Should I Hire A Lawyer Who Says She Has An "In" With the Judge?
My 8-year old daughter was killed in a car wreck six months ago. I have been avoiding it forever but I need to hire a lawyer. I go to church with a lawyer and she says she can do a great job for me because she has a special relationship with the judge. That seems important to me. Should I hire her?
No. Lawyers who say such things are scumbags. 99.9% of judges would never allow their personal feelings for a lawyer to directly affect the outcome of the case. To do so would be unethical, and 99.9% of judges would never consider acting in such a fashion. It is true, of course, that judges tend to respect lawyers who are prepared, who show up to court on time, who understand law and court procedure, and who answer the judge’s questions directly and honestly. And judges, like every other human, would tend to more readily accept the word of a lawyer who earned respect than a lawyer who demonstrated that he or she was not entitled to respect. But disregard the facts or the law simply because of a personal relationship? No, it rarely happens. Finally, think about it this way: If you were a judge and learned that your lawyer “friend” was going around suggesting to people that she could improperly influence you in a case, how would you feel about it? No, stay away from this type of lawyer. Like the lawyer who evaluates a case too early, this lawyer is trying too hard to get your case and, at the end of the day, you are very likely to be disappointed in the service you actually receive.
