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We Are Advocates As advocates, we seek to persuade the other party or the court that our clients' goals should be agreed to in settlement or granted in trial. If we succeed as advocates in negotiation, our clients' cases settle. If we succeed as advocates in trial, we obtain the good results for our clients from the court. When possible, our approach as advocates is to prevail by showing that the strengths of our client´s goals are superior to the strengths of the other party´s goals. This is a different approach. Traditionally, litigation focuses on proving the weaknesses or failings of the other party. Experience has shown us that our approach is the most successful one for our clients and the entire family. This is consistent with the fact that family relationships continue after the legal matter is resolved. For example, in a parenting case in which our client is seeking primary care of the children, we prefer to prevail by showing that our client has been the primary parent or is the superior parent, rather than by focusing on the failings of the other parent. However, when the truth is otherwise and this approach will not protect the welfare of the children, we are assertive in showing the risks to the children presented by the other parent. In our office, the four keys to successful advocacy are: - Having a full understanding of the facts and the law;
- Presenting the good and bad facts with honesty - but in a way that gives the greatest weight to the good facts that support our client´s goals,
- Taking positions that are supported by the facts and the law, rather than taking unrealistic positions driven by emotions; and
- Advocating with respect for the person to be persuaded - whether that is the other party, when settlement is the goal, or the judge when successful litigation is the goal.
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