Letting your client push the spouse into a corner Lack of tolerance for risk and uncertainty Caution your client that the road to client-directed negotiations is not without bumps, detours, and even washouts. I would estimate that only about one-half of my clients successfully negotiate all the items in the divorce agreement with minimal intervention from me.
Negotiations are as unique and complex as the people involved.
For those of your clients who, for many of the eight reasons discussed above, cannot handle client-directed negotiations, experienced family law practitioners with good negotiating skills are a must. It is quite instructive to observe two master divorce attorneys negotiating. They are able to settle their cases very quickly beause they have no need to waste time extaneous matters, such as probing the weaknesses and strengths of the other side. They know each other, and they are familiar with the facts of their cases and the likely legal outcome. In fact, the only impediment to immediate settlement may be the lack of emotional readiness of their clients to proceed to closure.