The Road Less Traveled

Sometimes life takes you down different paths.  Whether those paths are positive or negative is how you view it.  Is it an arduous hike or a bit of a rocky climb to a fabulous view?   When I started working here in the Trenches, all of my work was traditional litigation and advocacy.  Then, I learned mediation.  Then, collaboration.  Then, parent coordination.  Still, the majority of my practice was traditional litigation and advocacy.  Sure, I applied all my new skills to my cases, and that helped lots of cases settle, but still the majority of my work was not the alternative dispute mechanisms I love.  A lot of the reason for that was that the other attorney and other client weren't on board with it, so I did what I could to make a purse out of a sow's ear.  I never doubted my journey would end up where I wanted it to go, I just wasn't sure when.  I kind of felt like some of my collaborative clients - it takes so long to ask the questions that we need to ask and gather the information to answer them, that they wonder if we will ever reach conclusion.  Usually right about then, everything usually falls into place, and presto, the case settles.  So it has been with my journey.  All of a sudden, along with my regular litigation cases, I have a mediation or two, a couple of parent coordination cases, a new collaborative case coming in the door, and I'm teaching law school school.  All of that hard work, all of those years of training finally translate into the diversified work I envisioned.  Just like my collaborative clients.  Here in the Trenches.