Frustration, Frustration and Frustration, LLP

Sounds like the name of a law firm now doesn’t it? The truth of the matter is most people I talk with today are frustrated. Either they have a complaint about the economy, the political system, their job or their lack thereof, and / or their significant other. A number of people I know and hear are quite frustrated with their lawyer.

It seems that the client and his or her family expects every lawyer in the system to magically make the case against their loved one “go away”, or get him or her a reduced bond. If you don’t, you’re ineffective at best and paid off by the government to work against your client at very least. Or every family member wants the lawyer to get a $1,000,000.00 award for every injury their family members have. I can understand this phenomenon, but I try and avoid it. I directly answer the client’s family members questions and sometimes the family members do not like the response I give. Again, it is respond never react.

I know that everyone believes that the lawyer can get anything he or she wants done, just that this lawyer won’t work on the case because I’m not paying them enough money or none at all, the family members might say. I mean, who can blame them? They expect the best for their loved one, even if they can’t afford the attorney and he or she is court appointed. Why won’t you understand Mr. or Mrs. lawyer that my loved one needs a bond reduction? Why can’t you get his or her case dismissed? Why does he or she have to remain in jail? Why won’t they insurance company just pay the amount this case is worth? What’s wrong with you, Mr. or Mrs. lawyer. Oh yea, you work for the government, (court appointed) and you’re no good. I need a free world lawyer to get results. You aren’t a member of the Judge’s country club, so you’ll never get the amount of money this case is worth, I need a better lawyer? Sound familiar?

I hear this over and over  and over again. I am not immune to it by any means. I just wish the family members would understand that sometimes the only way to get justice is to ride out the storm and have a jury trial. Period. It seems where I have placed my hat recently, everyone I am appointed to is afraid of a jury trial with a court appointed lawyer. Maybe so, but why? I mean at least we might know where the Courthouse is. We might know how to talk to a jury. The other day, I sit in court watching the “best” lawyer in the area try a case. I listen, wonder how much he charges, and turn to one of my colleagues and ask her, “how long before the jury convicts his client?” I wouldn’t let this fellow defend my dog, let alone me or any of my friends. If the “best lawyer” in town does what he did in front of a jury, I want no part of that. It’s that $10,000.00 saddle on a $10.00 nag principle at work again. I’d rather be the $10,000.00 horse with a $10.00 saddle, rather than a $10.00 horse with a $10,000.00 saddle.

I am amazed that people think just because you pay the most money to someone, it suddenly makes them the “best lawyer” in town.  Why? I judge results by what happens, not how much money we pay. I know there is a belief that the more expensive an item is, the better quality it is, likewise, the more scarce a commodity is, the more we desire it. I guess that’s why most lawyers charge so much money and don’t make themselves available to clients, it invokes 2 powerful feelings in the client and the lawyers think it must give them an advantage. Maybe if they ignore this client, they can charge more money to the next client, they might think. Nonsense. Failure to listen to and then answer the questions just lead to frustration, frustration and more frustration.

How is this important in a jury trial? Failure to listen properly and answer questions directly, leads to frustration, frustration and more frustration. Do you think your juror will vote for you if they are frustrated? I hope your lawyer listens effectively and answers your questions directly. Have a nice day, I’m going to Houston.