For some segments of our society litigation is part of everyday life. Insurance adjusters make their living out of measuring damages and assessing the risk and cost of doing battle over insurance claims. As such, they make judgments every day as to whether a particular claim is something they want to fight over. In so doing, they take into consideration the damage the claimant incurred, the cost of contesting the claim and the likelihood they will prevail over the claimant (or otherwise reduce the claim recovery).

Businessmen are not as immersed in litigation as those in the insurance industry, but businesses deal with various kinds of legal claims every day. Employees sue for wage claims or discrimination claims. Developers battle municipal authorities over home many homes they can build on a parcel. Again, each of these matters involves assessment of risk and benefits associated with potential litigation.

Family law litigants, even those who assess commercial risks and rewards every day tend to lose sight of the fact that they have a role in deciding when to fight versus when to switch. Tell someone that a planned vacation with his/her children for the summer has been abruptly “cancelled” by a former spouse and many will tell you they do not care what it costs to enforce their rights as parents. That may be true until the bill comes in.

In family law, many clients tell us that they are fighting for principle. Principle does have its place and there are times when a matter must be litigated simply to “send the message” that a client takes his or her rights very seriously and will invest in the principle of the matter even when a dollar recovery is remote. But even in these cases, it is worthwhile to ask, how likely is it that the principle I am promoting will be validated by the Court. And what will I invest for that validation.

A classic example involves child support. Even in a world where there are support guidelines with explicit definitions there is still room for battle. Husband loses his job in the current economic environment. Wife says he quit. Husband says he was laid off. Wife wants to assert that support should be based not on his unemployment but his earning capacity. There is a triable issue of fact. But what is the likelihood that each side will prevail? And what is the cost of the hearing or trial.

Let us say that unemployment is $2,000 a month. Husband formerly earned $7,000 a month. Assume spousal support only is in issue. Further assume that Wife is working and making $2,000 a month. Husband’s best case is no support at all as wages are equal while he is unemployed. Wife’s best case scenario is that Husband owes her $2,000 a month in support based on his earning capacity. Now we have a range of outcomes. Let’s assume that Wife’s attorney estimates his chance of a total win at 50%. The value of the claim is no longer his best case of $2,000 a month but half of that amount. Now how long can he expect to collect the support if he prevails. If it is estimated at two years the value of the claim is 24 months multiplied by $1,000 representing the value of the claim. Now the question becomes what are the litigants willing to spend to enforce an outcome that centers around $24,000. If they try the case for a day before a judge or hearing officer they will each invest probably 30 hours between the various preliminary proceedings. At $300 an hour, each will invest $9,000. Now we see an $18,000 investment pursuing a probably $24,000 outcome. Now, bear in mind, each party will only be putting up half but most would agree that $9,000 is a fairly pricey expense where $24,000 is the probably value of the claim.

Take equitable distribution of a case involving $500,000 in assets. The best outcome for a dependent spouse is probably no greater than 60% or $300,000. The primary breadwinner argues that the spouse can make as much as he can and he proposes 50/50. That means Wife gets $250,000; a discount of $50,000 from her goal. The “spread” buys roughly 165 hours of legal time. That may seem like a lot but spread it over the 18-24 months that most divorces take in Pennsylvania and we are now looking at each side devoting 4 hours a month to preparation and litigation of the case.

The point is to use your attorney and pick your fights wisely. Remember that a $100,000 claim where you have an 80% chance of a win is only an $80,000 claim in reality. Meanwhile, the cost is certain to occur. Even when the most important of principles is involved; cost and likelihood of winning are two factors that cannot be sensibly ignored.