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The Lawyer Thread Where We Stop Ruining Other Threads (6 Viewers)
- Thread starter Henry Ford
- Start date
Zow
Footballguy
Henry Ford
Footballguy
-fish-
Footballguy
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
E Street Brat
Footballguy
Is this were we ask a lawyer?
An ifriend of mine passed away in July. Is there any way I can get any details other then the online Obit. I'm also interested in finding out if he had a will.
edit to add He lived in Cumming, GA
TIA
An ifriend of mine passed away in July. Is there any way I can get any details other then the online Obit. I'm also interested in finding out if he had a will.
edit to add He lived in Cumming, GA
TIA
Last edited by a moderator:
Don Quixote
Footballguy
You can run a search on probate court documents and see what they have. Usually run by the county.
Gawain
Footballguy
Ditkaless Wonders
Footballguy
Because we devoted too much time and energy to getting laid to seriously contemplate med school.
Nick Vermeil
Footballguy
Sorry to come in here but I thought this was the right place for a solid answer. What’s the protocol for complaining about my billing? I just got an outrageous bill for the last month’s legal service. Things like billing 30 minutes to send me a one line email.
Do I go to my attorney? Accounts receivable?
Do I go to my attorney? Accounts receivable?
CletiusMaximus
Footballguy
Definitely not accounting. Depending on the nature of your relationship with the firm, the size of the bill and the status of the matter they’re working on, it should either be a phone call or a face to face meeting with your relationship partner.
Ditkaless Wonders
Footballguy
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
New Jersey has very specific billing dispute rules.
Beyond that, call the attorney who is your contact and tell him/her.
Beyond that, call the attorney who is your contact and tell him/her.
CletiusMaximus
Footballguy
A couple tips for young guys who learned stupid old school crap from old guys:
Never put garbage like, "further affiant sayeth naught" in your documents. It sounds stupid because it is stupid. I still see stuff like this all the time, including earlier today. "Hereinbefore" "The Undersigned" "The above-captioned" etc. etc. - don't ever put your name on anything that has crap like this in it.
You don't have to say "strike that" every time you misspeak. Nothing gets stricken anyway, and you just sound stupid, especially if you're speaking in the hallway outside the courtroom and not even on the fk'n record.
Never put garbage like, "further affiant sayeth naught" in your documents. It sounds stupid because it is stupid. I still see stuff like this all the time, including earlier today. "Hereinbefore" "The Undersigned" "The above-captioned" etc. etc. - don't ever put your name on anything that has crap like this in it.
You don't have to say "strike that" every time you misspeak. Nothing gets stricken anyway, and you just sound stupid, especially if you're speaking in the hallway outside the courtroom and not even on the fk'n record.
Nick Vermeil
Footballguy
L5UT1ger
Footballguy
Hello Everyone, My name is L5UT1ger and I am a lawyer.
Well, not really. Really im a lazy mofo who has a joke of a job being an appellate judge's "research attorney." Ok, yall got me. Im a ####### law clerk. I practiced PI for a whopping 4 years in the big city and hated it. I moved home for this job and its paying me fine. No where near like successful lawyers here, but better than the crappy ones. Like you would imagine, everyone says to stay at this job since its so easy and stress free. Because of the time job #1 allows, I have a second job. My second job is developing low income housing in my poor, rural community. It makes a few fun pay days every year or so, but, much like clerking, it also is light duty.
I recently took up a third job and am regretting it right away. The mayor selected me to run a youth athletics facility. It pays 20K a year and is part time. I took the job because i love coaching my kids and the facility was run terribly for years. I have run a couple youth leagues and they took up more time than my two jobs combined. I figured i will fix the place up nice and have it run well, plus i will actually get paid for my time unlike when I was running the local leagues.
I can do it. I have begun the process. Here is what i am regretting: this third job is taking 10x more effort than the other two combined. I am having to deal with "bosses" that are not intelligent people. When running the leagues, I had very little interaction with these people in a setting where one is telling the other what to do. They were collegues. Now, its different. I am hopeful that i hate this job because its new, and like all new things for me, I have to adjust and get my footing before feeling comfortable. Until then, im miserable. I feel like i cant just quit this third job. I got the job over 15+ local people that applied. I will be a failure if I do quit it. I felt like quitting other times at other things when they were new, but eventually grew to enjoy them. I am hopeful this happens here.
