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Clients are a two way street. In order for us to do our job and get their ticket fixed they have to provide us a few things. Usually it's just the legal fee and a ticket but there are exceptions.
Today I got a phone call from a particularly slow client whom I've talked to at least five times about the fact that in order for the court to accept the PA's recommended amendment for his no insurance ticket and officially change it from no insurance to illegal parking he needs to PROVIDE INSURANCE.
<gasp!> <shock!> <expletive!>
ME: Hello, can I speak to Client?
CLIENT: This is Client.
ME: This is Nic from Law Firm. I spoke to you on a few previous occasions about your case in Court and needing to provide proof of insurance in order to receive the amendment.
CLIENT: (Long pause.) Yeah.
ME: Do you have the insurance now? Could you provide it to my office so we can forward it to Court?
CLIENT: (Longer pause.) I got insurance.
ME: Fantastic. Could you bring it by our office, fax it or maybe send it through regular mail?
CLIENT: (Interrupts.) I mean I got insurance but I don’t got it.
ME: How is that?
CLIENT: I got it but I haven’t paid so they suspended it or something.
ME: So you’re currently not covered under your policy because of lack of payment.
CLIENT: (Long pause.) Yeah.
ME: Do you think you’ll be able to make that payment and have your insurance situation resolved?
CLIENT: I just moved.
ME: Okay...
CLIENT: (Long pause.) Money is tight because I just moved. I explained that.
ME: (Thinking: You explained you moved and therefore you didn’t receive two out of my five letters.) The court date isn’t until September 13th. Do you think you’ll be able to pay the insurance company by then in order to be reinstated?
CLIENT: (Long pause.) September?
ME: Yes, the 13th.
CLIENT: I don’t have money.
ME: All right. If you’re not able to have your insurance reinstated then the court won’t accept the amendment for the no insurance ticket. (Knowing this will create a pissed off reaction and dreading it.) You’ll have to appear in court on September 13th and explain that you don’t have current insurance to the Judge. At that time, most likely he’ll have you plead guilty to that charge then pay a higher fine and court cost. You’ll assess two points on your driving record.
CLIENT: What?! I gotta appear. I paid you so I don’t gotta appear.
ME: (Internal sigh.) Initially, yes. You paid us to appear on your first court date and then to get your ticket amended to non moving violation. Which we did. But the court will not accept that amendment if you don’t provide them current proof of insurance. We can’t do that for you.
CLIENT: I know that!
ME: Then why do you feel we didn't do our job?
CLIENT: (Irate.) Cause I gotta appear in court! I hired you so I don’t gotta appear.
ME: Hold on. (I check the schedule to see if we have some lawyer going near that area to go there for him but nothing. The court is about an hour away from our office without traffic. I tell my lawyer this. He says charge the guy extra $20.00 and we’ll have someone make a special trip out there to appear at night court to plead him guilty.) We don’t have any lawyers in the area of Court that day but if you pay an additional legal fee of $20.00 we’ll appear on your behalf in night court and plead you guilty to the insurance charge.
CLIENT: I gotta pay more! I paid you already!
ME: (Sighs.) You paid us to make the initial appearance and to amend your ticket for no insurance. We have done that for you. But your court date isn’t until September 13th so you have quite a bit of time to get insurance. I’m going to put a follow up on your file and I’ll call you on September 8th to see if you’ve gotten your insurance. If you haven’t then maybe by that time we’ll have a lawyer going to that area and the additional $20.00 fee won’t be necessary.
CLIENT: I ain’t payin’ you more money!
ME: You might not have to, sir. Just try and get your insurance by September 8th if you could.
CLIENT: I ain’t got money! That's why I don't got insurance!! (Grumbles.) I dunno what I hired you for. You people are a waste.
Continues on with him bitching at me for ten more minutes about what did he hire us for and not grasping the fact that lawyers who drive cars to out of the way courts have gas bills too and the fact to get a no insurance ticket fixed he NEEDS INSURANCE. Ahhh. Fun.
