I love Tallahassee. I love the people, the weather, the football, and yes, I even love the lawyers in Tallahassee. The lawyers in Tallahassee are different for multiple reasons, but the main differences are in the way we treat our clients, the way we treat each other, and the way we approach the practice of law.
Tallahassee lawyers enthusiastically care about our clients. Tallahassee is a city, but it hasn’t gotten so big that the people feel disconnected from one another. We still have that small town feel, and when we represent our clients it feels like we are representing our neighbors and friends. Everybody seems to know everybody in Tallahassee, so most personal injury lawyers try to stay conscientious of that. I’m not just talking about the lawyers in my firm. I’m involved in a group called Capital City Justice Association, whose members include the best plaintiff’s trial lawyers in town. I would testify in court that every member of the group is in the business for the right reason, which is to pursue justice for people who deserve it. Your local Tallahassee law firms are full of lawyers who are ethical, honest, and willing to put up a good fight for the right reasons.
Another big difference between Tallahassee lawyers and others is that in Tallahassee, we treat each other with respect. You might have two lawyers on the opposite sides of a heated dispute, but for the most part we are cordial and professional when we work together toward the resolution of a dispute. This level of respect can, I believe, be traced back to Tallahassee’s southern charm. We still have manners in Tallahassee. We listen with respect when someone else is talking, and we respond with deference and tact. This benefits our clients, because we can often get a case settled by just laying our cards on the table and having a discussion.
I’ve also noticed that the lawyers in Tallahassee approach the practice of law differently than lawyers from other venues. This applies not only to plaintiff’s lawyers, but also defense attorneys who are defending personal injury cases. For the most part, Tallahassee lawyers work with opposing counsel to get the evidence before the jury so that the jury can decide on the case. In other venues, the lawyers take a knock-down, drag-out approach, fighting over every single detail of the case. Such an approach benefits nobody, except the defense attorney who gets to bill more hours. There are exceptions to this rule, but the lawyers I go up against in Tallahassee usually don’t try to seek every single advantage. We don’t get involved in a bunch of heated discovery battles, and we try to work our differences on the admissibility of evidence and other matters without involving the court. We enter a lot of stipulations and try to go to trial arguing only the parts of the case which are in dispute. Judges appreciate that, and it keeps our costs down, which ultimately benefits the clients.For these reasons and more, if you ever get injured in Tallahassee, call a local law firm. You’ll be glad you did.
