Is Your Lawyer Making You a Participant or a Spectator in Your Case?

This is a Poster from a Local Medical Center

As the poster above illustrates, we are living in a day and age where people must ensure that their health providers (and legal providers) are doing what needs to be done.

The Medical "Speak Up" campaign highlights:

1. Ask Questions (know what's going on)
2. Pay Attention (be focused on what the doctors are doing, giving, and saying)
3. Educate Yourself (concerning diagnosis (what's wrong), tests, and your treatment)
4. Ask others You Trust to Speak Up for YOU
5. Know what your taking and why you are taking them
6. PARTICIPATE 

What is Representation?     A Representation = A Relationship

Years ago we lived in an age where people brought their problems to a professional (doctor, lawyer, CPA, financial advisor, etc.) and just let them handle it. "It" being their legal, financial, or health problem or situation. This person would just tell you what to do, where to go, what to say, and what to sign. There was little to no discussion or communication. The doctor said take this, the lawyer said do that, and so it went on and on. The basis of most of these relationships (representations) was authority to underling. This unbalanced relationship pitted the wise knower to unwise ignorant (lack of knowledge, not stupidity).

MY Holistic View or Viewpoint

I tell my clients as I told my patients (when I practiced Chiropractic) that you are not a mushroom who should sit in the dark, YOU are going to be involved in your case (and in your care) so that YOU are empowered, understand your options, and make choices (decisions) with intelligence. 

Being The Participant vs. Being the Spectator

These days we live in the age of information, the age of knowledge. It is abundant, it is accessible, and it is free. In my opinion, it is there (the internet, the library) so that people should no longer live in the proverbial darkness. We can look up people, diseases, crimes, processes, procedures, methods, philosophies, etc. It is wonderful to get answers to our questions, and even better I believe to have better questions to ask.

The dangers with too much information I see are twofold:

(1) lack of proper context (placement and perspective) for the information you gather,
(2) misinformation (too many sites, blogs, and articles written without credentials or experience)

A good advisor (navigator) will lay out the field (show you where the land mines (pitfalls) are) and help you make the best decisions about everything.

Remember that the basis of any accepted Court Plea (decision) must be threefold:

1. Voluntary (not forced or coerced)
2. Intelligent (understanding the options and it's relation to YOU specifically)
3. Knowing (the 360 degree perspective, the past, the present, and the future)

I say, You Should Speak Up to all Your Providers, of any professional service, especially legal ones.


Larry Newman, D.C., J.D.
"counsel for flowers not mushrooms"

Doctor of Chiropractic
Attorney at Law (Juris Doctor)

504 North Aurora Street
Ithaca, NY 14850

607-229-5184
newman.lawrence@gmail.com

http://www.ithacadwi.com