WHETHER you come to us for a will, property sale, litigation case, business purchase, or other matter, we believe that you, our client, should be aware of our Firm’s common philosophy in representing our clients.
FIRST, when we recruit an attorney to join our Firm, we look not only for a skilled attorney, but for a person without an ego, with practical judgment, with strong principles, and … with a sense of humor. We want a good lawyer, but a better person. We think we have succeeded in accomplishing this goal with all of our attorneys.
SECOND, we believe in preparation – doing our homework – before meetings, hearings, or finalizing agreements. We also believe in follow through and making sure. In other words, we know we have to work hard and be diligent to represent you properly.
THIRD, our goal is to use our skills, abilities, and past experience not only to protect and represent you in the present matter, but also to consider how our current recommendations and actions will affect you in the future, to ensure that today’s actions will not compromise tomorrow’s potential.
FOURTH, we believe in balancing the elimination of risk with our clients’ practical needs and realities. We recognize that, often, the more an attorney attempts to protect a client against all legal risk, the more complex and numerous the plans, procedures, entities, and documents necessary to create that protection can become. In turn, this can leave clients with more details to deal with, more fees and costs to pay, and more time and effort to expend. And, in reality, it is often impossible to eliminate the targeted risk completely. In fact, too much complexity and detail create other risks – the risk of mistakes and omissions – the risks that details will be missed, plans not followed, and procedures not implemented. This leads to our fifth belief.
FIFTH, we believe in minimizing legal complexity. Our goal is to identify present and future risks, weigh the probability of each risk occurring, attempt to quantify the losses that each risk could cause, and then weigh the cost of legal protection in all its forms – money, time, and effort expended. Our goal is then to tailor our legal plans, documents, and representations to protect you against the more probable and more dangerous risks with the simplest protections that are still adequate. We value simplicity because we understand and appreciate that you do not wish your business or your personal life to revolve around your legal affairs.
SIXTH, our job, as we see it, is to accomplish your goals and protect your interests, (1) as quickly as we can, (2) at a reasonable cost, while, (3) just as importantly, maintaining or improving your personal and/or business relationships with others, whenever possible.
SEVENTH, where legal rights or duties differ from possible moral obligations, our attorneys note the potential differences to you, and then allow you to use your own judgment. We respect the fact that moral obligations sometimes supersede legal rights, as when the two diverge.
EIGHTH, our fees are always measured against our efforts and results. In legal matters, actual, probable outcomes are always valued over theoretical, potential results.
NINTH, life is never a series of separate, distinct battles with situations that never repeat themselves, or with people who are always unrelated strangers. Life is a continuous series of interactions, some of which are conflicts, often with the same people or their associates, within the same business and social circles, in the same locality. In the long term, we believe that the creation of mutually beneficial outcomes – “win-win solutions” – for our clients and third parties is always better then the imposition of one-sided victories. Restraint and compromise; building or re-building trust; acknowledging respect for others; leaving a fair amount of rights, benefits, or money with the other side; and mutual problem-solving are often the best ways to represent you and lead to the best achievable results for you, our client.
TENTH, make no mistake, however. We believe you are entitled to: justice, … fairness, … respect, … equal rights and opportunities under the law, … the benefits of your deals and bargains, … and compensation for what is yours … in both your life and your livelihood. Thus, when you have been wronged, and the other side fails to make it right, we vow: never to compromise, … never to be swayed, … never to deviate, … and never to stop … until we have achieved the best obtainable results for you, our client.