A client once telephoned me to intervene in a dispute he'd had with his soon-to-be-ex-wife over who should pay for their child's ice cream cone - and I cut him short. I said to him, "Do you really want me to argue over who should pay for your child's $3 ice cream cone?" Because after a few phone calls and maybe one or two follow-up letters it will have become a $300 ice cream cone. That's really not in anyone's interests.

That goes to the heart of how I approach my job. I'm not interested in wasting people's money even if they are willing to pay. Unless we stand to gain some strategic advantage we avoid creating unnecessary problems - at the same time we are committed to ensuring that our client's receive at least that to which he or she is entitled. However, the notion of running up an hourly rate over something like an ice cream cone simply because a client is upset really bothers me.

It's about keeping focused on the goal. If we're not reasonable, an otherwise simple situation can quickly and easily be turned into an ugly, drawn out, and expensive divorce. If the clients aren't reasonable, they don't stay my clients. I don't need the headaches and they will ultimately learn the hard way, hurting themselves and their children in the process. But our firm is fortunate - we can be selective as to which cases we accept.

Although I don't think it's the role of the attorney to be a therapist, I advise all my clients that no one is naturally equipped to handle the stress of a divorce and they should consider seeking a mental health professional to assist them during this time. It is part of my job to keep everyone grounded, everyone focused on the objective - a resolution to their divorce that allows them to successfully move forward with their lives.

I understand people and I understand human nature, and that helps me as an advocate. Although we have been told that we are aggressive, the label "shark" does not apply to our practice. Instead, we are committed to fairness and efficiency. That saves our clients money. We play it very straight and we begin preparing for trial from the start, all the while pushing for a settlement. This approach generally avoids the need for a trial as it allows us to be more effective advocates. And in the small percentage of cases that we do try, we are always well prepared.

We spend a lot of time educating our clients. Our first meeting is "Divorce Law 101," for which my clients are grateful - they appreciate the time we take and they leave understanding the process and what they can expect. The clients which we accept stay with us - we have a very high retention rate for this field. The vast majority of our clients have been referred to us by clients we previously represented or by other lawyers.

One of the things I am most proud of is the early growth of our firm which, I believe, is a testament to how we handle our cases - with zealous advocacy, speed and focus.