One Potato, Two Potato....

As you all heard a week or so ago, we're having trouble with the original electricians we hired to wire our new home, here in the Trenches.  Unfortunately, things have taken a rather ugly turn, and now lawyers are involved.  I have been a client now twice in my life, and in both cases, the first lawyer I consulted was not the one who took me to the finish line.  Why was that?  Well, in the first case, the first lawyer I hired didn't listen to me.  Not only that,  the first lawyer gave me wrong advice.  That's right, not just bad, but wrong.  Hey, it was my Trenches moment, and the last person you can bluff about the law is.......someone who works there.  The second lawyer?  Well, for starters, he didn't lie to me and he understood the law.  He also made me feel like what I had to say about my life and my case mattered to him.  We worked as a team.  That made all the difference in the world.  Now, here we are with my electrician problem.  The first lawyer with whom I spoke is a very good lawyer, very sharp.  The problem is, it wasn't a good fit.  I didn't feel like he understood my problem.  He understood the issues and the law just fine; he just didn't understand me.  I felt adrift, like I still didn't know what to do.  I called a second lawyer, also a good lawyer, very sharp.  I explained the situation, and he understood, not just the situation, but my problem.  He made me feel understood, and so I feel moored.  He knows what I need to feel that the case is settled satisfactorily.  I'm in good hands.  I would have been in good hands with the other lawyer as well, but it just didn't feel right.  When I tell clients that the fit between attorney and client is one of the most important factors to a successful case in the Trenches, I know what I'm talking about.  After all, I've been there.  Clients need to pay attention to how the relationship with their attorney feels down deep in their gut.  Do they feel heard? Understood? Does the attorney focus on the issues important to them?  They're vital questions to answer - here in the Trenches.