From the first conversation I want my clients to get to know me. I want them to feel I am the right fit for them as their advocate, for them to be comfortable with who I am and how I approach representing them. Everything is of course personal in our work - we work for our clients, our clients' families and of course their children.

Part of any effective advocacy is confidence and trust. And since so much later-stage communication is by phone and email, it's essential to establish that trust from the start.

And part of that process is creating sound expectations - the fact is I don't make promises I can't keep, and I don't want to encourage unrealistic expectations. That just sets us all up for failure. When we meet for their first time I do get a feel of where the client is coming from and what their expectations are. That's very important, especially when children are involved.

From there I often will assign a little homework - I want my clients to have an understanding of their entire financial picture. Based on that fundamental information I will work to offer my client an outline of options and scenarios of how their case may proceed.

My entire practice has been based in Northern Virginia, and after many years now my colleagues and I have an excellent perspective on the domestic relations bar - the courts, the judges, the lawyers. We've worked closely with all of them, and recognize their differences and their quirks. We've always felt that our knowledge and experience with this legal community gives our clients a distinct advantage.

People do ask me: How can you do work that involves so much acrimony and difficult emotion? Well, part of the answer is that I really do enjoy helping people sort out the difficulties and obstacles they face. And we have a great group of people, a great organization, so I have never felt I fought any fight completely on my own. John (Byrnes) and Sean (Kelly) have certainly been great influences. And today, the clients we represent have always benefited from all of the resources of our firm.

We also regularly engage in mediation, an evolving and dynamic process that frequently settles the parties' dispute. I assist clients who are engaged in traditional mediation as well as directly participate in the very popular type of mediation that utilizes the services of a retired judge.

And I'm proud too of our profession. Most lawyers focused on family law really care about positive and constructive outcomes. I know we do. We wouldn't work for our clients any other way.