Our Approach
Our Professional Perspective
We believe that the best legal results are obtained within the bounds of ethics, efficiently and with a minimum of conflict. Clients represented by competent lawyers who are comfortable at trial and in mediation, and who comport themselves professionally, are best served.
Be wary of any lawyer on a race to the courthouse. These days, the courtroom is a place of last resort. When a Judge or Jury is called upon to decide in your case, you and your lawyer have lost control of the outcome and you may be headed to unwanted fame.
Your lawyer should be comfortable working with, and cross examining, expert witnesses. For example, in complex equitable distribution cases, your lawyer should have a working relationship with one or more forensic accountants that can assist in classifying and valuing assets, including small businesses, professional practices, and stock options.
Today, a vast majority of civil cases resolve, after careful preparation with the support of experts, in an alternative dispute setting, and most typically, in mediation. While there are many reasons for this trend, the most compelling, we believe, relates to control.
When you and your lawyer say yes to a mediated resolution, you are saying yes to an outcome that is certain. Compare that with a courtroom.
Sometimes trial is unavoidable, and the lawyer you choose to handle your legal dispute should have solid trial skills, including the ability to persuade a Judge or Jury. But your lawyer should be an equally competent negotiator, prepared to guide you through the mediation process.
Ask us how our approach will work for you.
Jim Siemens and Katherine Fisher