Attorneys make money because they know things you do not. In the past, some attorneys attempted to drive business by increasing the mystery associated with the profession. They did this by increasing the perception of the attorney/client knowledge gap. These attorneys parlayed hundred dollar words and a pedantic (I’ll only charge you $50 for that one) tone into repeat business. From the time I first entered the profession, however, I noted that these attorneys were typically the least knowledgeable and least skilled.
In addition to drumming up business, the witch doctor approach serves to conceal the attorneys lack of skill and knowledge. What better way to keep you from finding out I am not the best lawyer in the world than making you feel stupid from the start. You might not like me, but you are much more likely to hire me than if you thought I was incompetent.
The good news is that clients now are far more savvy than they were even a decade ago. They know more about the law, ask better questions and do their research. Most of the new clients that walk into my office already know quite a bit about me and the law just from reading my blog. Starting the meeting with some sense of what they want and who I am allows us to cut right to the chase.
The quality of legal representation is tied directly to how much pertinent information you provide to your attorney. Educating yourself about the area of
law and your attorney can lower your bills and leverage the effectiveness of your
legal representation. The next time you need an attorney, see what the web has to say about him or her. Do some searching. Is there a lot of information about the attorney available? Does the attorney provide information about his or her specialized area of the law?
Or is the attorney hiding in a tiny corner of the Internet, hoping no one asks to see the man (or woman) behind the curtain.
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