How to Make the Best Out of Working With Your Attorney
Bringing a complicated legal case before a judge is not an easy task. It involves extensive preparation and planning. When you hire an attorney to represent you in court, you are placing your confidence in his abilities to defend your case in the best, legally-sound manner possible. Before he gets to court, however, there is a lot of background work to do which will involve varying degrees of attorney-client interaction. Sometimes, it does not always go according to plan.
Both parties have a role in the successful execution of a court case. Each party should respect one another’s roles in the relationship. Knowing ahead of time what makes an attorney-client relationship amicable can help the case along, especially if it’s a long one. To this end, some guidelines can make the working relationship one of mutual respect and understanding.
The basis of a great attorney-client relationship is mutual respect and trust. Even if you don’t agree with some things, you trust that your attorney has your best interest at heart. You also believe that he knows the law and how to apply it to your case. So, you allow him to do his job based on his education, training and experience.
Building a relationship is what you’re doing and trust is forming. As the parties work together, your faith in your attorney will grow as she follows through on what she promised to you. The attorney trusts that the client is presenting the facts as he understands them, and the client believes that the attorney has her best interest at heart.
Honest communication is an essential building block of trust. Depending upon how extensive the case is, there will be a little or a lot. Tell the facts as you remember them. Your attorney will be building your case upon testimony and supporting evidence. If you deliberately mislead your attorney because the points are less than flattering, your case could be lost when the truth comes out.
Comply with the lawyer’s requests. You must help the attorney help you. When you hire a law firm to advocate for your rights, the attorney will need supporting evidence. Therefore, if he asks for something, then you should provide it as soon as possible. Attorneys are working on deadlines and cases are time-sensitive. Three are court dates, statutes of limitations and only a certain number of days to respond to opposing counsel’s requests.
The attorney may not always have a ready answer when you inquire. However, if he explains that he will research the answer and get back to you, this does not mean he’s incompetent. It means that he is honest and forthcoming. If he doesn’t volunteer a timeframe, you can always ask for one. The important thing is the keep the lines of communication open.
Finally, when the case goes to court, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you did your part in helping your attorney get to this point. He will have argued your case on the information you gave him and the applicability of the law. And if you trust the job he did and the relationship worked for you, you might call him again if the need arises.
