找上律師前，你需要注意的地方

(http://antbsd.twbbs.org/~ant/wordpress/?p=547, January 8th, 2007)

在 gapingvoid 看到這篇文章，The Lawyer’s Client Manifesto，覺得很有趣，就隨手翻譯了一下。

1. You have wants. You have needs. Focus on the needs first. Wants are bonus.你有「想要」的。你有「必要」的。專注在你必要之處。想要的部分是額外的。
2. If you are seeing a lawyer because your dispute is “not about the money, but about the principle of the thing” don’t be surprised if your lawyer runs away. You can never be satisfied. Also, it’s really about the money.當你因為「無關乎金錢，而在於事情的原則問題」的爭議而找上律師時，不要驚訝他們隨時逃離。因為他們永遠不會令你滿足。事實上，這真的就是 「金錢」問題。
3. Your case/matter is the most important thing happening to you right now. It is not the most important thing happening to your lawyer right now. It may not even be in his top ten.你的案例對你而言是非常重要的，但對於你的律師而言，這不是最重要的事情，甚至他根本沒有把這件事列在最緊急的前十名內。
4. If you think your lawyer is trying to kill your deal, remember this: though there may only be a “one percent” chance your deal will go bad, your lawyer sees that “one percent” over and over again. She’s looking out for you. She cares about you and your business. She also doesn’t want her malpractice premiums to go up.如果你認為你的律師試著毀掉你與他的協議時，請記住這點：即使僅有 1% 的機會使你的協議變壞，你的律師也會一而再，再而三的重視這 1%。他會設法得到你這筆生意。他在乎你和你的生意。他也不想要因此增加他的誤診保費。
5. You want to buy results, not time. Most lawyers sell time, not results. Make sure you both understand the difference before your first bill arrives. You will certainly understand the difference after.你想要的是結果，不是時間。但大多數的律師都是在賣「時間」，而不是「結果」。確定在你第一份帳單寄來前，都了解這些差異。不然，你也會在帳 單寄來後才了解。
6. If you want to find a lawyer who sells results, look hard. There are a few of them out there. They are the ones who can still smile because they get to see their children before 9:00 at night.如果你想找出哪個律師是在賣「結果」的，那麼這些人很少還待在律師界。他們是唯一還能保持微笑的律師，因為他們要在晚上 9 點前回家陪他們的小孩。
7. Big firm lawyers are not more efficient. Or smarter. Or cheaper. They are certainly not cheaper.大公司的律師並不會比較有效率，不會比較聰明，也不會比較便宜。但他們確定是不會比較便宜就是了。
8. Make sure your lawyer understands your business. If your lawyer doesn’t understand your business, find out if he’s going to learn about it on his time, or yours.確定你的律師了解你這筆生意。如果你的律師不了解這筆生意，請找出他能夠挖出的時間來了解，否則浪費時間的是你。
9. You are your lawyer’s boss. You are not her only boss. She has hundreds of other bosses too. Each one of them thinks their matter is more important than yours.你是你律師的老闆，但你不是他唯一的老闆。他同時有好幾百個老闆。每一個老闆都會認為他們的事情比你的重要。
10. How messy is your lawyer’s desk? When they bill you for thirty minutes of “file review,” how much of that time was spent looking for your file?你律師的桌面有多亂？當他為了開帳單給你時，花了30分鐘在”瀏覽檔案”時，中間有多少時間只是為了找你的檔案？
11. When you call a lawyer for the first time, how long does it take for him to return your calls? After you hire that lawyer, expect it to take at least three times as long. Same goes for e-mails.當你第一次打電話給你的律師時，他多久回覆你？在你僱用這個律師後，就要準備往後將有 3 倍於這個時間的等待回覆。電子郵件也是同樣的道理。
12. Does your lawyer have reputation for being a “bulldog?” That probably means they are an asshole. To everyone.你的律師對於做一隻牛頭犬為榮嗎？那可能表示他是一個混蛋。對每一個人而言都是如此。
13. Look for a lawyer with a technology IQ no more than fifty points less than yours. If you live in e-mail and your lawyer doesn’t, learn to like your mail carrier.請找一個科技智商不要低於你 15 分以上的律師。如果你活在電子郵件時代，而他還在舊郵桶時代，你也只好學習愛上你家的郵件投遞箱。
14. If you hate your lawyer, fire him. He probably deserves it, and you aren’t getting his best work anyway.如果你討厭你的律師，休了他吧。可能這是他應得的，反正你這個案例不會是他最好的表現之一。
15. You wouldn’t automatically marry the first person you date, so don’t automatically hire the first lawyer you see. A great lawyer-client relationship can last a lifetime. Your lawyer can be your advisor, counselor, confidant, and friend. Find one you like, stick with him or her, and spread the word. Oh, and stop telling lawyer jokes. They aren’t really that funny. ;-)你不會自動與第一個約會的人結婚，你也不會僱用第一個遇見的律師。一個好的律師與委託人關係，是可以持續一輩子的。你的律師可以成為你的顧問、參 事、知己和朋友。找一個你所喜歡的，然後黏著他，並且打開話閘子。喔！不要跟他講笑話。他們不是真的這麼風趣。(笑~)