Hey Rebecca. Well, just my .02. I'm an attorney and I deal with folks with a pretty emotional, life-altering situation as well. At least I, as the attorney they've put their trust in, TRY to be involved with the client directly and let them know that I care. I can tell you that I went to law school to help people. My staff, not so much. Remember that Ginny, the para, isn't getting any extra money or referrals because she's treated you well. She's just trying to get her freakin' job done and go home. Mind you, I don't run a matrimonial practice, but I think it's a shame when attorneys put the staff as a buffer between themselves and their clients. The clients are, afterall, the ones we took the Oath for, the ones who are paying our fees (on a practical level) and the ones we have an obligation to advocate for. Unfortunately, in a paper-intense practice like matrimonial, you can't get the attorneys' attention for every detail because of the cost. Back when I practiced a type of law that required the completion of interrogatories and production of documents, however, I ALWAYS had the client come in to meet with me personally to go over their responses. Then, if there was any fine-tuning, I left that to the staff. Your answers to these interrogatories are critical and I, personally, don't think it should be left in the hands of Ginny, the para.
Hey Rebecca. Well, just my .02. I'm an attorney and I deal with folks with a pretty emotional, life-altering situation as well. At least I, as the attorney they've put their trust in, TRY to be involved with the client directly and let them know that I care. I can tell you that I went to law school to help people. My staff, not so much. Remember that Ginny, the para, isn't getting any extra money or referrals because she's treated you well. She's just trying to get her freakin' job done and go home. Mind you, I don't run a matrimonial practice, but I think it's a shame when attorneys put the staff as a buffer between themselves and their clients. The clients are, afterall, the ones we took the Oath for, the ones who are paying our fees (on a practical level) and the ones we have an obligation to advocate for. Unfortunately, in a paper-intense practice like matrimonial, you can't get the attorneys' attention for every detail because of the cost. Back when I practiced a type of law that required the completion of interrogatories and production of documents, however, I ALWAYS had the client come in to meet with me personally to go over their responses. Then, if there was any fine-tuning, I left that to the staff. Your answers to these interrogatories are critical and I, personally, don't think it should be left in the hands of Ginny, the para.
Just my .02. Good luck. Love, Mo.
Thanks Mo. I am grateful for advice from someone who knows this profession well.