I’ve often wondered what qualities are important to people who are looking for an attorney. Is it compassion? Is it communication? Is it how zealous and aggressive the attorney is? Is it an attorney who doesn’t mind pushing the envelope as much as possible, like Saul Goodman from “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul?”

I decided to create a poll to see what qualities people find important to them. The specific question I posed was: “When you have to hire an attorney . . . what qualities below would you prioritize when searching for him/her?” I further provided the following options to choose from:

- Good communicator and easy to work with

- Aggressive in court

- Genuinely cares about your case

- Someone who knows the law inside and out

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A few people opted to not vote in the poll; rather, messaging me stating that they would choose an “all of the above” type of answer. However, I intentionally decided not to include “all of the above,” because it was important for me to rank qualities to help improve how I serve my clients. And so, out of the 44 people who voted in the poll, 35% of them voted for an attorney who “Genuinely cares about [their] case.”

This result did not surprise me. Why?

Well, when experienced and successful attorneys take on a case, they do so with the utmost care for the client and the client’s circumstances. An attorney who genuinely cares about a client’s case will have regular communication with their client, be aggressive in court when needed, and always should know the law and the facts of the case inside and out from their extensive preparation.

I was also taught that lawyers should be unemotional and business-like when dealing with clients. From my perspective, nothing could be farther from the truth. Lawyers need to be compassionate but also passionate about their case and their client. As a young lawyer, I had been told to “stop acting so emotional” or to be more stoic in court. Ironically, my most successful and rewarding trials have been when I envision myself in my clients’ shoes and bring emotion and life to their stories. In my opinion, “caring” is not the same as being “overly emotional,” but the two words have oftentimes been compared to one another. ‍

The truth of the matter is: if you truly care about what your clients have been through, you will be a better advocate because you make them feel heard and that they are so much more than a paycheck. And, as a result, they will end up feeling as though they received due process and justice, regardless of the outcome.

So, in case you haven’t heard, caring is what makes an advocate a great advocate. It not only lends itself to working harder for a client, but I believe more often than not it will lend itself to achieving better results for the client and a feeling of satisfaction by the attorney.

This is precisely why I created the slogan and foundation for my practice, “The Attorney with Heart.” I serve to protect my clients’ rights while providing them with easier access to and a better understanding of the law. All while leading with strength, boldness, and of course…heart.

Stay tuned as DevonLaw releases more blogs that will discuss helpful legal tips from the perspective of the firm’s award-winning personal injury attorney…who actually cares.‍

**If you would like to discuss a case with one of our award-winning lawyers, contact us online or call us anytime at (615) 623-0232 for a free consultation.