People don't like lawyers. There are many reasons why and not enough internet bandwidth to list them all. Here are five big pet peeves that entrepreners have about attorneys. And who knows? A lawyer or two may read this and think, "There's a better way for us to get our clients the services they need! We're gonna make some changes!" Doubtful . . . but you can always dream.
Entrepreneurs rarely know whether [attorney] work product has any value (or involved actual work).
| WHAT THEY HATE | WHY THEY HATE IT |
|---|---|
| Lawyers don't add value. | In most cases, you can clearly identify when a service provider adds value. If your car has a flat and you pay $100.00 for a new tire, driving again is proof you got your money’s worth. Lawyers talk endlessly and draft many documents but entrepreneurs rarely know whether that work product has any value (or involved actual work). |
| Lawyers act like they are the masters of some secret lore only they understand. | Attorneys insist that anything even tangentially related to the law is their exclusive domain. The entire legal industry acts like the law exists in a vacuum. It doesn't. There are some aspects of entrepreneurship where lawyers are indispensible members or even leaders of the business team - patent work, securities offerings - but many compliance functions and filings don't require counsel at all. Entrepreneurs should only pay legal fees for legal services. |
| Lawyers always say “it depends”. | On a good day, getting a straight answer from a lawyer to the simplest of questions is slightly easier than getting a clear picture from your teenager why she was pulled over by the police in your (very expensive) car at 2:30 a.m. after sneaking out of her bedroom window. And on a school night! Some things are pretty simple. |
| Lawyers keep referring to Matlock. | Matlock is an old TV show about a lawyer who never lost a case. If you’re under the age of 50, you’ve probably never heard of it. Consider yourself lucky; it wasn’t much of a show. More importantly, it means the lawyer may be out of touch or unable to relate to entrepreneurs in today’s internet-based gig economy. Coincidentally, if any lawyer ever mentions Raymond Burr, run! |
| Lawyers never call back. | The number one reason clients complain about their attorneys is a lack of communication. Lawyers tend to work on their own schedules, not yours. So if you have a quick question or need something right away, you may not get it. This is usually just a mere annoyance, but it can be a much bigger problem if . . . say . . . they’re strapping you into the electric chair. |