Dear Attorneys and Attorneys' Clients alike,
A while back, my Attorney and I were at a stand-off. I was telling him what I wanted to ask the court and my ex for, and he was telling me that the things I was asking for were unlikely to happen.
Note: he wasn't saying that my requests were wrong, just that in his experience unlikely.
This lawyer is relatively new to my case, and I tried to explain to him my relationship with my Ex, the history of my case and why the things I was asking for would probably happen. That I wasn't just pulling these requests out of a hat, I had precedence and good reason to ask for them.
My lawyer agreed to ask for my requests, but basically he was advising me that I wouldn't get what I was asking for.
I was frustrated, and worried. It isn't easy to do something on your own like that, solely relying on your own knowledge of your case.
A couple weeks later, my Ex had agreed to each one of my requests, and I had agreed to his.
I think my lawyer went into shock.
But here's the thing. My lawyer has a load of knowledge that I need and don't have. He has a law degree, knowledge of the workings in the court, etc. I need him! But I also have a load of knowledge that my lawyer needs. I could tell what my Ex was looking for, and what had happened to make me ask for these things. I can tell the state of my case and how my ex feels about things usually a lot better than any of my lawyers ever have been able to. I am living my case, they aren't. It's as simple as that.
I'm not suggesting that I should always just go out on my own like that. Many times I have ditched what I wanted and gone with my lawyer's suggestion. And even if my lawyer disagrees with me, I need to know that. I need to walk into the court room having been well advised.
And, it could have easily gone the way my lawyer had thought it would. You really never know, do you?
The point is, lawyer and client need each other. You both have an expertise that the other doesn't. And that is important to your case.
Your Friend,
Dee
