
In recent days, television programming has been replete with lawyers, law professors and so called legal scholars. In viewing some of these programs, it has reminded me of why so many people either do not like lawyers or have so many complaints about them. Some complaints include that lawyers are arrogant, condescending and that they often have a superiority complex. As a lawyer who has always maintained that the most exasperating part of my job is having to deal with other lawyers, I can attest that these complaints unfortunately are often true.
Notwithstanding the list of complaints about lawyers and their extensive formal education, perhaps the biggest complaint about lawyers is their frequent failure to properly communicate with clients. In fact, people often express that they are hard pressed to even get their lawyer on the phone or to have their lawyer return their phone calls. The surprising or more insulting part of this, is that lawyers recognize this to be perhaps the biggest complaint about lawyers, yet still tend not to return client phone calls.
It is imperative that lawyers recognize that being a lawyer does not make them special or any more important than anyone else. Although it certainly is not easy to get into and graduate from law school, obtaining a law degree does not make that person any better than anyone else. In addition, being a lawyer does not make your time more important than the time of others. Everyone values their own time equally and deserves to have their time respected regardless of their profession or education level.
Perhaps the best lawyer is the one who in addition to being ethical and competent in their field, answers and promptly returns client phone calls, respects their client's time, is easy to talk to, thoroughly explains the circumstances of a client's case and actually answers client questions in an honest and straight forward manner. Proper communication is key to any relationship and this is especially true in the lawyer-client relationship. That is why at Paul A. Lauto, PLLC, we pride ourselves on providing proper communication and personal attention that is uncommon in our profession.
Long Island Lawyer
Paul A. Lauto, Esq.
www.liattorney.com