I have been in meetings before, when someone has looked at me and said “I want a bull dog as an attorney. Are you a bull dog?”
As a complete aside, I have never seen a bull dog attack anyone. Have you? I have seen them snuggle, and snort and love people. So, if you are looking for a literal bull dog I probably fit the bill. While I don’t snort or snuggle clients, I do tend to form lasting bonds with them – and often in the end – love the people who hire me.
If you are looking for an overly and unnecessarily aggressive attorney (like the cliché has come to imply) I am not your woman.
I am skilled at my craft.
I am organized.
I am kind.
I am smart.
I am respected by my peers, my colleagues, and the attorneys on the other side of my cases.
But perhaps, the greatest gift I can give to my clients is empathy. The degree that sits on my wall says I am an attorney and Counselor in law. I take this seriously, and am quite proud to counsel people during their darkest days. Like when a child has been permanently injured, or worse, killed. I am a good listener when a spouse calls to share how hard it is to live in a world without their person. I will cry with you when you tell me about how you cared for your mother, and the care she received out of your hands was so poor that she needlessly suffered. I know what these tragedies feel like, and I know what grief can do. I also know, that sometimes you need answers, and accountability in order to move past the initial grief.
So my advice is not to hire an overly aggressive attorney. That rarely helps. Hire one that listens. Hire one that cares. Hire one that fights for you and your family because they believe in a world where all people deserve to be treated fairly and justly.
Hire an empathetic lawyer or at the very least, someone who joined the profession to help people.