I have been licensed to practice as an attorney in California for over 40 years (since December 1, 1981) and have had substantial experience in both litigation and transactional matters. I have a thorough understanding of the important aspects of civil litigation; its advantages and disadvantages.
There are really only two reasons to be a party to a lawsuit. The first is that the client and attorney both believe that the lawsuit is likely to be successful and would benefit the client's interest to pursue. The second is that the client has essentially no choice, such as being sued by someone else, or being involved in a situation in which no other viable option reasonably exists.
When litigation is required, the process of discovery, both in written form and in the taking of depositions often provides both sides with a clearer understanding of the likely outcome at trial. Some attorneys do not take full advantage of depositions as an important tool. The value of a well taken deposition is that it often reveals vulnerable points of the opposition's case, which may otherwise remain obscured. Since upwards of 90% of all civil cases result in resolution before trial, the discovery process can be a crucial tool not only in determining essential information, but also in seeking to convince the opposition, by exposing the weak points of their case, that it would be behoove them to resolve matters on reasonable terms earlier rather than later.