You have to pay for a pit bull (attorney)

 

Once I became an attorney, I was surprised by the number of times people asked me if I knew about a type of returning to refer to them. Most of the time, it would either be criminal or family law. And most of the conversations usually would start out with just giving me an overview of their case just so that I can get an impression about whether they had a good case or if I could give them some feedback. I usually didn’t mind.

The conversation would take a unique turn when the person would ask me if I knew anybody who handles the particular area of law they needed assistance with.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I know a few attorneys here and there but the thing that always caught my attention was that they wanted a pitbull to represent them in their case. Even when I told them that most State Bar require attorneys will take your case they have to provide competent representation, there was this expectation that if I referred them to someone, they wanted me to ensure that I connect him with someone who was really going to get down in the dirt and dog fight for them.

I completely respect that perspective.

However, I used to always have to tell them, you have to pay for a pitbull.

I am not implying that any other attorney that does not have that type of philosophy should not get paid. That’s not what I’m saying. However, every law practice has a particular culture in terms of how they do things. And if there is a particular type of attorney that you wish to engage that has a certain philosophy with regard to how actively they handle your case, those attorneys are fairly easy to find. 

But you are going to get what you pay for. If they have to take a more aggressive stance with your case, that means they have to take more aggressive actions. That means you have to pay for the actions they take.  

Again, let me reiterate. An attorney that tends to have a more laid-back style in terms of how they engage their clients cases is just as effective as a pitbull attorney who is overactive in terms of how they engage cases. Both attorneys and any other attorney in between can get you your desired result. However if you want to get a particular attorney that has a culture by which they are extremely aggressive in their pasture, presentation and engagement of your case, there is a cost that comes with that because that requires them to take more action than probably other attorneys may make.

When you decide to start looking for an attorney, you’re going to find attorneys with all types of different philosophies. Just know that depending on whether you’re dealing with a pitbull or a poodle, all attorneys are having ethical responsibility to provide zealous competent representation. And just because someone tends to have a more laid-back, nice, non-confrontational style, does not mean that they don’t know how to get you your desired results. However if you decide that you want to have someone who is going to be fire and brimstone every day all day, there’s a cost that may be incurred with that depending on the type of case you have. And you should be prepared for that reality.