Civil Litigation
In an ideal world, people are able to work out their disagreements by talking to each other and reaching a mutually beneficial compromise. In reality, this does not always work. When a client comes to me with a problem, I try to resolve the matter without the need for court involvement by reaching out to the opposing party in an effort to mediate the dispute. In my opinion, this is the best way to settle a conflict.
If the opposing party is not receptive to negotiation, I initiate formal legal proceedings by filing a complaint and serving the opposing party with process. Hopefully, this encourages the non-cooperative party to talk settlement. If not, the parties lose the ability to resolve the matter on their own accord, and become bound by the decision of a judge or jury. In my experience, this is not ideal because nobody likes being told what to do, how to act, or how much to pay. Therefore, I do everything I can to keep the parties in control of their own decisions by encouraging settlement at all stages of litigation.