Thursday, January 7, 2010

I Hate Lawyers

Sometimes I think all those lawyer jokes are justified.

Why do some lawyers have to be so obstreperous, so argumentative, so . . . obnoxious?

Here is just one example from a particularly annoying attorney that I have to deal with regularly. This happened a couple of weeks ago. My exchanges with her since then have been equally annoying, so I can't seem to get this one out of my mind, as it is a perfect example of her utter inability to act like a normal human being.

She emailed me at 12:03 p.m. asking me to call her as soon as I get a chance, to talk about scheduling a meeting.

I received the email at 1:10, on my way out to an appointment. So I called her quickly and got her secretary, who said she was "still out to lunch." I explained that I was on the way to an appointment but would be available after the appointment, so she could call me then, or I would call her again when I finished the appointment.

Most normal people would either call at the stated time or wait for the other person to call them again, or perhaps email a list of available times and ask whether any of the times work for the other person. But not this bitch. Oh, no.

This attorney sent me another email, stating that instead of calling people over the lunch hour, I should try calling them "at a time when they might be expected to be in the office" and accusing me of "obstructing the process" and being "always unavailable," and accusing my client of not cooperating in scheduling a meeting.

WTF?!?

I am flabbergasted by the needless escalation of conflict and her apparent need to argue - and not even over an actual issue in the case (although she does it with real issues, too, which is even more annoying) . . . by the rudeness of her expecting me to be at her beck and call - I'm to call her "as soon as possible," but to make sure it's not during her lunch hour? Hello, as if I even know when she eats lunch?!? . . . by the absurdity of emailing someone just after noon with a request to call "as soon as possible" and then criticizing the person for calling "during the lunch hour" . . . by the ridiculousness of the whole exchange.

Some days I just want to go back to being a bus driver.

5 comments:

SkylersDad said...

We have an online meeting scheduler that everyone uses that lets you see everyone's availability. I received a meeting invite along with 4 other people, and I had to decline it because I had a PT appointment at that time (which they could see when they scheduled the damn meeting).

I also sent an email explaining it is a standing appt, which I am charged for if I miss it.

I was told this meeting is more important and for me to reschedule...

Green said...

During this temp gig I've been taking my lunch hour from 2-3pm. Please make a note of this. :)

What an asshole.

Laura @ My Thoughts-Uninterrupted said...

Wow...that's all I can say. Some people are just a royal pain in the ass to their very core. She must be an unhappy person.

LegalMist said...

SkylersDad - The nerve of some folks!! I hope you emailed them back and said, "OK then, I'll cancel the meeting as soon as I have received $__.00 from each of you to cover the cost of the canceled appointment. If I haven't received it by _____, I'll assume this meeting isn't that important after all, and will attend the scheduled appointment."

Green - you crack me up!

Laura - I hate to admit it, but at this point the thought that she "must be an unhappy person" does not fill me with sympathy for her, but with hope that it is true!! Ack, I so totally hate feeling that way!!

Jaime said...

I had a pro bono client who believed she was a prophet. She'd go to church, walk to the pulpit during the blessing of the sacraments, stand in front of the priest and conduct her own rendition of the mass. In the true language of the prophet. The language of the body.

Can you imagine?

Made me give up ever wanting to do criminal work again