Before I go into specific issues with a client, it's important for me to get the specific facts. I've never been a lawyer who is willing to tell people what they want to hear - and everyone knows they are out there. In fact, from the first conversation the plain reality needs to be told, the entire picture needs to be held up and examined. That process is good for everyone, simply because it allows for realistic expectations later on.

And yes, everyone's circumstances change in divorce, and there's uncertainty in that process. Our job though is to help our clients arrive at a resolution they can live with.

I was hired right out of law school by Sol Barrocas and Kieth Rieger, and both have had a huge influence on me and my practice today. In a way my approach to my practice is a combination of theirs - part prosecutor, part dealmaker. For years our practice was intense, and that experience prepared me for how I practice today. There was a great sense of urgency to responding to clients, and our firm today reflects that sense of urgency as well. Rule One? Never not return a phone call. The priority has always been to address the client's needs, and answer their questions, as quickly as possible.

My partners Laura Mintz, Emily Record and I share values of commitment - to effective representation for our clients, in whatever process is most appropriate - litigation and even trial preparation, as well as alternatives such as collaborative law and mediation. I have experience across all of those - I sat second chair with Sol Barrocas on many complex cases, and I am a trained mediator.

That all said, our firm prepares for the possibility of litigation from the moment the client comes through our door. That preparation really strengthens our client's position and standing, in whatever setting the case proceeds.

Without question clients today are more sophisticated than ever before, certainly more so than when I started. For one thing, the economic downturn that began in 2008 really sharpened people's awareness of resources and the importance of outcomes. Now more than ever, divorce is not the time to be sloppy or careless. People are coming in better informed - and better prepared.

Technology too has changed the practice - social media is so immediate, accessible - and tempting - that I find myself telling clients to avoid it. "Get off of Facebook!" I tell them. The stakes are too high, I say, to start boasting about your trip to Mexico with your new friend. But clients don't always listen, and they still do it. I can think of a dozen divorces in which a spouse re-connected online with an old high school girlfriend or boyfriend.

We have a great practice, and I'm proud to have worked with some of the best divorce lawyers in my career. I feel we carry on a long tradition - in fact, clients we worked for ten years ago still send us clients today. They know we'll do our best for them.