“Kill all the lawyers.”–Shakespeare
I doubt that the Bard meant this literally, inasmuch as he himself was quite involved in litigation and probably had to seek legal counsel often.
So post here things your lawyer has done, to get you out of a jam or right a wrong for you. (I guess I’m prejudiced because I earned a paralegal degree, and we have had a lawyer who supported us in some rather serious matters.)
Heh heh
A timely post for me.
I was in court this morning on aggravated fraud charges.
I could have kissed my counsel.
Because of a guilty plea and recommpense having been paid she managed to fend off a prosecutor intent on locking me up.
Not only that but she also got permission from the court to go home.
She has helped me think about where Im going and how to face the consequences of my actions…and we dont even speak the same language.
Paulina Kivi ,there’s flowers and a bottle on the way.
Thanks for everything.
Love your laywer people.
ah crap had a rookie lawyer
he wouldn’t go after the rights violations, but he did plea me down. Saved me a few hundred dollars i’m sure.
The lawyer I mentioned:
*Got a collection agency off my parents’ backs, after we moved out of a house we were buying–the cesspool would not drain properly! He said if they took us to court we’d file a countersuit. They backed off.
*Got my mother and stepfather divorced. He was a drunkard.
*Got my ex-stepfather’s ex-employer (he’d been fired for coming to work drunk or hung over) off my Mom’s back about the car they had been financing. The creditor’s legal counsel failed to show up in court, apparently knowing they didn’t stand a chance facing a judge. Our lawyer and the judge were not amused. Case dismissed. 
*Among other things.
My lawyer kept me from getting deported.
Ok, perhaps a little over-dramatized, but my family did find an excellent lawyer that helped us gain permanent residency in the US. We will have the option of becoming citizens in 2001.
Got me off of a trumped up “Disobedience to a Police Officer” charge.
And has a keg at his Christmas parties.
The lawyers that work for the women’s center in my college town kick all kinds of ass. A friend of my boyfriend’s recently left her abusive husband and her lawyer did really well in her hearing. It’s all the more remarkable when you consider that this is an extremely poor client, and the lawyer is either volunteering her time or working for minimal wages (because domestic violence centers don’t usually have vast amounts of money to hire lawyers).
In view of all of the responses, I guess I shouldn’t suggest renaming thread, “What has you lawyer done TO you?”.
Fortunately, I have met more than a few honest and decent lawyers in my time. It helps to counterbalance the many occasions where, in my own legal cases, I have had to do all of the legal footwork for my attorney. I have had to interrupt depositions to make important and substantial clarifications that went right past my lawyer. I have watched opposing counsel insist on deposing witnesses who were paralegals just to run up the billing with their own client. This was in spite of a preponderence of evidence supporting my claim.
Sadly, most people are vastly ignorant of two critical topics these days. They are medicine and law. Nothing affects your life more than these two subjects. If you do not know your legal rights, you are hostage to your lawyer’s level of competence (or incompetence) in a court of law. Always study the case law involved in your own situation. It will give you a better grasp of how to win your case and avoid common pitfalls in court.
I have won just as many cases representing myself as any lawyer has won for me. I will continue to do so and hope that others will be inspired to research their own cases a bit more.
I agree completely with ZENSTER’s comments. I have noticed that in divorce cases, the rights of the individual parties are subordinate to their lawyer’s-it’s as if the whole hearing is put on for their benefit! I represented myself at my divorce-and I did a much better job than my ex’s atty.
By all means, educate yourself-do NOT allow your counsel to manipulate you. And, don’t forget - YOU are paying the bills, and YOU have the right to veto any “arrangement” that the two counsellors may come up with
Zenster, egkelly- most people aren’t educated enough to represent themselves because they can’t adequately research the cases and precedents, etc. Most people aren’t able to keep up with new legislation, either. If you are serious about representing yourself on an ongoing basis, check out the LA Daily Journal or other legal publications to stay informed.
Back to the thread- my lawyer gives me great backrubs, pays the rent and tells great jokes. He’s also a great father to my son.
I’ve only had to deal with one attorney in my life. I guess I should have turned and ran in the other direction when I discovered that my divorce lawyer shared office space with a real estate agency. Frankly, I was desperate, so I stuck it out. That was the biggest mistake of my life. By the time my lawyer got done with me, I had lost the house that was in my name, I had lost custody of my kids to my loser ex-husband, and I was left with thousands of dollars of debt on my credit report, all of which was ran up by my ex during our year-long separation. The kicker, however, was when my lawyer showed up at the final court date drunk as a skunk. I asked the judge for an extension so I could find another attorney, but the judge refused to allow it. I found out recently that my lawyer was disbarred a couple of years ago for gross incompetence.
Now, I know that not all attorneys are like that. I had just managed to find the worst lawyer in the entire state.
My sister is a paralegal, and when I was first separated from my husband her former employer (a lawyer) took care of my divorce for me for FREE. I had no money to pay, but he offered out of the goodness of his heart to handle my case. He never billed me, loaned me $100 because I was in a bad way, and dealt with me like I was a paying client.
He is now running for a City Judge position, and I’m going to call him tomorrow to see if I can help with his campaign. He’s not just a great lawyer, he’s a great person.
Zette
After her testimony (for the prosecution), during which every question had to be repeated because she didn’t understand them, my husband’s (at the time) girlfriend tripped off the witness box, stood up, dropped her purse, tripped after picking it up and was stumbling past our table. At that moment, my lawyer, incredulous, quickly stood and said, “Your honor, may I present Exhibit Number One?” (referring to the bumbling, stumbling, disheveled, drunken, slut). The whole courtroom snickered (even the bailiff & the other lawyers) & the judge threatened my lawyer w/ contempt.
I still get the warm fuzzies when I think of that precious, golden moment in time. He’s the most eloquent speaker I’ve ever heard. (Plus got me alimony, the house, and everything in it!)
Damnned good man!