Did Your Lawyer Teach You When To Ask A Question?

Posted on | January 23, 2009 | No Comments

I bet your lawyer is a lousy teacher!

I form dozens and dozens of corporations, PC’s, LLC’s and other similar limited liability entities.  When I do, I meet in person with the client and spend 1.5 to 2 hours teaching my client how to use the entity and what to avoid.  I don’t just teach the “rules” of legal entities.  Most importantly, I teach my clients the rationale behind the rules.  I give examples, samples, stories, etc.  Good lawyers use a variety of tools to teach.  And, I “test” how quickly the client is grasping the concepts, so I can speed up or slow the pace of my teaching.

Why?  Why would I teach the RATIONALE behind legal rules?

Because if a client is taught WHY he/she should operate in a certain way, then the client is more likely to know what to do when I’m not around.  Let me say that better.  A good lawyer teaches a client what to do, when to do it, why, and when to pick up the phone to call for more help! 

Not all clients follow a lawyer’s teachings.  Not all lawyers teach.  Most lawyers just decide what a client should do and then THE LAWYER IMPLEMENTS A PLAN.  That is wrong.  The client should make nearly all decisions (There are a few exceptions.)  The client should be a huge part of the plan’s implementation.

More than once in my 18 years of law practice, I have had to say to a client in trouble: “Don’t you remember we talked about _______ and _________?  Why didn’t you follow those lessons?”   Those clients have no excuse, and I feel bad for them. 

While there’s no excuse for ignoring good advice, the question remains:  ARE YOU GETTING GOOD ADVICE FROM YOUR PROFESSIONAL ADVISORS?

ARE YOU SURE?  HOW DO YOU KNOW?

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