Law Office of Arkady Itkin 

As any attorney becomes more experienced, more capable, and more financially successful in his area of practice, he inevitably becomes more picky about the cases he is willing to work on and the people who he/she is willing to represent. Some would call it arrogance, but it's really not. A person has only so many hours in a day, and he has to decide how to spend those hours in the most productive and fulfilling way in and outside the office. For a civil litigation attorney and an injury lawyer specifically, it means (a) choosing to work on the strongest cases with the greatest damages; and also (b) have great clients.

While you do not have much control over how good your injury case is, and in most cases not having a great case is good news, as it means that your injuries are not as severe, you have a great deal of control of who you are as a client.  Much the stress in the practice of law comes not so much from the legal issues but from dealing with "problem" clients  - people who always doubt everything, dramatic, never-happy individuals, who talk to much without saying anything of substance.

The more successful the attorney is, the less tolerance he has for potential and/or existing clients who annoy him and bring unnecessary stress into his life and legal practice. An attorney with good reputation usually chooses who he represents as he has people competing over his time, knowing that he achieves great results for his clients. This is something that you should keep in mind if you want your case to be handled by a great attorney.

I have met some of the best attorneys in California, some of whom have national reputation. They are not running around telling people how good they are. Their reputation precedes them,  and their clients are seeking them out, trying to "sell" their case to one of those incredible professionals. If you believe your case requires great expertise an any are of law, make sure you don't commit the typical mistakes that people make when talking to and trying to hire a lawyer to maximize your chances of hiring an experienced and competent attorney.

As any attorney becomes more successful in his practice, he or she becomes inevitably more picky  - and not only about the cases and the legal issues they are willing to work on, but also about the people that they are willing to represent. The practice of law and especially litigation is naturally stressful enough, especially in large cities such as San Francisco, where attorneys have a higher overhead and have less time and patience to deal with "problem" clients.

The more experienced attorneys have a better sense of who they are dealing, and what kind of client a person will be during the initial consultation  - whether by phone or in person. These more seasoned lawyers are familiar with the obvious and not so obvious "red flags" in potential clients. 

Thus, any person who has a serious legal issue which requires legal representation should make sure that he comes across as a "quality" client - the client that best and hence - the pickiest lawyers want to represent. Here are a few suggestions on how you can come across as a person that every lawyer wants to represent: 

(a) You are not excessively verbose - no matter how unique and emotional you think your case or legal issue is, be assured that the lawyer who you are speaking with has heard your kind of story more than once, and has likely handled a similar case not so long ago. Remember - the lawyer is a human being with his own feelings and emotions, but he is not your therapist. He is busy, his mind is racing through various legal theories of how he can help you, and he is probably thinking about his next meeting, so burdening the lawyer with the "background" information will not make your case stronger or the lawyer's representation better. Ironically, the less emotional pain you show in your case, the more respect, sympathy and compassion you will receive from your attorney. 

(b) You have unreasonable expectations - every now and then a potential client will call me and will tell me that he has a million dollar case. When I ask how they know that, they would tell me that their friends told them that or their neighbor had a similar case. When I hear this, I have to consciously prevent myself from saying: "Well, why don't you have your neighbor / friend handle this case for you?" Every experienced lawyer knows that a client who has unreasonable expectations will never be satisfied with the legal services he receives. Few things are more frustrating to a hard working attorney than hearing "Is that all I get?" after doing his best to fight/negotiate a settlement in an injury, employment, business or other case. So, let the attorney determine the value of your case instead of relying on the questionable opinions of people whose exposure to legal system is very limited. 

(c) You say that your case is not about money but about justice - let's be completely honest and face the truth - every civil dispute  - whether it's a personal injury claim, discrimination or harassment case or business claim  - is about money because money is the only remedy that you can receive. Engaging in litigation is first and foremost a business decision for both - the lawyer and the client, and therefore it should be treated as such. You must remember and be ready to hear from a lawyer that in light of all the facts and circumstances of your claim, it is not worth the time and the expense that it would take to take it to court and litigate. I believe that one of my most important jobs is not only fighting for the rights of employees injured persons but also advising people with full honesty whether in my opinion the fight is worth going after. It is important to remember that the inherent stress of litigation must have significant potential rewards to be worthwhile.