Sometimes I see a question and answer session somewhere else that I just can't help but participate in.
I recently found one over at lawyerist.com where they asked the question: what is the greatest challenge you face in your law firm?
I thought the responses were interesting and deserved their own response, so I responded with this podcast. Below you can find all of the responses to the original question. To get my responses you'll have to listen in!
(Oh, and you can find the original question and responses here)
Greatest Law Firm Challenge Responses
randallryder:
Taking time out of my busy day to read an email from Lawyerist asking me to answer a poll on Lawyerist.
Other than that, fighting for the little guy is incredibly emotionally satisfying and rewarding.
Kenneth Forman:
Trying to make a living while the Bar continues its decades of turning a blind eye at the massive (and ever growing) amount of people who practice law without a license.
petrask:
Administrative tasks are the hardest for me to get done. My bookkeeper or paralegal took care of them when I didn't have the time at my prior firm. Dealing with clients and all my other county, state and national bar activities leaves less time and makes it hard to get admin stuff done.
Sean:
Balancing the need to get whatever you are doing right with the reality that most people simply can't afford to spend the money to pay for it.
Drenraw Minnesota:
Getting Clients
Benjamin Wright:
As a new solo, the hardest thing has been communicating with other lawyers. Especially in the courthouse, any interaction with another legal professional seems to leave a lot unsaid. I suspect part of it is that lawyers are often (1) very guarded, and (2) difficult to read; but I'm never quite sure if the other lawyer really understood what I meant, even though I try to be direct.
In particular, I don't get the sense that other lawyers understand my situation as a recent-grad solo. Not about it being hard or anything - they definitely get that - but they don't seem to understand what kind of information I do know (the law) and what information I don't know (local customs, "how these cases usually go"). In fact, I often get unsolicited advice on the former while people assume I know the latter! Even if I try to ask directly about the practical what-should-I-expect-next-in-this-case, I get somewhat puzzled looks.
I am very thankful for the generous support I've received from other lawyers in my community. They are certainly sympathetic; but getting them to understand what I actually need from them is often a hard thing.
Mark Chalpin:
The hardest thing I find is dealing with bad clients. My solution is to be selective in taking cases. If something doesn't seem "right" about either the claim or the prospective client, I just say no. This process has greatly reduced the number of bad clients. If I have a bad client, I generally seek to withdraw quickly.
danaatty:
In my area of practice, the hardest thing is dealing with judges who, intentionally or not, just don't understand the relevant law [or don't care]. I can cite a code section or case directly on point, and some judges will rule opposite the law. Then trying to explain that to the client. Very frustrating.
Gabriel Munoz-Carlene
@Benjamin Wright, your comment is well said and insightful.
As a new solo, I also often encounter guarded and puzzled responses when communicating with lawyers.
If you can’t get a clear response on the the next step in a process or how the local custom treats an issue, you just have to use your best judgement.
Most of the time, all you have to do is pull back the curtain to reveal th...
