The Fine Print of Alternative Dispute Resolution

Trials have been described as knife fights with ties. Two lawyers go into a courtroom; one emerges the winner, but both leave with severe battle scars and blood on their hands. That is the name of the game with litigation. The client wants a fight, and we lawyers are paid to deliver it. However, at what point is it more important for lawyers to be counselors rather than advocates? We wear both hats, and sometimes forget that we function as more than well-dressed, well-educated, thugs hired to carry out personal grudges. We are also the voice of reason when the client is so blinded by their own anger that they cannot see the simple solution to their problems before the knife fight begins.