Why I Hate Attorneys!

17.09.26 12:15 AM

Or: why so many working people don't trust lawyers, and why the profession needs to earn that trust back.

I was lucky to grow up in the working class. My parents were good, honest people who would have done anything for me, but they could not afford to send me to college, let alone law school. Like most Americans, I found that higher education was out of reach without sacrifice, loans, and relentless work. As a police officer and a single father of two, I qualified for food stamps. I used credit cards to get by. I looked forward to tax refunds so I could get caught up.

I clawed my way into this profession. Along the way, I have had the honor of working with some truly brilliant, compassionate attorneys. But I also understand exactly why so many people say they hate attorneys.

It's the same reason I sometimes do.

The Problem Isn't the Law. It's the Culture.

The legal profession was supposed to be noble. A calling. A way to protect people, fight injustice, and serve the voiceless.

Somewhere along the line, too much of it became arrogant.

Too many attorneys stopped listening and started lecturing. They stopped serving and started gatekeeping. They built walls out of jargon, policies, and power structures, and stood behind them with a sense of superiority.

Clients feel it. Regular people feel it. And honestly, I think many attorneys feel it too.

A Rant That Said Everything

Not long ago, I saw a post in a lawyers' Facebook group that captured the problem. The attorney was exasperated that clients kept calling and asking for a call back, even though the firm's engagement letter, which clients had to initial, said there would be no unscheduled phone calls.

And the comments? Many agreed.

Think about that. A group of professionals frustrated that the people who hired them were trying to reach them in a moment of need.

What other service business could get away with that? Can you imagine a nurse, a mechanic, or a firefighter saying, "Why do people keep trying to reach me when they need help?"

Boundaries matter, and no lawyer can be on the phone all day. But if that is the mindset, it is not just a boundary. It is a fortress, and it keeps out the very people lawyers are supposed to protect.

The Working Class Feels It Most

During law school, I worked as a public adjuster. That gave me a front-row seat to how some clients were treated by the attorneys handling their claims. I often heard from homeowners who felt ignored, dismissed, or devalued.

These were not corporate clients with in-house counsel and a budget for hourly billing. They were working people dealing with a damaged home, an insurance company, and a legal system they did not understand. They did not know the jargon. They did not know whether they were allowed to call. Many of them were afraid that asking a question would cost them money or make them look difficult.

"Are your clients crazy?"

It was not unusual for attorneys to ask me, "Are your clients crazy?" when I had no problems at all working with those same people. The disconnect was not about the clients. It was about the mindset.

One attorney told me, "They have my number. They've never called." But the client had told me they did not want to be a bother; they were waiting for the attorney to reach out.

Communication Failure Is Service Failure

That kind of standoff is a failure of service. In my view, returning calls within two business days is not enough. Checking in once a month is not enough. When someone's life is tied up in a legal process, that person should not have to chase scraps of attention from their own advocate.

This is not just bad manners. It is a matter of professional responsibility. Rule 1.03(a) of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct says: "A lawyer shall keep a client reasonably informed about the status of a matter and promptly comply with reasonable requests for information." It is also a failure of leadership in the legal industry when the culture treats client contact as a nuisance.

What Real Communication Looks Like

I will never forget a homeowner I worked with as a public adjuster who told me she never had to call for updates, because she was always kept informed.

That stuck with me. It confirmed something I now tell anyone who will listen: ideally, a client should be calling because they need their advocate, or because they are returning your call, not because they are hunting for an update.

If clients have to chase you down for news, you have already let them down. In a time of need, silence does not feel like professionalism. It feels like abandonment.

The Fear of Reaching Out

I come from the kind of family that would hesitate before calling a lawyer. Not because they did not respect the profession, but because they assumed they could not afford it, would not be believed, or would not be helped. Too often, that fear was reasonable.

Too many attorneys treat clients like interruptions. Like annoyances. Like inferiors.

This is not about scheduling preferences. It is about attitude, and the contempt some lawyers seem to have for regular people: the ones without law degrees or six-figure retainers.

That attitude is elitist. And it is costing the profession its credibility with the very people who need it most.

Attorneys Are Just People

Here is the truth, and I include myself in it: attorneys are not special. We are not more important than a plumber, a teacher, a nurse, or a construction worker. We are people who learned a specific skill and earned a license to practice a profession. That does not entitle anyone to a sense of superiority.

Like any other service provider, a lawyer's value should come from how well the lawyer helps others. We should hold ourselves to the same core values we expect from anyone we hire: reliability, respect, responsiveness, and humility. If people would not tolerate a condescending, dismissive attitude from a contractor or a technician, why should they accept it from a lawyer? The title "Esquire" should not be permission to look down on anyone. It should be a reminder of the responsibility to serve.

