Aug 07, 2014

A psychologist one told me it was his deliberate strategy to book appointments a while in advance, even if he was available. The professional rationale was that in the interim, clients developed their own strategies to deal with the problem, and that by the time an appointment came around, the ideas had progressed to a point where they could have some utility.

In law I have seen the reluctance of judges to make a decision, before the time was ripe. I have seen appeal courts decline to entertain interlocutory appeals with the wisdom of knowing that sometimes the lower courts can just sort things out, and that things that appear to be a problem today are actually, in the scheme of things, not a problem tomorrow.

I have decided to adopt the same approach in my practice. Not all of everyone else's problems are actually urgent, even if they think they are. Some problems just sort out, all by themselves, without lawyers. Delay or reflection can bring clarity. It leaves a lawyer free to deal with the core or important issues, not necessarily the presenting issues.

Please add a comment