Clients in divorce cases are always surprised by my first question at the initial interview: "Well, how much have you been able to negotiate directly with your spouse? What is left for me to do?". Invariably, I get a blank stare, or even a wary frown.
Yet these clients have significant experience as negotiators in their personal lives, careers, and families without even being aware of it. So, I explore with them some of their milestones as negotiators: "Remember when you and your wife decided on the name of your first child? ", "Recall the negotiations to purchase your first house?" or "How did you and your husband work out your annual vacation choices?".