What Clients Actually Value

I once ran an informal poll asking people what they valued most in their experience with a lawyer. The answers came from people across income levels and backgrounds. Not a single person mentioned "winning" or "results." Instead, they talked about:

Clear, timely communication
Feeling heard and respected
Empathy and emotional support
Knowing what was happening and what to expect

That says everything.

What clients crave isn't perfection. It's presence. They want to feel like someone is in their corner, guiding them through a process they don't understand. When lawyers deliver that, they become trusted professionals. When they don't, they become a symbol of everything broken in the justice system.

How to Fix It: Better Intake, Better Systems, Better Tech

It's easy to complain. But change requires more than calling out bad behavior. It requires building something better.

1. Rebuild Intake With Empathy

The client journey begins before the first meeting. If the intake process feels cold, dismissive, or overly transactional, trust is lost immediately.

Whoever handles intake should listen, not filter. Intake should guide with care, not just check boxes.
Don't let gatekeeping become the default posture. Intake should be a bridge, not a barrier.
Use intake to identify matters that are not a good fit, including people who won't engage with the process in good faith.
Set expectations early and repeat them often. I give my clients my cell phone number, and I make it clear they are always welcome to call. I also tell them when and how they can expect updates, so they know what to expect and how to get help efficiently.

2. Make Every Point of Contact a Point of Trust

The first voice a client hears sets the tone. In firms with staff, that person should be trained and supported, not overworked and reading a script. In a solo practice, it is the lawyer. Either way, the goal is the same: a culture of service.

Learn the basics of emotional intelligence and client psychology.
Have a clear protocol for urgent concerns so clients don't feel ignored.
Remember that every call is someone's emergency, whether perceived or real.

3. Use Technology to Support, Not Replace, Connection

Too many lawyers use technology to hide. Autoresponders, no-reply emails, and rigid portals can feel like walls. Used right, technology can make clients feel more supported, not less.

Client portals that show real-time case updates, timelines, and file status.
Automated check-ins during long lulls ("Just a quick note: we're still waiting on the court date. You haven't been forgotten.").
Scheduled callback systems so clients feel heard without disrupting the workday.

4. Don't Wait. Reach Out First.

One of the most powerful ways to build trust is also one of the simplest: call clients before they call you. Most clients only reach out because they feel forgotten. Silence is interpreted as neglect.

Set calendar reminders to check in during slow phases of a case, even if there is no update.
Build a communication cadence into the case flow, such as touching base with every active client every two weeks.
Use technology to help automate this, but always include a human touch.

Clients should never wonder if they've been forgotten. A simple "Just checking in. No news yet, but your case is still on my radar" goes further than any polished demand letter. Boundaries are healthy. Compassion is healthier. Systems can do both. The answer isn't "be available 24/7." It's "build a practice that communicates with care."

The Business of Service

Here's another uncomfortable truth: many lawyers struggle with the business side of practice. Not because they aren't smart, and not because they don't work hard, but because too many define success by their own metrics (billable hours, courtroom wins, prestige among peers) instead of the measure that matters most in a service profession: client satisfaction.

Law school teaches case law, not customer service. It trains lawyers to be adversarial, analytical, and autonomous, but not necessarily empathetic, communicative, or client-focused. A thriving practice isn't built on verdicts alone. It's built on relationships and on the kind of trust that only comes when clients feel seen, heard, and cared for, even when the outcome isn't perfect.

Final Thought

So, do I really hate attorneys? No. I hate what happens when lawyers forget who they are supposed to serve. Lawyers are not above anyone. If anything, the profession should hold itself to higher standards of service, not lower ones. If we want to be respected, we should act with respect. If we want to be trusted, we should stop hiding behind policies and start showing humanity.

Clients don't distrust lawyers because they don't understand the law. Too often, they distrust lawyers because too many of us act like the law belongs to us.

That can change.

Key takeaways

Distrust of lawyers is often about attitude and communication, not the law itself.
Working-class clients feel it most. Many are afraid to call, afraid of the cost, and afraid of not being believed.
Texas Rule 1.03 requires lawyers to keep clients reasonably informed and to promptly comply with reasonable requests for information.
Clients should not have to chase their own lawyers for updates.
Lawyers are service providers. Reliability, respect, responsiveness, and humility should be the baseline.

If you have questions about a Texas property insurance claim, contact The Claim Attorney for a free case review.

Sources

Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 1.03 (Communication), Texas Center for Legal Ethics