1. We Will Honor Our Agreements.
It sounds simple. It sounds like something that doesn’t need to be said. But almost every big case lawyer you meet has a horror story to tell about referred cases that were settled with no notice because the lawyer ‘forgot’ about the referring attorney. Or about the client who up and decided to ‘drop’ the case for no apparent reason. Or who terminated the referral lawyer, only to hire his friend down the road the following week. Or the lawyer who announced as trial approached that a ‘renegotiation’ was necessary because the case was harder than initially thought.
As a law firm that does essentially no advertising, we depend entirely on our reputation and results for our very existence. Even if we are asked to represent a party adverse to your client (as sometimes can happen in the confusing world of insurance bad faith) there will be a written contract that lays out in clear terms what our fees will be, what our responsibilities will be, and what the conditions to payment are. That agreement, once reached, remains the same through thick and thin, and for better or worse.
If you refer your case to us, you can be confident that you have the reputation of a 35-year practice behind our commitments, so we can all focus our efforts on overcoming our adversaries for our clients.
2. We Will Keep You as Advised and Engaged as You Want to Be.
Some busy attorneys are completely comfortable making an introduction to their clients, and then sitting back and reading the client reports as the case progresses while working on other matters. Some attorneys are the opposite and prefer to attend every hearing and deposition, prepare witnesses, review memos, and generally roll their sleeves up and jump into the work. We are equipped to handle both and every level in between.
3. We Will Keep Your Client Informed and Involved.
We believe that clients deserve to know what is going on in their case. They are, after all, the only reason our firms exist. Yet this still continues to be one of the most commonly reported complaints by clients of trial lawyers. We are, of course, as busy as anyone, but refuse to look at client contact as a non-productive consumption of time. In fact, in addition to routine frequent reporting, we commit to an eight business hour time for returning calls to our firm. We will do our part to ensure that you are not spending your time fielding client questions about ‘what’s happening in my case.’
4. We Will Not Shortchange Your Client’s Case.
Let’s face it, to get full value on a large case requires spending money. Referring your case to an attorney that is not organized and prepared for the financial demands of major litigation is an easy mistake to make. Moreover, some firms that are able to absorb the risk are surprisingly uncomfortable doing so when the costs start running into the hundreds of thousands. It is a delicate subject to bring up, and getting a reliable answer is nearly impossible.
The most reliable indicators – the only ones you have, really – are the reputation, experience, and history of the firm you are considering, and the references from the firms who have worked with us in the past.
5. We Will Bring the Team For Your Client.
No case in our firm is handled by only one lawyer. We are organized into teams, with an equity partner and a full complement of staff dedicated to each. In addition, unlike most firms our size, we also have a full appellate and writing group. This not only allows us to seamlessly handle your client’s claim, through any interlocutory or plenary appeals, but also permits our trial lawyers to focus on the development of facts, themes, and arguments, leaving to our experts the legal developments and writing that often determines the outcome in large or complex cases.