Why people hate lawyers and why you shouldn’t care
In my recent post, "Why don't people entrust lawyers and does it really matter?" I concluded that not only doesn't it matter that people don't entrust lawyers, it's really a excellent business.
It's excellent for clients because it makes them more careful when hiring an attorney. They question more questions. They don't blindly follow. Caveat emptor.
It's excellent for attorneys because it allows us to stand out from the crowd by showing how we are uncommon, how we can be trusted, and with a small effort, this is not hard to do.
But not only do people not entrust lawyers, they also despise lawyers. Attorney Suzanne Meehle presents ten "terrible lawyer" stereotypes that make people despise lawyers.
Ambulance chasers, unethical lawyers, a**holes, incompetents, and so on.
Some of these stereotypes are worse than others. The "24/7 Lawyer," the workaholic on a path to burnout, doesn't belong in the same category as the dishonest lawyer. I don't reckon people despise lawyers merely because they work too hard. But we all get the point: there are plenty of examples of terrible lawyers who give the rest of us a terrible name.
I say this is a excellent business. Why? Because stereotypes are nearly always exaggerated depictions of real life, making it even simpler to show people that you're "not like that".
If a lot of people don't like lawyers because they perceive them to be bullies, for example, don't be a bully. If they despise lawyers because they reckon we are unethical, go out of your way to show words and deeds consistent with the highest ethical standards.
I don't particularly delight in meeting people who, within the first minutes, feel compelled to tell me they, "don't like lawyers". But that's the way it is and I do delight in the challenge of winning them over.
In sales, it is said that the best prospects are often the ones who offer the most resistance. These prospects know they are naturally an "simple sale" and so to protect themselves from getting taken advantage of, they place up an outer wall. They may be surly and unpleasant, overly suspicious and overly demanding. The best sales people know this and when they encounter a prospect who "protests too much," shower them with kindness and patiently wait for them to "drop their shields". The result is often a sale and a lifelong customer and advocate.
Don't try to argue away the stereotypes. Acknowledge them. There are a lot of terrible eggs out there and people do have to be careful. With a small common sense, you can easily space yourself from this crowd and show you are one of the excellent guys. When you do, you'll find people hiring you, in some cases simply because you're not what they expected.