I still practice contested litigation - about half of my law practice. It can be professionally challenging to switch from collaborative divorce practice to a litigious mindset in the same day, and sometimes the same hour. Since my preference is for collaborative law, when the transition feels most jarring is when I am faced with a situation where I would like to be trusting of the other attorney or the other party in a litigated case, as I would in a collaborative process. Since in litigation trust is discouraged and risky among professionals, and often entirely absent with divorcing couples, I have to withhold trust to some degree, and be mindful of the circumstances.
