[WSBAPT] Returning calls

Sat Apr 1 12:41:38 PDT 2023

Never had that problem with attorneys here in Thurston County; maybe you
should move south. 😊

Sincerely,

Tom

Thomas J. Westbrook

Attorney at Law

324 West Bay Drive NW, Suite 201

Olympia, WA 98502

(360) 866-4000 phone

(360) 866--3832 fax

www.buddbaylaw.com

COVID POLICY:

*Our firm continues to follow guidance from the CDC and Governor Inslee’s
office regarding social distancing and the wearing of face coverings, and
we encourage the public and our clients to do the same.  Our staff is still
working remotely much of the time so electronic communication by phone and
email continues to be encouraged.  We appreciate your patience and
understanding.*

*From:* wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com <wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com>
*On Behalf Of *Roger Hawkes
*Sent:* Saturday, April 01, 2023 12:21 PM
*To:* WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv <wsbapt at lists.wsbarppt.com>
*Subject:* Re: [WSBAPT] Returning calls

To each her own; but I always call back to callers who say they are
lawyers, especially ones whose names are known to me.

*From:* wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com <wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com>
*On Behalf Of *Eric Nelsen
*Sent:* Friday, March 31, 2023 5:30 PM
*To:* WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv <wsbapt at lists.wsbarppt.com>
*Subject:* Re: [WSBAPT] Returning calls

I’m talking about lawyers not calling *me* back. My voicemails don’t sound
like I’m off my nut (I hope). Also, if you get a call from me on a
referral, I’ve already vetted the potential client past that point. I try
not to refer the crazies to specific lawyers.

Maybe you get a lot of the truly tinfoil-hat calls—the “need to sue the CIA
because they’re shooting lasers into my brain” kind. I’ve had those
occasionally, and I sometimes don’t call back if it seems dangerous to even
engage. But more often than not, even if I get a somewhat crazy-sounding
call, the person is sounding odd because they’re in genuine distress and
trying to figure out a problem they don’t fully understand, and once I can
identify which area of law they’re really having a problem in, I can get
them oriented and send them on to an attorney who might actually be able to
help.

I’m not saying everybody has to do that; that’s my choice and I probably
burn a bit more time than most lawyers in “developing leads,” as the
marketing people say, that don’t pan out.

But increasingly over the years and a lot in recent weeks, I have had
perfectly nice people call me, seem totally normal and having an ordinary
issue like a boundary dispute or whatever, and they are practically kissing
my feet with gratitude that I gave them the minimum courtesy of a call
back. It offends my sense of humanity to have people feeling grateful to me
for such a basic courtesy. Even if I can’t help them, a call back to say
“Sorry, I can’t help you” at least gives them acknowledgment as people,
worthy of my respect and courtesy.

Sincerely,

Eric

Eric C. Nelsen

Sayre Law Offices, PLLC

1417 31st Ave South

Seattle WA 98144-3909

206-625-0092

eric at sayrelawoffices.com

*Covid-19 Update - *All attorneys are working remotely during regular
business hours and are available via email and by phone. Videoconferencing
also is available. Signing of estate planning documents can be completed
and will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Please direct mail and
deliveries to the Seattle office.

*From:* wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com <wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com>
*On Behalf Of *Roger Hawkes
*Sent:* Friday, March 31, 2023 4:51 PM
*To:* WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv <wsbapt at lists.wsbarppt.com>
*Subject:* Re: [WSBAPT] Returning calls

Eric: squelching your rant a bit: many callers to me are just fishing for
free advice; man don’t have a clue whether I practice in the area they
need.  If I can tell that from their message, or deduce from the content or
tone of their message that I won’t take the ‘case’, then I mostly don’t
call them back.  I am one of the most courteous of the lawyers you know,
but I choose not to waste time or encourage rabid callers, when I have
information that I can’t or won’t help them anyway.

*From:* wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com <wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com>
*On Behalf Of *Eric Nelsen
*Sent:* Friday, March 31, 2023 4:28 PM
*To:* 'WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv' <wsbapt at lists.wsbarppt.com>
*Subject:* [WSBAPT] Returning calls

Can I just rant a minute?

I am going through a really lengthy spate of leaving messages for various
other attorneys, trying to refer cases to them or talk to them about their
availability, and never getting a call back. Leave a voicemail, even talk
to an individual who promises to call back, and then nothing. For a week or
longer.

I have also fielded a half-dozen calls from potential clients just in the
last week or so, who have fallen all over themselves just to thank me for
merely calling them back. Most tell me that they’ve left messages for four,
five, six other attorneys and NOBODY calls them back.

Are people thinking this is the standard of practice? If so I’m setting
down my position now, that it’s not acceptable and it doesn’t meet basic
professional standards. Ghosting seems to be the thing now socially, but as
professional behavior I just find it incomprehensibly discourteous, either
to a potential client or to another lawyer. I can understand the occasional
missed call or delayed reponse but it is happening far, far, too often to
be just that.

Maybe it’s not expressly in the ethics rules but I don’t care: Answer your
calls and if you say you’ll call somebody back, do it. Even just to tell me
that you’re swamped and can’t help, sorry. At least then I know to go
elsewhere and don’t waste time waiting, thinking that a lawyer, whose
business presumably depends upon (an appearance of) reliability and
diligence, “of course” will call me back.

End of rant. Almost all my colleagues in law are great, and are diligent
and responsive and a pleasure to work with. This is not about the majority
of lawyers. Happy Friday y’all.

Sincerely,

Eric

Eric C. Nelsen

Sayre Law Offices, PLLC

1417 31st Ave South

Seattle WA 98144-3909

206-625-0092

eric at sayrelawoffices.com

*Covid-19 Update - *All attorneys are working remotely during regular
business hours and are available via email and by phone. Videoconferencing
also is available. Signing of estate planning documents can be completed
and will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Please direct mail and
deliveries to the Seattle office.
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