Today I got a phone call from a particularly slow client whom I've talked to at least five times about the fact that in order for the court to accept the PA's recommended amendment for his no insurance ticket and officially change it from no insurance to illegal parking he needs to PROVIDE INSURANCE.
<gasp!> <shock!> <expletive!>
ME: Hello, can I speak to Client?
CLIENT: This is Client.
ME: This is Nic from Law Firm. I spoke to you on a few previous occasions about your case in Court and needing to provide proof of insurance in order to receive the amendment.
CLIENT: (Long pause.) Yeah.
ME: Do you have the insurance now? Could you provide it to my office so we can forward it to Court?
CLIENT: (Longer pause.) I got insurance.
ME: Fantastic. Could you bring it by our office, fax it or maybe send it through regular mail?
CLIENT: (Interrupts.) I mean I got insurance but I don’t got it.
ME: How is that?
CLIENT: I got it but I haven’t paid so they suspended it or something.
ME: So you’re currently not covered under your policy because of lack of payment.
CLIENT: (Long pause.) Yeah.
ME: Do you think you’ll be able to make that payment and have your insurance situation resolved?
CLIENT: I just moved.
ME: Okay...
CLIENT: (Long pause.) Money is tight because I just moved. I explained that.
ME: (Thinking: You explained you moved and therefore you didn’t receive two out of my five letters.) The court date isn’t until September 13th. Do you think you’ll be able to pay the insurance company by then in order to be reinstated?
CLIENT: (Long pause.) September?
ME: Yes, the 13th.
CLIENT: I don’t have money.
ME: All right. If you’re not able to have your insurance reinstated then the court won’t accept the amendment for the no insurance ticket. (Knowing this will create a pissed off reaction and dreading it.) You’ll have to appear in court on September 13th and explain that you don’t have current insurance to the Judge. At that time, most likely he’ll have you plead guilty to that charge then pay a higher fine and court cost. You’ll assess two points on your driving record.
CLIENT: What?! I gotta appear. I paid you so I don’t gotta appear.
ME: (Internal sigh.) Initially, yes. You paid us to appear on your first court date and then to get your ticket amended to non moving violation. Which we did. But the court will not accept that amendment if you don’t provide them current proof of insurance. We can’t do that for you.
CLIENT: I know that!
ME: Then why do you feel we didn't do our job?
CLIENT: (Irate.) Cause I gotta appear in court! I hired you so I don’t gotta appear.
ME: Hold on. (I check the schedule to see if we have some lawyer going near that area to go there for him but nothing. The court is about an hour away from our office without traffic. I tell my lawyer this. He says charge the guy extra $20.00 and we’ll have someone make a special trip out there to appear at night court to plead him guilty.) We don’t have any lawyers in the area of Court that day but if you pay an additional legal fee of $20.00 we’ll appear on your behalf in night court and plead you guilty to the insurance charge.
CLIENT: I gotta pay more! I paid you already!
ME: (Sighs.) You paid us to make the initial appearance and to amend your ticket for no insurance. We have done that for you. But your court date isn’t until September 13th so you have quite a bit of time to get insurance. I’m going to put a follow up on your file and I’ll call you on September 8th to see if you’ve gotten your insurance. If you haven’t then maybe by that time we’ll have a lawyer going to that area and the additional $20.00 fee won’t be necessary.
CLIENT: I ain’t payin’ you more money!
ME: You might not have to, sir. Just try and get your insurance by September 8th if you could.
CLIENT: I ain’t got money! That's why I don't got insurance!! (Grumbles.) I dunno what I hired you for. You people are a waste.
Continues on with him bitching at me for ten more minutes about what did he hire us for and not grasping the fact that lawyers who drive cars to out of the way courts have gas bills too and the fact to get a no insurance ticket fixed he NEEDS INSURANCE. Ahhh. Fun.
I AM the evil bastard!
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