From Wedding Ring to Boxing Ring

Almost every time I speak to a potential client, I hear something along the lines of, “I hope you can help me with this…”

One of the recent calls I received was from a woman who felt like her attorney wasn’t listening to her concerns because she tended to get tongue tied during meetings and didn’t voice her thoughts in a way that commanded respect. She just needed to understand that her words and concerns were valid in order to gain confidence.

Most of my clients have concerns regarding their attorneys. Many times they just need an expert opinion about the fees they are being required for pay. They want to know if they are getting what they are paying for. They also need to understand how the fees are being calculated. Some want to change attorneys but they aren’t sure if they should make the move. I give my opinion and then together we add up the pros and cons until they become more confident in the decision they should make.

As an example, I recently heard about an attorney who offered to charge nothing up front and then ONLY 8% of the final judgment. That sounded good except for the fact that my client’s  judgment would be anywhere between 3 and 4 million dollars. Do the math. In my opinion, that’s not a fair billing technique.

Many times, my clients are on target with what they believe should be done. They just need an unbiased voice to tell them that they are on the right track so that they will be more confident as they deal with different issues.

A big part of what I do is to offer perspective. If something done by the other side creates an emotional reaction, I bring my clients back to reality by playing the devil’s advocate. eg. I get why that bothers you but do you want to waste money on legal fees to fight it? In the long run, does that really matter?

When specific questions arise, I help to narrow things down so that my clients understand whether or not they might need  an additional kind of professional help.

Many times, my clients just need to know that someone is always in their corner to support them with no hidden costs or agendas. Some of my clients need to fire off an email with a concern and feel more confident when they receive my feedback because they know that I am there to support them with my expertise and genuine concern.

Often, women are just so beaten down by the system that they need perspective so that they can pick themselves up and dust themselves off to get ready for what comes next. Next might be deciding to get a divorce, fighting during divorce or recovering after divorce.

Photo: Hryck