By: Mike Pike
I recently spoke with a person seeking representation for litigation in which family members were suing other family members over money and property issues. Unfortunately, the two sides of the family had gotten involved in a lawsuit against each other based on what I believe to be very poor advice. After hearing about the case I declined the representation, as I believed I could not undo the damage without causing more pain, time and expense. The result of going forward with the lawsuit for these poor people created a great amount of expense and heartache; even worse, the family is now torn apart and many are not speaking to each other over what appear to be fairly insignificant matters.
As I remark to folks constantly, there are good lawyers and bad lawyers, just like there are good and bad everything else: doctors, engineers, businessmen, plumbers, mechanics, dog groomers, preachers, blue collar, white collar, pink collar, no collar. Sometimes people get bad advice from lawyers, and sometimes people pay a high price for taking that bad advice.
What can you do if you find yourself considering such a situation? Here are some things I recommend: get a second opinion, maybe a third opinion before you file a lawsuit (especially against other family members). And if the advice you’re getting just doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense to you, or to others around you confide in, then maybe it’s not good advice.
Before proceeding with any legal claim, you should ask what you are gaining from going forward with the claim. If the lawyers are the ones who are going to benefit from a lawsuit, much more than the parties will, maybe you ought to reconsider the situation. The lawyers at Skeeters, Bennett, Wilson & Pike want to make sure you are well taken care of.
Mike currently is the attorney for the Cities of Radcliff and Vine Grove, advising elected officials, employees, and various city boards on a wide variety of legal matters. A member of the American Bar Association, the Kentucky Bar Association, Hardin County Bar, Meade County Bar, and Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Mike focuses his legal practice on cases concerning personal injury and social security, municipal law, business formation, and estates and probate law. Additionally, Mike oversees the real estate law department for the firm.