Monday, October 18, 2004

Lawyers act in their interests

I got some suggestions about hiring a lawyer. I will almost certainly need one if we get to a trial.

One thing to keep in mind when hearing a lawyer, or when hiring any professional, that the lawyer's interests do not always match the client's interests. First and foremost, the lawyer wants to make money for himself. He needs to have satisfied clients, but the clients are rarely in a good position to evaluate how good a job that the lawyer really did. I will probably be unhappy with the court, but I won't know whether it was my lawyer's fault, or if he got the best deal under the circumstances.

Some lawyers like to very aggressively attack the other side. Other lawyers like to build a reputation of being reasonable and conciliatory. I don't know which strategy would be more effective in my case. If I hire the wrong kind of lawyer, then it will be bad for me even if he is the best lawyer in the world at what he does.

Thus I cannot hire a lawyer just because he comes highly recommended. And even if I somehow manage to find the best lawyer available for me, I cannot trust him totally. Only a fool would.

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