I will sit and listen for an hour - or more if necessary. If I sense there is real indecision about getting the divorce, I will recommend that the person see another professional - a marriage counselor or a therapist. But if the person wants to proceed, I will never promise what I know can't be delivered. Some matrimonial attorneys over-promise, and that's a serious problem. People are led to greater disappointment at a time when they can least deal with it.

I have kept my practice small by design. It allows me to do what I do best - practice law. Some large firms have approached me about running their matrimonial departments, but I am happy in my own practice.

I love what I do. I can't think of an attorney whose advice has greater impact than the advice of a family lawyer. We are there at a key moment in people's lives to protect their interests and their children's interests and to see to it that they can constructively move on with their lives.