How We’re Different

Lawsuits are not short but should be resolved as quickly as possible

No two cases are alike, and legal rules are designed to give each side lots of time to investigate and prove their case.  Plus, most cases are built on a foundation of medical treatment and can’t resolve until the medical treatment is completed.  This can make lawsuits and insurance claims a lengthy process.  We can’t always make claims resolve quickly but we can set goals for our employees and structure our work on your case to reduce downtime as much as possible.  In this way, we endeavor to resolve your case more speedily than our competition would do.

Regular updates from your attorney

When you’re involved in a lawsuit or insurance claim, no news isn’t good news.  No news is nerve wracking!  Even if there isn’t a major update on your case, our legal staff is instructed to reach out as soon as there is a significant update or at least once a month if there is no significant update.  (For example, while you’re treating sometimes the update will be that we’re waiting for you to finish and all’s well on our end.)  This way, you’ll know what is happening when it happens, and that everything is moving forward normally even during less active times.

No legal jargon

What good is an attorney’s advice if you can’t understand it?  Lawrence & Associates instructs every one of our legal staff to explain things in a way that doesn’t require a law degree.  This way, you have clear expectations of what may come.

Attorneys should do one thing well, rather than many things poorly

Have you ever seen a law firm with two attorneys and twelve practice areas?  No one can be an expert in more than one or two practice areas.  Even the most diligent attorney stretches too thin if they take on a divorce on day one, a criminal defense on day two, and a personal injury on day three.  At Lawrence & Associates, our attorneys limit themselves to a maximum of two practice areas to avoid becoming a jack of all trades but a master of none.  What’s more, we consider trial work (a.k.a. civil litigation) to be a separate practice area that requires its own expertise.  If you decide to litigate a serious injury at Lawrence & Associates, you’ll know your attorney has the skills and training to do the job right.

Legal team returns communication within 48 hours

Although we make every effort to update you, sometimes you’ll have questions or new information that you want to tell us right away.  We know our legal team won’t always be able to answer the phone when you call.  They are in depositions, mediations, and trials.  Sometimes they’re just out of the office.  (We value work-life balance too!)  But when you leave a message for your legal team, you deserve a quick response.  Frankly, we’d like to ensure that response in 24 hours but some trials and mediations last longer than that.  For years, Lawrence & Associates has instituted a firm-wide rule that any client call, text, or email must be responded to within 2 business days.  We value you and hope our communication conveys that.

You make decisions about settling or filing your case

Lawyers advise you.  Lawyers fight for you.  Lawyers negotiate for you.  But your lawyer is not your boss.  Make sure your legal team understands that you call the shots when it comes to settling or filing your case.  Your legal team can and should give you input, including what outcomes are most likely after making a suggested decision.  They may even decide they can’t continue representing a client that asks them to do something inappropriate.  But the case belongs to you, and all the decisions are yours.

You shouldn’t have creditors chasing you when the case is over.

Some law firms think their work is done when they get a settlement or judgment for you.  That’s not true at Lawrence & Associates.  We know many companies will have their hands out, wanting some of the money we get for you.  We do everything in our power to discover the liens that affect your settlement, negotiate them, and get them paid so you walk away with free and clear money that is yours to use as you see fit.

See the numbers; know where the money goes

We’ve heard too many people tell stories about settlements in their past where they think the attorney might have taken too much money in fees or expenses.  Or worse, where the person doesn’t know why they received the amount they received.  Ask your legal team to provide an example of a “settlement statement”, a document that breaks down a settlement and explains where the money goes.  If you can’t understand the example, you can’t trust the firm to be transparent in your case.

At the end of your case, rate your attorney, legal staff, and the firm

There’s no such thing as perfection.  We can only continue to improve our service if you get the opportunity to let us know when we rose to your expectations and when we failed to do so.  At Lawrence & Associates we take your feedback very seriously.  At the end of your case, we’ll give you a link to a survey that allows you to tell your legal team how you felt about different parts of the representation, including each of the items in this bill of rights.  When you choose between law firms, ask the firms to provide you the survey that allows you to grade your legal team.  If the firm doesn’t have one, ask yourself (or them) how they can discover the things they don’t know they are doing poorly and learn to be better representatives.