Ignore the above for this tidbit that applies to lawyers, generally. You cant have a conversation with anyone about anything wherein you are correct about anything. If you are, you get hit with "I should have know better than disagreeing with a ####### lawyer." The people im dealing with cannot have a conversation where ideas are exchanged. I watch them and the winner of debates is who screams loudest. They all have this transparent agenda. None listen to try and understand and find a solution to an issue. Instead they listen to wait their turn to reply louder and call the other person an idiot. Its infuriating.
I needed to vent and didnt quite know where to go. I hope this thread is an ok place to do it. Glllll peas!
Well, not really. Really im a lazy mofo who has a joke of a job being an appellate judge's "research attorney." Ok, yall got me. Im a ####### law clerk. I practiced PI for a whopping 4 years in the big city and hated it. I moved home for this job and its paying me fine. No where near like successful lawyers here, but better than the crappy ones. Like you would imagine, everyone says to stay at this job since its so easy and stress free. Because of the time job #1 allows, I have a second job. My second job is developing low income housing in my poor, rural community. It makes a few fun pay days every year or so, but, much like clerking, it also is light duty.
I recently took up a third job and am regretting it right away. The mayor selected me to run a youth athletics facility. It pays 20K a year and is part time. I took the job because i love coaching my kids and the facility was run terribly for years. I have run a couple youth leagues and they took up more time than my two jobs combined. I figured i will fix the place up nice and have it run well, plus i will actually get paid for my time unlike when I was running the local leagues.
I can do it. I have begun the process. Here is what i am regretting: this third job is taking 10x more effort than the other two combined. I am having to deal with "bosses" that are not intelligent people. When running the leagues, I had very little interaction with these people in a setting where one is telling the other what to do. They were collegues. Now, its different. I am hopeful that i hate this job because its new, and like all new things for me, I have to adjust and get my footing before feeling comfortable. Until then, im miserable. I feel like i cant just quit this third job. I got the job over 15+ local people that applied. I will be a failure if I do quit it. I felt like quitting other times at other things when they were new, but eventually grew to enjoy them. I am hopeful this happens here.
Ignore the above for this tidbit that applies to lawyers, generally. You cant have a conversation with anyone about anything wherein you are correct about anything. If you are, you get hit with "I should have know better than disagreeing with a ####### lawyer." The people im dealing with cannot have a conversation where ideas are exchanged. I watch them and the winner of debates is who screams loudest. They all have this transparent agenda. None listen to try and understand and find a solution to an issue. Instead they listen to wait their turn to reply louder and call the other person an idiot. Its infuriating.
I needed to vent and didnt quite know where to go. I hope this thread is an ok place to do it. Glllll peas!
Otis
Footballguy
Amen. Some of my favorites here.
Speak english. Short and clear as possible. Less words. Short words. If you are trying to impress people you’ll sound like an a_**hole.
And strike that always drove me nuts. Especially in depositions. Nothing gets struck. That ####fty half question still appears in the transcript and looks like crap. Say “withdrawn,” and start over.
Ditkaless Wonders
Footballguy
Congrats. Your career has progressed nicely. You must be producing results. BTW, this is fate's payback. Now you will have to deal with young versions or yourself. Remember those times when one comes in maybe slightly challenged for that day due to nocturnal recreational activities.
CletiusMaximus
Footballguy
Client - Hey, we've got a problem. Please write a letter.
Me - Sure (send draft to client)
Client - looks great, thanks.
Client's clueless in-house lawyer - Hey, check out my completely irrelevant and contradictory revisions that make no sense, including obviously empty threats that will only confuse and antagonize the situation.
Me - Yeah, um, sure. Looks great. Let me know how he responds.
In house guy - We think its better coming from you on your letterhead.
Me - Sure. [delete stupid crap written by in-house dork and send my letter]
Client - looks great, thanks.
In house guy - [passive-aggressive whiny tone] did you attach the wrong version of the letter?
Me - No, sent the right letter.
In house guy -
[BS passive-aggressive whiny stuff about the tone of the letter, missing his important revisions]
Client - [busy, trusts me] Uh, CM, do you want to correct the letter and re-send?
