Yesterday I got a rather disturbing phone call from a fellow who lost a loved one as the result of a car crash two years ago.

I’ve helped lots of folks over the years who’ve gone through this kind of heart-wrenching ordeal and horrible nightmare.

Our thoughts and prayers go out those suffering– first & foremost.

I don’t know how they go on.

This poor fellow, at the time, was going through a divorce. His divorce lawyer talked him into making a claim for wrongful death, and he hired his divorce lawyer to do so. He thought he was doing the right thing, because this guy was, after all, a lawyer.

He ended up getting divorced, and it looks like the lawyer did a good job on that case.

The wrongful death case, however, is still going on, and what’s worse is that absolutely nothing has been done on the case. Phone calls go unanswered, and in two years there has been no contact at all from the lawyer to the client.

Pathetic & inexcusable.

Bad lawyering & bad manners.

I’ll bet the divorce lawyer is too busy with his bread n’ butter cases, divorce work. They are very time-consuming, and very tiring. Imagine listening to marital complaints all day long, day after day. The lawyer is probably in no condition to handle anything else.

Not only is this bad legal work, and probably unethical, it is incredibly insensitive to a man who lost a loved one. He deserves answers, a game plan, and attention. It’s common decency.

The fellow made the wrongful death claim figuring any insurance recovery could be put in trust for his grandchildren. It makes no sense to let the insurance company keep the money.

Obviously, there is no amount of money that can ever compensate for the loss of life. The only justice the law allows is a very poor substitute– money. That’s what justice is in our system, and nothing else.

But the fact is that the money can be used for very good purposes, and it is needed to help the survivors live and get by, especially after a crushing blow. The bills don’t stop coming, time will be missing from work, people still need to eat, mortgages need to be paid, and there might be college bills to pay, as well.

If a claim is not made, the only beneficiary will be the insurance company, and that is not right.

I invite you to look at my section on wrongful death on my web-page. I’d link you there myself, but, believe it or not, I’m not that technologically advanced yet.

Getting back to lawyers who try to practice all kinds of law, the jack-of-all-trades guys, I’d avoid them like the plague.

It is impossible to be good at every kind of law. The law is too complicated and there are far too many specialists in every area to hire a lawyer who might know a little about a lot.

The stakes are too high.

Hire a specialist, someone who has been around the block a few times.

Remember what they say about the jack-of-all-trades— he’s the master of none!

Keep your strength.

Charlie Donahue
Injury Lawyer
Keene, New Hampshire