Why Do We Rush to Court?

We live in a competitive society. We worship winners and forget losers. Everyone knows Lance Armstrong, but nobody recalls the names of those he beat. We want lawyers who win and choose lawyers who want to win for us.

We want reassurance that our claims are justified and that we should win.

When you hire a lawyer, should you look for objective advice or a real fighter?

Hiring lawyers who say what you want to hear may not get you the best advice.

Lawyers know objective advice is the hallmark of the profession and is the best approach. It keeps clients happy and develops a reputation worth keeping.

Your competitive instinct makes you want to win at all costs, but it can hurt your chances of resolving your dispute.

So why do you want to go to court?

You are furious because you were attacked. You are bitter, embarrassed, or hurt by false allegations.  You want to attack hard so your attacker abandons all hope of winning.

You go out and hire lawyers to destroy your opposition and restore your good name. You want justice.

As your anger cools, your case drags through the court system. You fill yourself with doubts, fears and uncertainty, and have trouble sleeping.

You ask your lawyer these questions each time you meet:

•     how long will it take to get to trial?

•     what are my chances?

•     how much will this cost me – win or lose?

Read more about how lawsuits can affect you in my next post. You can also sign-up to get more MrWills.com mediation blog posts by email.