Me - No, sent the right letter.
Client - great, thanks.
In house guy - Should we set up a conf call?
Me - No need, I'll let you know when I hear back.
In house guy - [passive aggressive BS about tone, what he wanted to accomplish, etc - complete horse####.] Let's have a call Monday to discuss what we need to do.
Me - I hate this job.
Me - Sure (send draft to client)
Client - looks great, thanks.
Client's clueless in-house lawyer - Hey, check out my completely irrelevant and contradictory revisions that make no sense, including obviously empty threats that will only confuse and antagonize the situation.
Me - Yeah, um, sure. Looks great. Let me know how he responds.
In house guy - We think its better coming from you on your letterhead.
Me - Sure. [delete stupid crap written by in-house dork and send my letter]
Client - looks great, thanks.
In house guy - [passive-aggressive whiny tone] did you attach the wrong version of the letter?
Me - No, sent the right letter.
In house guy -
[BS passive-aggressive whiny stuff about the tone of the letter, missing his important revisions]Client - [busy, trusts me] Uh, CM, do you want to correct the letter and re-send?
Me - No, sent the right letter.
Client - great, thanks.
In house guy - Should we set up a conf call?
Me - No need, I'll let you know when I hear back.
In house guy - [passive aggressive BS about tone, what he wanted to accomplish, etc - complete horse####.] Let's have a call Monday to discuss what we need to do.
Me - I hate this job.
El Floppo
Footballguy
just so us non-laywers are clear on this... you want him to set up more minutes and words on a call or have a meeting with the firm that charges by the word on emails, to discuss billing?
CletiusMaximus
Footballguy
If his lawyer bills him for a time spent discussing the firm's bill, he's got to be fired immediately.
-fish-
Footballguy
Go to your attorney. In the rare case where a client has complained about their bill, I will usually discount it or write it off entirely, then fire them as a client.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Nick can attest that clients take it as a given that they're going to complain about architect/designer bills. Like at a flea market- they'd be doing it wrong if they paid in full.
Thorn
Footballguy
They don't teach how to take a deposition in law school, and it really shows. I can't tell you how many depos I've been in where almost every question starts with some qualifier like "to the best of your knowledge," or "if you know." Never understood why you would immediately give the deponent an out. You might as well just lead them right to "I don't remember/know." Just ask the damn question and let them qualify it if they need to.
Nick Vermeil
Footballguy
I've been dealing with some crazy expensive attorneys for 25 years now and have complained about the billing maybe twice. But this last bill was nuts where I was getting 30 minute entries for the junior attorney to send me emails that read "Did you have a chance to review the document? Let me know!" And my new boss is tight as drum.
So I kicked it back to the partner and asked him to review the invoice as it seemed excessive. I'll see what he says.
Nick Vermeil
Footballguy
-fish-
Footballguy
If it's a junior associate the partner should be going through the bill and hacking his hours before you see it anyway.
El Floppo
Footballguy
I've always wondered about this, but dammit- you're right. I'll stop billing posthaste
Henry Ford
Footballguy
Oh, any time you're complaining about how non-lawyers speak to lawyers this is definitely the right thread.
-fish-
Footballguy
I've been working on a case on a contingent fee for the last 2 1/2 years. It's been a nightmare that included our client's board of directors being removed (which nearly resulted in us getting fired), our "expert" being eviscerated at his deposition, a document database with well over 2 million documents, and one of the dumbest mediations I've ever participated in, which resulted in the defense walking out without making a meaningful offer.
As I prepared to oppose yet another summary judgment motion on Friday morning, we got an email from the mediator confirming that the defense will agree to a settlement based on certain terms, but it needed to be framed as an offer that they could accept. He said if we could confirm the demand that morning, he'd get us confirmation of a settlement that afternoon. We scrambled to put together a conference call with the client, got authority and made the demand.
Crickets. Mediator has ignored multiple phone calls and emails. Defense counsel has gone radio silent. Client is asking for an update twice a day, and I have to write this opposition.
I absolutely hate people that will not return a call or email when they know you are waiting for a response.
