Charles Platt – Editor at Large

Choosing the right lawyer can be difficult. Whether you’re trying to get worker’s compensation after riding a pallet jack like a scooter or think you can convince the court that you should actually be entitled to inheritance from your father’s brother’s nephew’s cousin’s former roommate’s estate, the additional stress of choosing between different washed-up suburban solicitors can add stress to what is already a very difficult time.

A great lawyer is not only experienced in their chosen field and passionate about securing a good result for their clients, they also have to a deep understanding and respect for the ethical matters inherent in their profession.

This begs the question, should I hire a lawyer who barely knows what a trust account is, or one who knows every single case regarding exemptions to furnishing statements back to front?

Sure the former might literally lose your hard-earned money, but the latter may just “lose” it as well. And if you think something fishy is afoot, who are you going to go to? Your lawyer? OH WAIT.

Maybe instead of digging into the minutiae of which strip mall family trust certifier you should entrust your hard-earned money with, instead ask yourself this.

“Think, is this an action you really want to undertake?”