Forty years of civil litigation – jury trials in major personal injury and death cases, court challenges to government officials who abuse their powers over public employees, taking business and commercial disputes to trial, and dealing with the wide variety of clients involved in these cases – has taught me lessons worth passing on to you who engage in reading blogs.
First – do not be bamboozled (not a legal term) by yellow page ads, advertising on the sides of buses, highway billboards, or flashy issues of the Boston publication “Super Lawyers of Massachusetts.” All such hype is nothing but paid propaganda that has nothing to do with a quality civil litigation practice. What should be researched is the input of trusted friends and acquaintances who have regular contact with the Massachusetts legal system – for example, Court employees or officials whom you happen to know, or others who have contact with the court system. These people are in a position to know which lawyers have the needed skills and experience to address your legal needs. When a particular firm or lawyer’s name is suggested by more than one source, you are likely to have a good basis to select an attorney.
Second – no one lawyer is good at everything. A good tax planner might babble when talking to a jury, and the best trial lawyer may totally screw up a complicated tax problem. On the other hand, trial lawyering is a skill that stretches across many disciplines: the adept trial lawyer can present medical malpractice cases, civil rights claims, business litigation, discrimination claims (etc.) at different times – all skillfully and effectively – because of his/her learning experience and intuitions developed over the years in the court room. “Performing” in a court room is a skill that develops best in a particular type of personality, and improves with time and experience (not paid marketing or advertising).
Third – and most importantly – consider that the best lawyer will have an extensive network of professional colleagues, people, attorneys and others, he can consult or refer you to if appropriate.
Beauregard, Burke & Franco’s attorneys measure up in all these areas. We at Beauregard, Burke & Franco enjoy our work, we like our clientele, we are proud of our reputation in both our local area and across Massachusetts. We welcome both “normal” and complicated civil cases that come to us, either directly or by referral from other attorneys who are familiar with the quality of our work. We welcome a call from you when and if the need arises.
In coming weeks, our lawyers will describe some of our more memorable cases and trials in past years, and offer our comments on some legal issues that could be helpful to you. Some will be serious, some funny and hopefully none too rude or crude. But always with direct and candid talk and of course, interesting. Keep checking us out.
by Philip N. Beauregard, Esq.