What Do I Need?

You have to keep the eye on the prize.   That ability is the mark of a good advocate.  I can go to court and win your case for you, but "winning" may get you something that makes you miserable.  It's far better to figure out what you need, and find a way to help you get it.  I know, this seems completely obvious, but when you're in the Trenches and feeling embattled, it's very hard not to want to just fight and win.  Part of what we do in the Trenches is help our clients develop their vision of what they want their life to look like into the future.  Then we work backward to strategize how to make that happen.  Sometimes that means battling it out in court, but usually it doesn't.  Sometimes, it means making a strategic surrender.  Sometimes it means engaging in creative negotiation and strategy.  The point is, it's the prize that drives the method, and not the method that determines the prize.  Here in the Trenches.