Laura Wasser opens by challenging the assumption that divorce must follow a highly adversarial, conflictual pattern, drawing on her extensive experience as a family law attorney to present alternative, less adversarial approaches to divorce.

Why challenging this adversarial assumption matters:

• Popular cultural assumptions about divorce often assume an inherently adversarial, conflictual process, potentially discouraging couples from considering less contentious available alternatives
• Wasser's extensive professional experience provides credible grounding for presenting these alternative, less adversarial approaches as genuinely viable options
• This opening establishes the book's central challenge to adversarial divorce assumptions, motivating its subsequent detailed alternative practical guidance

This opening establishes the book's foundational challenge to adversarial divorce assumptions, drawing on Wasser's professional family law experience to present viable less-contentious alternatives.