So, you have a legal dispute with someone and your first instinct is to “lawyer-up” so that you will have great representation in your dispute. That is a pretty normal response and, in many instances, it is both appropriate and necessary. Usually, however, that will cause the party with whom you have the dispute to also feel a need to have a lawyer represent them. Before you hire an attorney, perhaps you should consider if you really need to have an attorney represent you. Often, where a dispute centers around a small monetary debt, or a modest amount of legal damages, it may make sense to consider other options to having an attorney. Litigation is expensive and, if the debt or monetary damages in dispute is modest, the costs of litigation can easily exceed the amount of the disputed debt. The Investment Also, as each side gears up with representation, the financial and emotional investment that the parties make