Is there a “Best” Lawyer?
People generally want to believe there is a “best” something. How many times have you heard someone recommend a doctor saying, “Oh, you have to go to him. He’s the best.” What they really mean to say is he has the best reputation.
Either they went to that doctor and didn’t go to any of the other thousand doctors, or they didn’t go to that doctor. Either way, they don’t know who’s the best. This paradigm is especially true with high-dollar, once in a lifetime services – doctors, wedding planners, lawyers, etc.
Perception and Reality
So many people love to throw around that their person is the best. Nine times out of ten, it’s just a reputation that has evolved over time. It likely started from somewhere and snowballed. And nothing makes someone the best like everyone saying they’re the best. Perception might not actually be reality, but it certainly is perceived as such.
Superlatives are Fluid
However, there are numerous problems with throwing around terms like “the best.” One, the practitioner may never have actually been the best, they may have just been the best at getting others to say they’re the best. Two, their success may be their downfall. It’s one thing to be the top of the heap when you have only two or three cases. But when everyone knows how good you are with the few cases you dedicate yourself to, you get more cases. It’s not the same when you have 20-30 cases. It’s night and day when you have 200. Finally, you may have been the best once upon a time, and you simply are not anymore. We’re not all John Elway. It’s tough to go out on top.
The last one is particularly tough. Not long ago, we were approached about a collateral attack in a criminal case. A defense attorney who had one of these reputations as “the best” had slept on the case. This wasn’t a subtle attorney error. It was neglect. How could the best do such a thing? It’s hard for some to stay driven when the motivations change.
There’s Only Great
We try to let people in on a little secret – there is no “best” lawyer. In any given practice area there are anywhere from a few to a few dozen who are the “best.” Sometimes it’s the names you know, sometimes not. Even then, workflow, mental state, drive and ambition, personal issues, case subtleties may make someone who seems like the top choice not actually be the top choice.
Even then, there’s only great for you. Lawyers, doctors, and other service professionals are human beings. Clients are human beings. Some human beings mesh perfectly, some don’t.
The best is kind of a ridiculous term, yet it’s one people love to say and love to hear. We all want the best, especially when it’s our life or our money on the line.
Our Approach to Medical Malpractice
Having a great lawyer in a medical malpractice case is crucial. Chances are, if you need to obtain a med mal attorney, it’s a once in a lifetime occurrence. You don’t have a great deal of experience choosing a med mal lawyer.
The one thing we know for certain is we’re not the best medical malpractice lawyers. There are quite a few excellent firms in town to handle this work. We decided, instead of becoming one of those firms, we would simply become great at knowing which clients belong with which attorneys. We find medical malpractice lawyers for people who need them. The best medical malpractice lawyers aren’t out searching for clients. They’re in the courtroom.
.If you’re searching for a lawyer, you might be a little confused by our approach. Why would you need to use a lawyer to find a lawyer? We think it might be a better alternative than the lady at the gym raving about the one who is “the best!”
To learn more, go to our medical malpractice page. We would love to help you get to where you need to be.
