Bedford divorce attorney Samuel Donlon considers himself to be a very empathetic person. He has found that if he can use that natural ability to empathize with a client’s situation, he can best see the clearest litigation strategies that should be used and the best ways to execute those strategies.

“I especially enjoy the practice of family law because it proves an arena with a known universe – most of the time – of facts that make litigating more predictable and better to predict,” Mr. Donlon said. “I enjoy the feeling that comes from providing people who happen to be going through a very difficult time in their lives with a clear path forward.”

Mr. Donlon is an avid chess player. He says he has likely played at least one game of online chess nearly every day for the past decade and prior to that was a regular player at Pioneer Courthouse Square when he lived in Portland, Ore.

As a result, when faced with a certain set of facts from a client, his brain automatically looks for a gambit or a clear path forward with litigation.

“The litigation process, like chess, has what chess players term ‘book moves,’ but after about the first three or four moves, it all comes down to who has the better execution and strategy,” he said. “Litigation is very similar. I may not always win if there aren’t good facts, but if I had to pick one thing about me that has helped me, I think loving and playing chess has helped me develop a good ability to see strategy as well as to think very carefully about how that strategy is executed.”