Erie DUI and Criminal Defense Lawyer – Real Communication: The Key to a Winning Relationship

November 11, 2010 | Posted in DUI

By Tim George

Erie & Meadville Criminal Defense Attorney

When many of us think of lawyers and communication, we envision a courtroom, a jury, and a passionate closing argument intended to persuade. The lawyer talks (and talks) and everyone else just listens. However, the kind of communication that makes for a winning relationship with your lawyer is quite different.

Real communication involves far more than just a lawyer talking. Meaningful communication requires listening, seeing one another, and time. Time to listen. Time to talk. Time to meet in person. Time to explain. And doing each of these things with enough frequency to make sure that you truly understand the process, your choices, and the best way ahead for you and your family.

As you consider the right criminal defense lawyer for you, think about whether the fundamentals of successful communication are in place. Consider these keys to meaningful communication with your lawyer:

Does the lawyer listen to you, or just talk?
Does the lawyer limit the number of cases he accepts in order to make more time for real communication with you?
Will the lawyer meet with you in person before every court appearance so that you have both enough time and information to make smart decisions?
Will he meet with you after each significant event in your case to make sure that you know what will happen next? So that you can plan, prepare, and get ready for the next event in your case?

At our office, we (by “we,” I mean our four administrative assistants and me) value communication. We understand that real communication – the kind that makes for a successful relationship for our clients – requires listening, frequent meetings, and time.

How do we make more time for our clients? For starters, we accept fewer clients. We simply do not accept every case. We often decline cases. Fewer clients means more time for you. More time to listen. More time to meet in person. More time to meet longer. More time to meet more frequently. More time to listen. More time to prepare a winning strategy.

We employ enough professionals to provide administrative support. This lets the lawyer give his full attention to clients. Our experienced administrative support team lets me focus on our clients and their cases (and not on the telephone, copier, scanner, fax, or countless other tasks which, although important and necessary, consume time that could be devoted to clients).

We assign at least one paralegal to each client. This provides our clients with immediate and personal attention (without playing “phone tag”) when the lawyer is in court or meeting with another client. More information given sooner by someone familiar with the case always seems to please our clients.

I happen to think that successful communication involves more than just talk. It requires listening — my listening. It requires that clients see me, and see me often. And, most importantly, meaningful communication requires time. Time that exists only when the fundamentals of successful communication are in place.

Tim George has been a lawyer since 1992. He defends the freedom of people accused of criminal offenses and DUI offenses in Erie and throughout northwestern Pennsylvania. For more information, and to schedule a free office consultation, call toll free (866) 794-2525 or fill out our online contact form.