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Becoming a lawyer.....Wetcoaster?


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NOTE: this thread is NOT an excuse for a barrage of personal attacks so please, stick to the topic at hand (which was simply asking for positive feedback/advice). If you have nothing to offer in that respect then please don't bother.

Warnings will be issued from this point on...

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I do not know , i live an incredibly good life , doing something i love most days , but this does not stop me from pointing out and providing evidence that lawyers are despised.

And if you had seen the person you love the most driven almost to despair by a corrupt lawyer , TWICE , i do not think you would be a happy camper.

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well, as exemplified by this thread, before becoming a lawyer you should understand that many people will view your profession negatively. they will attack your integrity solely based on your job. you have to be able to brush these attacks off.

i think it's the price to pay for having such an adversarial legal system. i certainly witnessed much less animosity toward lawyers in several European countries.

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I've had to deal with an sleaze-ball lawyer before (Good ol' ICBC), but that certainly doesn't mean that I think all lawyers are guilty by association. One bad apple does not spoil the bunch.

Same with cops, just because a few police officers go out and abuse their power, doesn't mean they all do.

Sadly it is just the ones who do abuse their power/screw people over who resonate in our minds more. Everybody remembers the big scandal that one lawyer/police officer was a part of, but only a select few remember the countless positive contributions that members of that same group have made.

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I've had to deal with an sleaze-ball lawyer before (Good ol' ICBC), but that certainly doesn't mean that I think all lawyers are guilty by association. One bad apple does not spoil the bunch.

Same with cops, just because a few police officers go out and abuse their power, doesn't mean they all do.

Sadly it is just the ones who do abuse their power/screw people over who resonate in our minds more. Everybody remembers the big scandal that one lawyer/police officer was a part of, but only a select few remember the countless positive contributions that members of that same group have made.

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Definitely profit motivated. They were trying to rip me off no doubt about it.

2 days after I entered my case, they tell me it was 100% my fault and that I wouldn't be getting any money (I got run over in a hotel driveway, standing a foot off the curb with my back turned to the car... like what?).

Phoned the lawyer in charge of my case at least a dozen times over the next month for clarification and never got a response.

He was basically just ignoring me hoping that I would let it go.

Luckily I got a lawyer for myself, and she got a hold of him within just a few days (proving that he was just ignoring my calls).

She was actually able to get me more money than I had previously asked for, even after I paid the legal fees.

But like I said, the actions of that one lawyer for ICBC does not represent the profession as a whole.

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Maybe to preserve INTEGRITY the lawyers should be smart enough to TELL the client that they are being silly or frivolous instead of taking the case and collecting their paycheck. Of course that would never be an option, considering the lack of integrity to start with.

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Definitely profit motivated. They were trying to rip me off no doubt about it.

2 days after I entered my case, they tell me it was 100% my fault and that I wouldn't be getting any money (I got run over in a hotel driveway, standing a foot off the curb with my back turned to the car... like what?).

Phoned the lawyer in charge of my case at least a dozen times over the next month for clarification and never got a response.

He was basically just ignoring me hoping that I would let it go.

Luckily I got a lawyer for myself, and she got a hold of him within just a few days (proving that he was just ignoring my calls).

She was actually able to get me more money than I had previously asked for, even after I paid the legal fees.

But like I said, the actions of that one lawyer for ICBC does not represent the profession as a whole.

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ICBC's lawyer is not your lawyer - he represents ICBC. There is an obligation for ICBC's lawyer to return the calls of his/her own client or that of another lawyer but not you.

Basic rule of thumb - do not go up against ICBC without your own lawyer.

I know because when I articled for a large firm 25+ years back we often represented ICBC as outside counsel and I was always astounded why people would choose to not retain their own counsel. A lawyer representing ICBC has a duty to ICBC, not you.

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ICBC's lawyer is not your lawyer - he represents ICBC. There is an obligation for ICBC's lawyer to return the calls of his/her own client or that of another lawyer but not you.

Basic rule of thumb - do not go up against ICBC without your own lawyer.

I know because when I articled for a large firm 25+ years back we often represented ICBC as outside counsel and I was always astounded why people would choose to not retain their own counsel. A lawyer representing ICBC has a duty to ICBC, not you.

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Yes - and the firms representing ICBC are usually intensely specialized and very, very good (I'm thinking of one in particular here in Victoria). They litigate ICBC claims all day every day, so if you don't have a lawyer to go against them, you're basically toast.

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Also, to comment on the idea that "law is knowledge" that anyone can learn. That's simply not true. Law is also practice and experience, like any other profession. I can look up how to do my own electrical work online. I probably shouldn't do it myself though, due to total lack of experience and training.

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Not entirely true.

There are various instances where a lawyer must communicate with an unrepresented litigant.

But yes, I'd always recommend getting a lawyer when going up against ICBC. ICBC does not do a very good job of informing people that they represent only the defendant once a claim is made.

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Also, to comment on the idea that "law is knowledge" that anyone can learn. That's simply not true. Law is also practice and experience, like any other profession. I can look up how to do my own electrical work online. I probably shouldn't do it myself though, due to total lack of experience and training.

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