As I prepared to oppose yet another summary judgment motion on Friday morning, we got an email from the mediator confirming that the defense will agree to a settlement based on certain terms, but it needed to be framed as an offer that they could accept. He said if we could confirm the demand that morning, he'd get us confirmation of a settlement that afternoon. We scrambled to put together a conference call with the client, got authority and made the demand.
Crickets. Mediator has ignored multiple phone calls and emails. Defense counsel has gone radio silent. Client is asking for an update twice a day, and I have to write this opposition.
I absolutely hate people that will not return a call or email when they know you are waiting for a response.
El Floppo
Footballguy
ugh.
I'm not used to such lawyerly stuff, but IME people go radio silent like that as they're deliberating the response and getting all their ducks in a row in advance of a response. why they can't just say- we're deliberating our response and getting our ducks in a row, will get back to you soon- I dunno.
good luck- sounds like 2 1/2 years of contingent effort could be wrapping up soon? and hopefully worth your while?
-fish-
Footballguy
Got an update from the mediator. The insurance-appointed defense counsel and in-house counsel for the defendant are arguing over settlement language that they asked for, and which is standard in our industry because there are some state law requirements that limit the scope of what they want. These are essentially non-negotiable terms.
This settlement will allow me to pay the IRS for both 2017 and 2018 taxes. Considering I haven't been caught up on my taxes since 2008, that makes it worth my while.
bostonfred
Footballguy
https://www.techspot.com/news/77189-machine-learning-algorithm-beats-20-lawyers-nda-legal.html
Interested to hear your guys thoughts on this
Interested to hear your guys thoughts on this
Galileo
Footballguy
Any elder law attorneys in here? I am working with an attorney to sort my father's financial mess and qualify and apply for veteran's Aid and Attendance benefits as well as for Medicaid. She has been guiding me through the process...the documentation of assets, creating a trust, changing some policy ownership issues and such as well as filing all the paperwork for the benefits. She is charging a flat rate of $8200 for her services. Am I getting hosed or is this a typical/reasonable rate for this type of work? Suburban Cleveland, OH area if that matters.
Henry Ford
Footballguy
I don't see why that's controversial. I would expect reviewing/transactional attorneys to be replaced at some point. Trial lawyers won't be.
Henry Ford
Footballguy
Galileo
Footballguy
Remains to be seen... VA benefits could bring up to $2200 per month, but I am not sure what will determine the actual benefit awarded, assuming the application is approved. I think it based on my parents' actual regular medical and care expenses per month. The Medicaid benefits would kick in if/when my father needs to go into a long term care facility (he is an Alzheimer's patient). The actual value there will depend on the facility and how long he lives, I guess.
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Henry Ford
Footballguy
Can we safely assume that the potential value of these benefits runs into the mid-to-high six figures?
CletiusMaximus
Footballguy
An NDA is about the most basic and common document they could have picked. When I worked in the legal dept for a small company ($200m), we probably got about 5 a week or so on average. I would be interested in seeing the output from this AI program. A professional services firm is going to have totally different concerns than a health care company when it comes to an NDA. A heavy industry company, tech company, food industry, etc. will all have significantly different issues and concerns they are looking for in an NDA. What might be a major concern for one company might be a non-issue for another. For my company, our risks and confidentiality concerns often also depended on the nature of the particular job we were doing as to what was important and what we could let slide in an NDA. There were very few across-the-board rules. And again, that is probably the most basic, routine document we regularly reviewed. It was busy work, but there was an important component to it that required personal attention, knowledge of our company, its services, its clients, culture and risks, and often needed some negotiation. When we're at the front end of an engagement, the last thing our biz dep guys needed was sending a client the wrong message before we'd even signed up an engagement contract.
Gawain
Footballguy
It made you sign up for their promo emails to see any of the study's methodology and ain't nobody got time for that.
It made sense to me though that they gave a document that was specifically designed for their software, with likely areas of difficulty not included.
That being said (and perhaps legal zoom has this available), the first company to get a program that will fill out a simple answer for debt collection suits is going to make a killing.
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
Wouldn't be out of the range of normal for New Jersey depending on the facts of everything. Medicaid planning can be complicated and time consuming.
Henry Ford
Footballguy
Yeah, I didn't get an answer about dollar value, but as long as the benefits are potentially worth a good 25-30x what he's being charged I think it's reasonable.
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