For All that Really Matters
“The precepts of the law are these: to live honestly, to injure no one, and to give everyone his due.”
Justinian I – Justinian Code, 533.A.D.
I believe that lawyers and clients alike should take heed of these words written so many years ago. While all of us fail to live up to these principles completely in one way or another, it’s the constant striving to meet these standards that makes us fully human.
When I started my solo practice in 2005, I decided to focus on the expected and unexpected legal needs of ordinary people. Because I value long-term relationships, I wasn’t interested in being a purely transactional attorney where there is no relationship beyond one legal matter. People and life are too interesting and varied to limit my contact to one brief encounter.
But, contrary to current practice amongst many attorneys, I believe that the attorney-client relationship is a two way street. While I am always honored when a person contacts me to become a client, the reverse is likewise true: namely, that a person should equally be honored and encouraged that I will accept them as a client. In my view, only then can an attorney and client have a meaningful and effective relationship.
In closing, if you try and fail to live according to Justinian’s rule, just like I do, then I welcome you to contact me.