Out of fear of being sued for legal malpractice, trying to get rid of a case they don’t want or general cowardice, Illinois attorneys will lie to potential and existing clients. These aren’t done maliciously or because they are bad people, but often for financial reasons.
For 24 years now of helping people find the right lawyer for their case, I’ve always told people the truth even when that meant explaining why I can’t help. A lot of these people come to me after talking to other attorneys. They share what they are told and it’s often clearly a lie. Here are five fibs I hear a lot.
- You have a great case, but I’m just too busy right now to take it on.
Attorneys like to make money. If you have a great case, they will make time for it. If an attorney tells you they are too busy, they are giving you false hope and sending you off to call a bunch of other attorneys letting you think you have a great case when you don’t.
It’s easier for the attorney to take that approach and tell a lie, rather than to be honest and tell the person something they don’t want to hear or explain why you don’t have a case.
Even though people might not like what I tell them, I truly am trying to help. Some people appreciate being told the truth, but many others just can’t handle the truth. Would you rather have an attorney give you the hard truth or give you false hope and have you waste your time searching for a lawyer who isn’t “too busy?” Either way, if you call back the “too busy” attorney and tell them you have a new case involving a relative who was killed by a semi truck, I promise you that they will suddenly have all of the time in the world.
- I can tell you what your case is worth even though your accident just happened.
This is just not possible. There are too many variables, especially in the initial consultation, for an attorney to tell you what your case is worth. Even after the important facts in the case have been gathered, an attorney can’t predict exactly what settlement offer the defense will make, if the case will go to trial, what treatment you will have or what evidence may pop up.. And just because they got a huge settlement for someone with a case like yours doesn’t mean that you will get the same settlement.
- I guarantee that if you hire me, you’ll win your case. We have a 99% success rate.
Again, this is not possible to guarantee a win. First of all, the definition of “winning” and “success” is subjective and varies. In the vast majority of civil cases, there is no clear-cut winner or loser. Two people could have the exact same injury for example, and one person might consider a $50,000 settlement a success, while the other might have higher expectations and consider that settlement a failure.
My service does not guarantee success, but I do guarantee that I only refer cases to attorneys that I would send a family member or friend to. Those lawyers are narrowly focused in what they do and have a great track record. But anyone who guarantees you anything is just trying to sell to you.
- For sure I can handle your case (even though they focus on a different area of law)!
Unfortunately, some attorneys see dollar signs and take on cases that they aren’t experienced enough to handle well. A divorce attorney, for example, might get a call from a former client who was severely injured in a car accident. They technically can represent that client, but it would not be in the client’s best interest. The attorney should refer them to a law firm that focuses on personal injury cases and has demonstrated a track record of success. They think it won’t be a lot of work, but often mess up. We’ve sued a bunch of lawyers over the years for screwing up cases they never should have handled in the first place.
The key benefit of our referral service is getting you to the best attorney for your specific situation.
5. I will be your attorney.
This one sounds like a weird lie, but it happens all of the time. You think you are hiring the main partner at a firm, but you never get to talk to them. It turns out that their paralegal, secretary or a junior lawyer is doing all of the work and is your only point of contact. There’s nothing wrong about working as a team. But if the attorney you think you are hiring is never involved and knows nothing about your case, that’s a huge red flag to me. Sadly that happens a lot. I know one lawyer who advertises a lot and puts his name all over billboards, but doesn’t get involved in the day to day handling of his cases. He’s a marketer, not an attorney.
When we recommend an attorney to you, they will be your main lawyer and main contact.
As always if you have any questions or want a free consultation, call us any time at 312-346-5320.