This is the third in my line of posts responding to the questions posed by Carla Schiff Donnelly in her article about hiring the right divorce lawyer. There, she poses several questions that a person should ask a divorce lawyer in the initial interview. Here is my answer to question #3:
• What percentage of cases do you settle?
Most cases settle before trial. Otherwise, our court system would be more clogged than it is currently. In the “old days” before mandatory mediation, lawyers collaborated together to get cases settled. When mediation came along and most judges made the process mandatory prior to trial, the rate of settlement increased. Estimates are that around 95% of cases settle prior to trial.