TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Introduction

How To Use This Book

What They Are

How Lawyers Think
Arrogance and Egotism; Ballfield, the Wrong One; Breeding Litigation; Business Ability, Judgment, and Information; Customers, From the Lawyer's Point of View; How Lawyers See You.

How Lawyers Behave
Advisor To the Universe; Efficiency, Lack of; Fears of Lawyers; Hysteria, Climate of; Lawyers As Customers Or Business Partners; Lawyer-to-Lawyer; Litigators; Love Affairs Usually End Sometime; Procrastination

How Lawyers Got That Way
Manipulation and Intimidation; Motivation; Problem Solvers; What Lawyers Respect.

Who You Need To Be

Putting Your Head In the Right Place
Adopt An Attitude; Advice, Unsolicited; Be Rational But Not Transparent; Consumerism, Belligerent: Familiarity; Fears Of Customers; Lies By Customers

Strategies and Tactics
Control, Loss Of; Delivery Boy, Who's Going To Be; Dressing To Impress a Lawyer; If You're Serious, Let the Lawyer Know; Image - What Do You Want Yours To Be?; Thank You; Trust; Use Foresight.

How To Get The Job Done

Understanding the Legal System
Adversary System, The; Bureaucracy; Documents and Evidence; Jargon and Key Phrases.

Using Lawyers Effectively
Common Sense Solution (in place of a legal one); Consultation; Describing Problems; Deal Killers; Deal Makers; First Use; First Use, No; First Use, Yes; How To Reduce Productivity; Phone Calls; Proceeding, Against Your Lawyer's Advice; Project Management.

Working Around Lawyers' Problems

Avoiding Litigation; Backups; Courtesy From a Lawyer; Crisis Management; Custom Work - Is It?; Fast Starts (that fizzle?); Gobbledygook; Lawyers' Logic; Legal Problem, Is It Or Isn’t It?; Letters Of Information; Letters Of Understanding; Notes; What Lawyers Will Do Left To Themselves.

Damage Control

Filing the Endless Paperwork; Getting a Lawyer Back On Track; Letters From the Lawyer's Desk; Phone Calls, Unreturned

The Wild Blue Yonder

You Might Be the Expert; You're On Your Own, Pal.

Finding and Hiring a Good Lawyer

The Odds of Finding a Good Lawyer

Making the First Cut: Do You Need a Specialist?

Making the Second Cut

Hot Leads

Starting Cold

    Places To Start

    Generic Methods

    Methods To Skip

    Double Checking

    A Warning On Contingency Cases

Interviewing

Types of Law Firms

Medium To Big Firms

Small Firms

Sole Practitioners

Legal Service Plans

Storefront Offices

Telephone Lawyers

Paralegals

Levels Of Experience Within Law Firms

The Totem Pole

Junior Partners and Senior Associates

Senior Partners

Junior Associates

Big Details When Hiring Lawyers

Contracts; Experience vs. Competence; Local Knowledge and Connections; Service Is Defined Before You Walk In the Door; Specialization vs. Experience vs. Know-how; What Most Any Lawyer Can Do - That You Can't; What a Lawyer Knows That You Don»t.

Billing

A Universal Theory Of Bill Control; Bill Formats: Lump Sum and Breakdown; Ethics, Money, and Honest Lawyers; Extra Work For Free; Haggling vs. Negotiation; Hourly Rates; Reducing a Lawyer's Workload; Legal Research; Retainers; Starting the Meter.

Billing Ripoffs

Billing Tricks and Quirks; Getting Your Money Back; Outrageous Bills; Hourly Rates; Running the Meter; Splurging; Starting the Meter; Value Added, or Premium Billing; Value Billing.

Firing and Suing

Firing a Lawyer; Regulation and Discipline; Suing a Lawyer.

Advanced Topics

Dumping the Customer; In-House Counsel; Kickbacks; Second Opinions; Sellouts; Stealing; Using One Lawyer To Control Another.

Appendix

Sample Contract With a Lawyer

Sample of What a Lawyer’s Bill Should Look Like

Chart: How Lawyers Should Enter Your Life, Then Stay or Go

Conclusion