Do Clients Have a Common Urban Myth or Myths They Tell You During the 1st Consultation?

Interviewer: Do clients come to you with a story or myth that you’ve heard repeatedly?

Dale: Yes, the mythical judge with a son or daughter who was killed by a drunk driver.I’ve never met that judge in my 26 years of practice, nor have heard about him,other than from my clients. I’ve never met the judge whose son or daughter was killed by a drunk driver.

Interviewer: Any other common back stories that you hear on why they were arrested or what happened to them?

Dale: Well, the hardest story is when the client doesn’t remember anything.

Interviewer: Does that really occur?

Dale: It’s the worst indicator because now I’m going to have to proceed with the knowledge that the client was probably under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time. That’s difficult to deal with. Additionally, it is a problem when the clients have resisted arrest. It’s very detrimental to the case If they were uncooperative or if they assaulted the arresting officer. Those actions are documented in the police report, which is available to the prosecution. You do not want to give the police an excuse to embellish a report with adjectives instead of facts.