Communicate, communicate, communicate

Legend has it that Alexander Graham Bell spoke these words during the
first telephone call ever made; "Mr. Watson come here, I want to see
you." There is some dispute about the exact words, however. Mr. Watson's
journal records a slightly different version of the first phone call,
"Mr. Watson, come here, I want you."

The exact words are beside the point, really. What matters to us today
is that a new technology was developed that allowed people to
communicate over long distances, quickly, efficiently, and personally.
That same technology still exists today, and it's in common use. Even
better, that technology has been expanded on to include the Internet,
which allows for a whole new world of communication options.

This matters to us because at some point we all find ourselves needing
to contact friends, family, business associates, merchants, medical
professionals, or anyone else that we need to interact with. The fact
that we aren't in the same room with them does nothing to minimize our
need to speak or otherwise communicate with them in a timely manner.

Admittedly, most of our communications are social, and friendly. Others
are business related. And occasionally we find ourselves using the
technology of communication to reach out and gather information that we
may find daunting, or mysterious.

Have no fear. Everyone who is comfortable working with legal
professionals was once faced with the potentially nerve-wracking task of
making that first phone call. Perhaps they were calling to ask a simple
question, or schedule an appointment. Maybe they were unsure if the
issue on their mind was even worthy of a lawyers time. That's not all
that uncommon a scenario, to be honest. And there is no harm done when
someone calls a lawyer, only to find that the issue that was worrying
them is easily solved through a town, city, or state office that is
dedicated to serving the public.

People who have no had extensive experience with lawyers often are
unsure of whether they should be contacting someone to advise or assist
them with their concerns, or whether they have no choice but to shoulder
their burden alone. I think that's unfortunate, and unnecessary. The law
is intended to benefit the public, not confuse them. And in a very real
way the lawyers role is to be familiar with the law and have the proven
ability to offer viable options to a client, much like a medical
professional, or a financial advisor might. It is the client who knows
what the issue is, and what their goals are. It is the professionals
job, in any field of endeavor, to help them achieve their goals while
controlling the associated risks.

History reminds us of lawyers like Abraham Lincoln who travelled a wide
region on horseback, moving from town to town in order to serve men and
women who were in need of legal advice. Perhaps we more modern people
should be appreciative of scientists like Alexander Graham Bell who made
it possible for professionals who came after Abe Lincoln to put the
horse in the barn, yet maintain an office that had a far wider reach
than the horse ever did. With the advent of the telephone, and then the
Internet – we now have the ability to communicate with almost anyone we
want, at any hour of the day or night, in order to get answers to our
questions.

Now that's progress.