“The vast majority of civil lawsuits will never got to trail. Trial is costly and time-consuming and there is no guarantee that a judge will accept your interpretation of the law…[however] not all cases are amenable to compromise,” writes Michael P. Luongo, an attorney in Goldberg Segalla’s Professional Liability Practice Group.

As a new attorney, Luongo took one of his first files to trial and defended the case on his own with no co-counsel as guidance. In this article he shares the seven universal lessons he gained from this experience, along with how to manage and best position your client in order to achieve a favorable verdict. These range from approaching every case as though it could go to trial to something as simple as managing your client’s expectations.