Hire the opposition.
In my previous life, I managed employees who’s job it was to negotiate with outside vendors/providers on a daily basis. Most providers were very amicable and easy to deal with. But a few providers were notoriously difficult to deal with.
One day, when I needed to hire additional employees to negotiate with outside vendors, it occurred to me that the employees at the difficult vendors were simply doing a great job for their current employer and that if I hired them away from the difficult vendor, they would likely work that hard for ME! So I hired several of these notoriously difficult vendor employees to come work for me and it turned out pretty well,.... for me and MY employer!
Intelligence and work ethic does not have to be forever loyal. A good lawyer can easily argue either side of an issue, depending on who’s paying him. Hiring a law firm, with management experience, will likely work in our favor.