No, this is not about the “do not call” list, which is about to expire for those of us who signed up in the first round and has since been gamed by callers who hide behind purported charities, or surveys or just won’t tell you who they are. This is a bit closer to home.
A call came in to my office yesterday from a woman in Maryland. She seemed quite polite at first. She didn’t want to tell me who she was, but made it clear that she was simply calling because she had a question. When the phone rang as I was walking past, I grabbed it and spoke with her.
After a few preliminary questions that got nowhere, such as who are you and what are you calling about, she made her purpose clear. She wanted legal advice. She was asserting her right to call me up, ask a question and get an answer. She told me she found me on the internet, and therefore wanted an answer to her question. Forget the non-sequitor, she wanted an answer.
While I explained that I am an attorney, and that people retained me to be their attorney, at which point they get to ask questions and I answer them, she acted as if I was a moron. Did I not understand that she just had a question and wanted an answer? Why was I wasting her time with this “I’m a lawyer” mumbo-jumbo?
Thereupon, I told her that lawyers get paid to answer legal questions. My caller then informed me that “I was an asshole,” and hung up the telephone.
This happens pretty regularly. There is a sense of entitlement to a lawyers’ time to “just answer a question.”
Abraham Lincoln said, “A lawyer’s time and advice are his stock in trade.” While a bit simplistic, the point is accurate. People come to us with questions, and we try to answer them. It’s one of the things that lawyers do for a living. We are not the free legal helpline, available for the price of a phone call. At least this caller didn’t call collect. That’s happened too.
Because of Simple Justice, I receive a lot of calls from people who want to ask me a question. Not because they want to retain my services as an attorney to represent them, as they call from states whose license plates appear in New York on only the rarest of occasions. Just a question. Well, to be blunt, answering a question is representation. If your purpose in calling is to “just ask a question,” don’t. It’s not going to happen. I’m not being rude, or uppity. It is what I do for a living. And it’s not just you. I could spend a lot of time on the phone talking to people who just want to ask a question. Except then I would have no time to represent my clients, and my family would go hungry.
As noted in the box on the sidebar, Simple Justice is not giving legal advice. This is commentary. But please note that I’ve added a new box. It says:
A call came in to my office yesterday from a woman in Maryland. She seemed quite polite at first. She didn’t want to tell me who she was, but made it clear that she was simply calling because she had a question. When the phone rang as I was walking past, I grabbed it and spoke with her.
After a few preliminary questions that got nowhere, such as who are you and what are you calling about, she made her purpose clear. She wanted legal advice. She was asserting her right to call me up, ask a question and get an answer. She told me she found me on the internet, and therefore wanted an answer to her question. Forget the non-sequitor, she wanted an answer.
While I explained that I am an attorney, and that people retained me to be their attorney, at which point they get to ask questions and I answer them, she acted as if I was a moron. Did I not understand that she just had a question and wanted an answer? Why was I wasting her time with this “I’m a lawyer” mumbo-jumbo?
Thereupon, I told her that lawyers get paid to answer legal questions. My caller then informed me that “I was an asshole,” and hung up the telephone.
This happens pretty regularly. There is a sense of entitlement to a lawyers’ time to “just answer a question.”
Abraham Lincoln said, “A lawyer’s time and advice are his stock in trade.” While a bit simplistic, the point is accurate. People come to us with questions, and we try to answer them. It’s one of the things that lawyers do for a living. We are not the free legal helpline, available for the price of a phone call. At least this caller didn’t call collect. That’s happened too.
Because of Simple Justice, I receive a lot of calls from people who want to ask me a question. Not because they want to retain my services as an attorney to represent them, as they call from states whose license plates appear in New York on only the rarest of occasions. Just a question. Well, to be blunt, answering a question is representation. If your purpose in calling is to “just ask a question,” don’t. It’s not going to happen. I’m not being rude, or uppity. It is what I do for a living. And it’s not just you. I could spend a lot of time on the phone talking to people who just want to ask a question. Except then I would have no time to represent my clients, and my family would go hungry.
As noted in the box on the sidebar, Simple Justice is not giving legal advice. This is commentary. But please note that I’ve added a new box. It says:
Before You Call For Advice
I’m sorry that it’s come to this, but the volume of calls I receive makes this necessary. Before anyone calls me for legal advice, please understand that I am a lawyer, and as such, I represent clients for a fee. I am not a free nationwide legal helpline. If that disappoints you, I apologize, but I do not give out free legal advice.
If this offends you, as it likely will those people who believe that they have the right to call me and have their questions answered upon demand, I apologize. But it has gone too far, and I really don’t appreciate being cursed at because I won’t do as you demand. Perhaps other lawyers with blawgs will be happy to field your questions, but if this is your purpose in contacting me, please do not call.
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Well said. I’m sure we all get those calls. Of course now, some of us will apparently be getting more of them. Thanks.
By the way, I have a question…
But…but…we’ve blogrolled each other! That means you have to answer my questions, right?
No one calls me 🙁 I do get hateful e-mail, though. Does that count?