Family members who file a partition lawsuit against their relatives risk a costly and emotionally charged legal action. Those who file a lawsuit without discussion with their family members risk more, the opportunity to repair broken relationships. Attorney Robert I. Levy (2014) explained that "the only participants in the partition action that truly benefit from the partition action are the attorneys . . . Lawsuits are expensive and if it is possible to avoid a partition action and resolve the dispute before it escalates to a lawsuit, it is in everybody's interest to do so because of the costs associated with a partition action." Partition Lawsuit: Lessons Learned describes the steps of one partition lawsuit from the perspective of a layperson and a defendant, the defendants' struggle to communicate with their siblings, and the possible contributing factors to the plaintiffs' action.