Do I have a case?

"Do I have a case?"

I am asked this question every day. While legal ethical rules prevent me as a law student from answering the question on its face, I can ask questions to see if our firm is interested in possibly taking on the case.

If there's anything I've learned in my short tenure working for a law firm, it's that people's expectations often far exceed the reality of their situation. Law, like every other business, comes down to customer service. When your customers have overblown expectations from the beginning, it's imperative that you insert realism immediately. Otherwise attempting to correct their expectations becomes a hopeless effort, and no amount of money will ever bring them "justice". They will forever retain the chip on their shoulder.

For these types of clients, lawyers are really just glorified babysitters. Perhaps it's the Bart Durhams and Hughes & Colemans, displaying glorious sums of money with puffed-up promises of justice that are the problem.

One of my worst pet peeves is someone asking, "What are my rights?". This question confuses criminal and civil law (Yes, you have a right to a jury trial in a civil matter under the 7th Amendment, but that's about it). It immediately tells me that this person will be difficult to deal with. They've seen too many lawyer commercials.

One of the worst things to do when calling a law office is to argue with the paralegal or lawyer about why you think you have a case. At our office, we have over 100 years of collective legal experience and it amazes me when a person voluntarily inserts themself into a legal argument with myself or our staff having little or no understanding of the law. Besides raising the red flag that we don't want you as a client, you come across as an idiot.

Practicing/working in the legal field can be tolling. Clients aren't always appreciative and sometimes accuse you of mishandling their claims when in fact the client really didn't have a strong case to begin with.

The most important lesson I've learned is to have the attitude of a servant. This includes not belittling those who lack legal understanding even when it's extremely warranted. It means smiling as a client yells through the phone that you're not doing a good enough job.

The kind words of thanks of appreciative clients make it worth it, and you have the satisfaction of knowing you guided your fellow man through a long, complicated process and achieved for them a favorable result.