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April 08, 2006
The Joy of Work, Burned-Out Lawyers & the 1st "What About Clients?" Post
The past week was Pretrial Skirmish, Negotiation and General Posturing Week. Which I love. Lively chats with mainly worthy adversaries. You constantly learn new things about the law, the world, yourself. You get your client involved. Funny and even hilarious things happen, too. But one conversation was disturbing. It was with a lawyer with 20+ years of experience who cuts corners whenever he can, won't research anything, won't read anything, won't prepare for anything, and unabashedly disdains the law, lawyering, his client and, at this point, me. Having dealt with him before, I doubt he was just having a bad day. It's written all over him: he "wants out" of the profession, but doesn't know how to get out, won't get out. This reminded me of my first post dated August 1, 2005, and in part why I started this. The line was: "Do many of us wind up selling clients short because we are disillusioned or burned out?" How much of bad client service and the shoddy image many people have of lawyers is a function of lawyers disliking what they do? How many clients are getting hurt by it?
Posted by JD Hull at April 8, 2006 06:31 PM
Comments
DH observed,
It was with a lawyer with 20+ years of experience who cuts corners whenever he can, won't research anything, won't read anything, won't prepare for anything, and unabashedly disdains the law, lawyering, his client and, at this point, me. Having dealt with him before, I doubt he was just having a bad day.
DH,
Seems to me, but what do I know, that this reflects a lack of income and perhaps a failing business or firm. I just cannot square "burnout" and adequate compensation.
If you can, I would appreciate your theory.
If I am correct, then am I not correct that H/M is the cheapest way to buy legal services, which is why that is what the market demands and why lawyers and firms can not change such?
Posted by: Moe Levine at April 8, 2006 06:04 PM
ML: On burnout, you may be right re: the $. I really have no idea expect to speculate that lots of never wanted to do this in the first place--or just or "grew out of it." Everyone has bad days and bad periods of Life--but when obviously hating what you do shows, well. And no, Moe, I don't think it follows that the market always rules lawyer pricing or rules everything else...but you make good arguments in your other comments. I am starting to believe you on repetition alone...but I am not there yet. DH
Posted by: Dan Hull at April 9, 2006 03:09 PM
Dan,
I believe that I have the winning Link
http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/tortsprof/
please go down to the Friday, April 7, 2006 post which has a part of a video depo by Joe Jamail of Houston Texas.
Now, this is the kind of agressive lawyering that must be defended every day. You don't defend such with budgets. Corporate litigation is warfighting, plain and simple.
Posted by: Moe Levine at April 10, 2006 07:09 PM