Most people just want to be understood.
Most want to be acknowledged.
They want their feelings acknowledged.
They want to be recognized.
They want to know that someone is listening to them.
That's what most people want.
I get calls.
Every day.
From people who believe they have valid cases.
From people who believe they were the victim of some type of injustice.
Many of these callers don't have valid cases.
Some of these callers hail from outside of New York.
Some of these callers don't have any physical injury.
Yet each one of these callers has the same basic problem...
Nobody is listening to them.
Nobody is paying any attention to them.
Nobody is acknowledging their problem.
Nobody is recognizing their perceived plight, whether real or imagined.
Some days I wonder whether some of these callers would benefit from a good social worker.
Other days I wonder whether some callers would benefit from a psychologist or psychiatrist.
There have been times when I have suggested a caller seek out one of those mental health professionals.
For the most part, a caller just wants someone to talk to.
To hear them out.
To let them talk.
About every...single...detail.
In exquisite detail.
At length.
Here's the problem...
No attorney can afford to listen at length to any caller on the telephone.
Two reasons for that...
First, there's no attorney-client privilege yet.
Second, the initial call to an attorney's office is ONLY a BRIEF SCREENING call.
That's it.
It's just to determine if your case is worthy enough to invite you into our office.
That's it.
It is NOT your opportunity to tell me EVERYTHING that happened.
It is not your opportunity to talk uniterrupted for 60 minutes.
It is not the chance to show me all your cards and then ask follow up questions.
Your initial call should last no more than two to three minutes.
That's it.
I know some callers get offended when I cut them off.
I know some callers are upset that I cannot and will not listen to them rant.
When you call my office, I don't need to know ANY details of what happened to you, yet.
Instead, I only need four questions answered.
Want to know what they are?
Here we go...
(1) Did this happen to you or a family member?
(2) WHEN did this happen?
(3) WHERE did this happen?
(4) What INJURY do you have NOW because of what was done wrong?
That's it.
That's all I need to know for now.
If the answers you provide are intriguing, then I need to make a snap decision.
Before doing that, your answers must tell me:
(1) This happened to you or a close family member,
(2) Your matter is still timely and you are within the time frame you can still sue,
(3) Your matter happened in a private doctor's office or a private hospital or a municipal or state hospital. Depending on where the wrongdoing happened, the time limit within which to sue will change,
(4) You have significant and permanent injuries or disabilities.
That's why I can determine in just a few moments of talking with you whether this is something I would consider evaluating.
Don't be offended if I refuse to invite you into the office.
Don't be offended if I cannot help you.
Don't be offended if I cannot devote hours on the telephone listening to the terrible injustices that happened to you.
I cannot help every person who calls.
You may want to consider talking to someone else who can devote a great deal of time to each caller.
Just remember, that simply because an attorney or a paralegal spends a great deal of time with you on the phone, does NOT mean your case has more merit than when an attorney spends less than five minutes on the phone.
You may not have a valid case at all.
I don't know.
There are instances where I may refer you out to another attorney who might be willing to look into your matter.
To learn who pays for your medical expert in a medical malpractice case in NY, I invite you to watch the quick video below...
