UNDERSTANDING THE LAW

The attorney-client relationship is one of the most important and delicate relationships in all of legaldom (if there is such a word). Lawyers cannot exist without clients. With rare exceptions, clients cannot make it without lawyers. The foundation of the attorney-client relationship is trust. Without the element of trust between the client and the attorney, the relationship simply will not work out. I am reminded of the story about the man who hated to worry about anything and went looking for a surrogate worrier. He approached a lawyer about the issue and said: Potential client: "I would like to retain your services. I'll give a thousand dollars if you will do the worrying for me." Lawyer: "That's fine. I'll do it. Now where's the thousand dollars?" Potential client: "That's your first worry." Trust works both ways in an attorney-client relationship. In order for an attorney to help the client, the attorney needs to know everything about the client's problem or issue. Most clients do not understand that, or simply ignore this point. In any event, few clients abide by it. To encourage clients to speak freely and reveal all to their lawyer concerning their problem or issue, the law grants an absolute attorney-client privilege. Whatever the client tells the lawyer about his or her case is secret and strictly confidential. Only with the client's expressed permission can the attorney reveal this secret and confidential information.