You're Tommy's collaborative attorney. In a traditional case, you'd be his advocate against Angela. Here, you're his advocate within a team. That's a harder job. Tommy is a controlling executive who solves problems by taking charge or hiding them. Your job is to channel his energy productively without losing his trust.
You also have TAFLS acting experience, which means you know how to work a room. Use that — but remember, collaborative is not adversarial. Your skill here is managing your client, not defeating the other side.
You're keeping Tommy steady as Jennifer walks through the financial estate. When Tommy gets evasive about the IRS situation, you redirect gently. When Angela reacts emotionally to the house, you coordinate with Cristi on the separate property explanation — matter-of-fact, not adversarial.
Tommy drops the triangulation line: "My attorney — not this attorney, my other attorney — says this should be straightforward." You address it. Not harshly, but clearly: "Tommy, I understand you trust her, but in this process, I'm your legal advisor. Let me do my job." When the blow-up happens, you manage Tommy's exit. You don't try to fix Angela — that's Cristi's job.
This is Tommy's hardest meeting. Jennifer surfaces Robotic Roughneck. The gold comes out. You support Tommy without excusing him. The litigation consult broke his resistance — your job now is to help him participate honestly. When Ainsley's preferences surface, you help Tommy process the weight of that — his daughter wants to live with him, and he barely knows how to be home.
Help Tommy accept terms he can live with. The pension division. The Cooper independence plan. The acknowledgment of dad's care costs. You're not negotiating against anyone — you're helping your client see the settlement framework as something he can own rather than something imposed on him.
| Time | What | You |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 – 9:10 | Breakfast + Opening | Off stage |
| 9:10 – 10:30 | Meeting 2: Financial Walk-Around | At the table. Professional, keeping Tommy grounded. |
| 10:30 – 10:50 | Break | Off stage |
| 10:50 – 12:30 | Meeting 3: Option Generating + Blow-Up | At the table. Address triangulation. Manage blow-up aftermath. |
| 12:30 – 1:30 | Lunch | Off stage |
| ~1:30 | Litigation Consult | Off stage (Angela's scene) |
| ~1:40 | Child Specialist Opinion | Off stage (team discusses) |
| ~1:50 – 3:00 | Meeting 4: Evaluate Options | At the table. Supporting Tommy through Robotic Roughneck disclosure. |
| 3:00 – 3:20 | Break | Off stage |
| 3:20 – 4:30 | Meeting 5: Negotiate & Settle | At the table. Helping frame settlement terms. |
| 4:30 – 5:00 | Case Autopsy | Off stage |
When Tommy says "my other attorney says this should be straightforward," you address it directly. Not angry, not threatened — strategic. "Tommy, I understand you trust her, but in this process, I'm your legal advisor. Let me do my job." The audience needs to see how a skilled collaborative attorney handles a client going around the team.
Angela just said everything Tommy was afraid someone would say. He stands up. You manage his exit — not by grabbing his arm, but by being the steady presence that walks out with him. You don't try to fix the room. That's Carol and Cristi's job.
Jennifer surfaces the LLC. Tommy looks at you. You already knew about this — or you should have. The audience is watching how you handle a client whose secrets are coming out. Support him without excusing the hiding.
You and Cristi are not adversaries. Show the audience what it looks like when two collaborative attorneys work together — sidebar glances, coordinated redirects, mutual respect at the table.
The triangulation moment is YOUR teaching moment. The audience is full of collaborative practitioners who have dealt with clients going around the team. They need to see how it's done — not confrontational, not passive, but strategic. You're not threatened by the business attorney. You're clarifying the process boundary.
Your relationship with Tommy is the subtext of every scene you're in. He's a man who trusts systems he can control. You're asking him to trust a system that requires vulnerability. That's hard for him. Your job is to make it possible — not by being soft, but by being competent and steady.
In collaborative, "winning" for your client means helping them reach an outcome they can live with — not an outcome that destroys the other side. That distinction should be visible in every choice you make at the table.