3 ms·

the way I had lawyer, dr, etc. fees explained was that they can charge so much as you often don't get a second chance. If your life is on the line for an opera

the way I had lawyer, dr, etc. fees explained was that they can charge so much as you often don't get a second chance. If your life is on the line for an operation, you want the best doctor available. Your life on the line in a trial, you get the best lawyer available. This has a trickle down effect. Or put another way, if you don't get a second chance, things had better go right the first time. Fear is a powerful motivator. Want that dream house? Better make sure the paper work from the forclosure is done properly. Sure you can try to do it yourself or with a budget firm, but what if they make a mistake. Your dream house is gone. Want to make sure your kids are protected in case of your death, better get the best lawyer you can to do your will. Sure, you can print a form off the internet, but we've all seen that go wrong. Don't your kids deserve peace of mind during the troubling times surrounding your death?

johngalt 15y ago
This is the #1 reason, and the common explanation, but lets examine it further. You risk your life getting into your car every day. You don't pick the most expensive car? Choosing air travel is commonly an exercise in finding the lowest price, despite the inherent risks/fear of traveling 4 miles up at 500mph. Why are these commodities while preparing a will is not? There are transactions/disputes that require highly skilled people to direct/settle, but I wonder how many legal systems have been specifically constructed to require guidance. How can we tell when something is costly because it is complex or merely complex to make it costly?
- chollida1 15y ago
  > You risk your life getting into your car every day. You don't pick the most expensive car? Choosing air travel is commonly an exercise in finding the lowest price, despite the inherent risks/fear of traveling 4 miles up at 500mph. Why are these commodities while preparing a will is not? That's easy. The expense of a car or plane doesn't indicate it's safety, infact it's usually the opposite, the more expensive the car or plane the faster it goes and less safe it can make your trip. With a doctor or lawyer more often than not the more you pay the better the service/advice you get. > There are transactions/disputes that require highly skilled people to direct/settle, but I wonder how many legal systems have been specifically constructed to require guidance. How can we tell when something is costly because it is complex or merely complex to make it costly? Completely agree with this.
  - tomkarlo 15y ago
    > That's easy. The expense of a car or plane doesn't indicate it's safety, infact it's usually the opposite, the more expensive the car or plane the faster it goes and less safe it can make your trip. > With a doctor or lawyer more often than not the more you pay the better the service/advice you get. Do you know this, or do you just believe / hope this? I'd argue that the actual quality of service delivered (not just how nice their suits or offices are) is very difficult for customers to assess. At least with cars, there are independent ratings agencies that will tell you that your more expensive car is actually safer. (Doctors actually have stats like mortality and length of hospital stay.)
    - chii 15y ago
      If there exists a system of rating a lawyer's performance (e.g., distill their success rate to a %), then comparisons can be made between lawyers even if the layman don't understand the law.
      - tomkarlo 15y ago
        Yeah, but it's unclear what constitutes "success" in the case of a lawyer. If you're a litigator, much of that will depend on the facts in a particular case. If you're drafting a contract or financing doc, it may never end up in litigation, so you'll never find out if it was a "good" contract or a "bad" one.
    - chollida1 15y ago
      > Do you know this, or do you just believe / hope this? Good question, the answer is obviously I can't say its' true for 100% of the cases but do this thought experiment. You are going to court against someone else, you get a public defender, your opponent brings in a team of 10 lawyers costing $100,000 a week. If the evidence makes the case look like its 50:50. What is your chance of success? I think almost everyone would agree that its much lower than 50:50 after you factor in the lawyers.
      - tomkarlo 15y ago

johngalt 15y ago

This is the #1 reason, and the common explanation, but lets examine it further. You risk your life getting into your car every day. You don't pick the most expensive car? Choosing air travel is commonly an exercise in finding the lowest price, despite the inherent risks/fear of traveling 4 miles up at 500mph. Why are these commodities while preparing a will is not? There are transactions/disputes that require highly skilled people to direct/settle, but I wonder how many legal systems have been specifically constructed to require guidance. How can we tell when something is costly because it is complex or merely complex to make it costly?

chollida1 15y ago
> You risk your life getting into your car every day. You don't pick the most expensive car? Choosing air travel is commonly an exercise in finding the lowest price, despite the inherent risks/fear of traveling 4 miles up at 500mph. Why are these commodities while preparing a will is not? That's easy. The expense of a car or plane doesn't indicate it's safety, infact it's usually the opposite, the more expensive the car or plane the faster it goes and less safe it can make your trip. With a doctor or lawyer more often than not the more you pay the better the service/advice you get. > There are transactions/disputes that require highly skilled people to direct/settle, but I wonder how many legal systems have been specifically constructed to require guidance. How can we tell when something is costly because it is complex or merely complex to make it costly? Completely agree with this.
- tomkarlo 15y ago
  > That's easy. The expense of a car or plane doesn't indicate it's safety, infact it's usually the opposite, the more expensive the car or plane the faster it goes and less safe it can make your trip. > With a doctor or lawyer more often than not the more you pay the better the service/advice you get. Do you know this, or do you just believe / hope this? I'd argue that the actual quality of service delivered (not just how nice their suits or offices are) is very difficult for customers to assess. At least with cars, there are independent ratings agencies that will tell you that your more expensive car is actually safer. (Doctors actually have stats like mortality and length of hospital stay.)
  - chii 15y ago
    If there exists a system of rating a lawyer's performance (e.g., distill their success rate to a %), then comparisons can be made between lawyers even if the layman don't understand the law.
    - tomkarlo 15y ago
      Yeah, but it's unclear what constitutes "success" in the case of a lawyer. If you're a litigator, much of that will depend on the facts in a particular case. If you're drafting a contract or financing doc, it may never end up in litigation, so you'll never find out if it was a "good" contract or a "bad" one.
  - chollida1 15y ago
    > Do you know this, or do you just believe / hope this? Good question, the answer is obviously I can't say its' true for 100% of the cases but do this thought experiment. You are going to court against someone else, you get a public defender, your opponent brings in a team of 10 lawyers costing $100,000 a week. If the evidence makes the case look like its 50:50. What is your chance of success? I think almost everyone would agree that its much lower than 50:50 after you factor in the lawyers.
    - tomkarlo 15y ago