Understanding the Attorney-Client Relationship

It should come as no surprise to you that the attorneys with the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC, believe the relationship between our office and our clients to be significant. We understand that a client has hired us for a divorce, child custody, or any other sort of family law case; a tremendous amount of trust has been placed in us to represent the client with diligence and skill. This is a responsibility that we do not take lightly.

You may be curious how an attorney's office works in conjunction with representing you, the client. The purpose of this blog post is to provide you with a little bit of context as to how our office functions and how that relates to the work that we do for our clients daily.

The Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC: Attorneys and staff working together

Our attorneys and our staff, paralegals, legal assistants, and client relations personnel work together as a team. As is probably the case in the office or workplace where you are employed, daily tasks are best achieved when a group of people works together to achieve more than a single person would do on their own.

If you decide to hire our office to represent you, you will find our contract's hourly billing rates for each of our employees. Attorneys charge more per hour to work on your case than our office personnel due to an attorney's skill and expertise compared to our legal staff. That's not to say that our team doesn't operate professionally and with skill. However, there are specific tasks that only an attorney can do, which explains in large part why our attorney's hourly billing rates are higher than our office staff.

While your attorney will be your primary point of contact with our office, you will also develop a relationship with our staff members. Weekly and sometimes daily references will be made between our staff and you, especially during the initial phases of your case. We will request information documents and set up hearings and mediations with you that require phone calls and emails between our staff and yourself. Our office staff works long hours to help you and your family, so it is greatly appreciated your patience while corresponding with them.

What responsibilities do you have as a client?

Our client, attorney, and staff work to achieve whatever goals you have set out for yourself. Even though your attorney will be negotiating, drafting documentation, and representing you in court, it is crucial to remember that you are the one in control of your case. I always tell clients that you, the client, are driving the car while I sit in the passenger seat to help navigate and avoid potholes in the road.

With that said, you will need to be as up-to-date in your case as possible. It is your attorney's responsibility to contact you to discuss any updates that arise and to make sure you understand precisely what those changes mean to your case. If you know it is hard to get a hold of you during most business hours, you can talk to your attorney and ask them to schedule a time each week for the two of you to go over your case status and for you to be able to ask any questions that you have.

If our office emails or mails you requests for paperwork or information, you must read everything thoroughly to understand your questions. If something does not make sense or if you require clarification on a particular issue, do not hesitate to call our office so you can speak to your attorney or paralegal. Often, the requests we make have a deadline that must be met with the information we are requesting from you.

Telling the truth: the most important responsibility you have as a client

Nothing can harm your case more than your not being entirely truthful with your attorney. Much of the subject matter in your divorce or child custody case will be personal and not necessarily full of information that you would otherwise share with a person outside of your family. However, this is not an excuse for failing to share important information or being deceitful with your attorney. Likely, your attorney (and spouse) will eventually find out the information you were attempting to keep hidden, anyways.

Telling the truth is especially important if you are testifying in a temporary orders hearing or trial. It is a crime not to tell the reality on the witness stand. Also- you risk severely harming your credibility with the person making rulings in your case. One piece of advice I will share with a client before a hearing or trial: it is never wise to assume or guess an answer even if that answer would improve your case. The judge and the opposing attorney will be pretty competent in this behavior. Being entirely truthful with the court will outweigh the importance of any partially fabricated information or statement made in court.

Part Two of this series on the attorney-client relationship will be posted tomorrow.

I hope that this blog post has been interesting and informative. If you have any questions about our office and how we work with clients like yourself, please do not hesitate to contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC, today. Our reason for working is to ensure that you have the best representation possible and help you manage your case effectively. A free-of-charge consultation with one of our licensed family law attorneys is only a phone call away. We represent clients across southeast Texas and would be honored to do the same for you and your family.

Ebook

Adobe Stock 62844981[2] If you want to know more about what you can do, CLICK the button below to get your FREE E-book: "16 Steps to Help You Plan & Prepare for Your Texas Divorce"

Divorce Wasting Assets[4] If you want to know more about how to prepare, CLICK the button below to get your FREE E-book: "13 Dirty Tricks to Watch Out For in Your Texas Divorce, and How to Counter Them" Today!"

Financial Checklist[3] Get this FREE download about what you need to know before filing for divorce.

Other Articles you may be interested in:

Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC | Houston, Texas Divorce Lawyers

The Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC, routinely handles matters that affect children and families. If you have questions regarding divorce, it's essential to speak with one of our Houston , TX, Divorce Lawyers right away to protect your rights.

Our d ivorce lawyers in Houston, TX, are skilled at listening to your goals during this trying process and developing a strategy to meet those goals. Contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC by calling (281) 810-9760 or submit your contact information in our online form. The Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC, handles Divorce cases in Houston, Texas, Cypress, Klein, Humble, Kingwood, Tomball, The Woodlands, Houston, the FM 1960 area, or surrounding areas, including Harris County, Montgomery County, Liberty County, Chambers County, Galveston County, Brazoria County, Fort Bend County, and Waller County.

Ebook

Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC | Houston, Texas Divorce Lawyers

Related Posts