A lawyer in Chicago, Illinois has published 25 lessons from his 16 years administrating legal guidance and referral website Illinois Lawyers.
Having supported around 350,000 people in that time, Michael Helfand shared his 25 Lessons From Being A Chicago Lawyer on his blog.
They are:
When you say money is not an object, it’s always an object. Some people want to know if they have a case. Many others only want to know that they have a case. People love their kids, but hate paying child support. Every day hundreds of people get fired unfairly, but very few get fired illegally. College kids do not like that their license will be suspended if they get caught with a fake ID and usually don’t know about it until it’s too late. Finding a good attorney in remote parts of the State is very difficult. Ambulance chasers are everywhere. Callers are stunned when a real live lawyer picks up the phone. The burnout rate for attorneys is really high and is the highest in divorce law. Fans love to pee in the alley after Cubs games and get arrested for it a ton. People will say the most racist or prejudice things over the phone as if it’s no big deal. Too many people take legal advice from non-lawyers or worse, take legal advice from the person on the other side of the case. Some collection agencies do really scummy, illegal things like threatening arrest. If you got arrested for something and don’t know why, you were probably charged with disorderly conduct. When your employer tells you that they will pay your bills if you lie and say you weren’t hurt at work, they are lying too. To some driving on a suspended license is no more risky than driving slightly above the speed limit. I’d freak out if my license was suspended and I was behind the wheel. Being a co-signer is never a good idea. Landlords do a lot of shady things and usually get away with it. The City of Chicago and State of Illinois collect so much money. Often for ridiculous items. It’s amazing that they are broke. If you write intelligently and speak like you know what you are talking about, you can and will be consulted as an expert by reporters. #Fakenews??? Getting a pardon from the Governor is really hard and very political. Class actions are now almost always lost due to arbitration clauses and will probably disappear forever soon. It hurt some lawyers, but many more consumers. Facebook has caused more people to lose a case or get criminally charged than any other reason. The amount of people who get screwed in the legal system because they can’t afford it is mind blowing and really unfair. 90% of people who call for an attorney are good, honest people that just want some help or an honest answer. Contributions from ILN readers to our “And finally” section are welcome – they should be sent to: newsdesk@irishlegal.com
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