Are All Lawyers Obnoxious?

In a court case, you hire lawyers to go the distance until the race is over.

Your lawyer, by training, focuses on your case’s strengths and downplays its weaknesses.

Lawyers rebut, argue and counter every position with their adversary almost by instinct. Trial lawyers try never to concede obvious or collateral points so as not to taint their credibility.

Some lawyers I have met appear to believe that being obnoxious is not professional misconduct. They see unbridled aggressiveness as a badge of loyalty to their clients.

These few believe that you will pay more to get rid of them.

Why?

Because they try to constantly antagonize you and your client.

Clients do judge their lawyers on their aggressiveness, ability to argue and to advocate. But clients must understand that bickering, rudeness and attempts to embarrass the other side are not to be tolerated.

Tactics like chest-thumping or grandstanding do not scare other lawyers, so they do not accomplish anything except to worry you as a client.

Read my next post and find out when changing horses works. You can also read more of my estate mediation blog posts.