As before when a lawyer becomes involved your problem or concern becomes an issue. Also please remember that I am paralegal not a lawyer.
Returning to the firm categories. There are many different categories of firms. There are firms that only devote themselves to Medicare or Social Security issues. There are firms that center on family law issues. There are firms that limit themselves to intellectual property issues. Firms that will only handle real estate issues. Firms limit themselves to surgical errors. Another firm will focus on bad medications. Usually these highly specialized law firms are very expensive or run by an independent. Unfortunately you may have to expand to a nationwide search if you want to find a law firm solely dedicated to your particular issue.
Now let’s talk about what I call the “combo firms”. Combo firms focus on 2 or 3 separate issues. Usually these issues are somewhat related. For example there may be a firm primarily focused on Bankruptcy which will also handle Tax Law issues. Also there are firms that handle domestic and criminal issues.
Plus there are firms that manage to focus on 2 or 3 very different issues. For example a Personal Injury Firm may also deal with Social Security and or Medicare issues.
Just like doctors there are law firms that take care of legal malpractice issues. Yes, these are the fabled lawyers’ lawyer. These law firms focus on the mistakes and errors that lawyers make. Let’s be honest there are a few lawyers who should have never gotten their license. Plus Lawyer’s whose support staff is not of the ‘best quality’. Clients who despite how weak their case is or how much they hamstring their lawyers and feel it must be the lawyers fault when they lose.
Moving on to types of lawyers. Generally speaking and setting the need for money aside, there are 4 types of lawyers in the world. 35% of the lawyers out there are what I would call “White Knights”. These are lawyers like to ride in on their white charger and save the world because they are just so special. Next is what I call “Dark Knights”. About 40 to 45% of the lawyers out there are Dark Knights. These Knights had something bad happen to them or someone the dearly cared about and they decided if they became a lawyer they could prevent that bad thing from happening again or to someone else. Almost the same reasons Bruce Wayne gave for becoming Batman. There are the know-it all’s, these lawyers will do their very best just so they look you in the face and tell you ‘Aren’t you glad I am way smarter than you?’ Last and very least are the last 1-3% of the lawyers, these idiots make life extremely difficult for the rest. These lawyers are more concerned with the dollar and really don’t care how they make it. You most often hear about them in the news. They’re the ones caught ‘stepping around’ rules and regulations. Who shaft their clients or get themselves killed by their crime lord clients.
Next week we will talk about why lawyers want so much money.