There is a very old and hackneyed saying that litigation is for '...the mad, the bad, and the sad...'
This reflects the fact that many people get into disputes because of base reasons like anger, irrationality, and desperation.
Fundamentally positive reasons for taking action will normally be more about you, not about your opponent.
And a good reason for taking action will not only resonate with you; it will also leave you integrity intact.
I am taking this action:
"...because I want to put to a roof over my family's head, and to give them some security"
"...because I need a solution that does justice to the relationship I had with my late partner for nearly thirty years"
"...because I want my children to have the opportunity to farm"
"...because this is what my dad would have wanted"
"...because it's only fair that my work over a lifetime should be recognised"
Whatever your reason for acting is, it should inform not only your strategy but also the way you go about finding a solution.
Most people know on some level that it doesn't make sense for them to waste money, time, and life on a dispute for no good reason.
What is much less obvious is what we consider the main benefit of defining in positive terms you are trying to achieve.
Time and again we have found that people who know why they are acting are so much more resilient in the face of difficulties.
When we remind our clients of their 'why', they relax; they can think; and then the next step, whatever it might be, becomes clear.