Client Relationships

At the Lanier Law Firm, yes, we handle the technical aspects of the case and are equipped to do that, but frequently these cases turn into relationships. There are a lot of examples of clients who I’ve kept in touch with many years after we finished the case for them. One of the more recent ones was a family that lives not very far from me in New York, and unfortunately, the gentleman passed away from mesothelioma. His parents survived him. And they have this amazing garden in New York, and whenever I’m in town, I stop by, and there’s a basket full of things from the garden for me, and we sit down, we have coffee, and it’s a wonderful experience to continue the relationship with the family members. We talk about their son and what he meant to them and to me, and it’s just a wonderful experience. I’m reminded of a case I recently handled. A 46-year-old gentleman was diagnosed with mesothelioma, and he passed away exactly 90 days after his diagnosis, and when he passed away, he left two young children under 8 years of age. And we were able to help that family. Those children lost their father to mesothelioma, and we were able to structure a settlement, obtain a settlement, and structure it in a way that we were able to set aside money for those young children so that they might have a college fund someday. And so that’s just another example of how we can help family members who are devastated by the realities of mesothelioma. I’m reminded of a medical doctor whom I represented just a couple of years ago. He knew that his time on Earth was short. He was only 68 years of age, and he gave his deposition in the case, and I had to give him a ride home following the deposition. On the way back, we started talking about him fishing with his grandchildren. And he started telling me about this great guided fishing place that I should take my grandchildren to, and you know I think about that all the time. There he was, he knew that he was dying from mesothelioma, and literally when he got home, he got on his computer and sent me a link for the information where I could take my grandkids fishing. And those are the kinds of relationships that we develop, and so it’s more than just a case to us most of the time. Real relationships are formed. And it brings a lot of joy in the career path that I’ve chosen.