Trust

Though I am not naturally honest, I am so sometimes by chance. William Shakespeare

One of the biggest challenges of a lawyer is building trust. We build it with clients, judges, juries, and perhaps most importantly, with adversaries.

The practice of law, by its very nature, brings us to relationships where trust is low. The lack of trust presents a significant impediment to solving problems, and a significant cost to clients.

Many lawyers take great pride in showing their lack of trust for an opponent. Sometimes the lack of trust is justified and necessary to protect clients. Other times, it reflects the lawyer’s insecurity. Face it, who wants to look gullible in the eyes of a client?

The reality is that people tend to trust those who trust them. Clients come to us with problems that may be adjudicated in the legal arena, but the problems often call for restoring broken trust. Sometimes, that takes a leap of faith.