Today, few of us would even consider trying to tune-up or repair our cars without professional assistance. Sure some of us might change the oil, or rotate the tires, but for anything beyond that we go to a professional auto technician. No one likes to deal with a broken down car but because our vehicles are important to us we rarely hesitate to take them into the shop for repairs and maintenance. Also, we all know that putting off car repairs and maintenance will lead to bigger headaches and more expense down the line. I wish people would handle their legal problems the same way.
Legal problems are part of modern day life just like car problems. Likewise, they should be handled the same way, with professional mechanics who have the specialized knowledge required to solve the problems. And, just like car problems, putting off small legal problems almost always snowballs into big expensive legal problems.
I am amazed at some of the deals people get themselves into without consulting a lawyer before signing on the dotted line. It is not very expensive to have a lawyer review a contract or other agreement before getting locked into it, so why not do it? Few people I know, would buy a used car before having it checked out by an auto mechanic. But, all the time, folks get into oddball real estate or business arrangements that are much bigger deals, in terms of value and liability, than any used car - without taking the time and effort to have a lawyer review the deal. By the time an oddball deal has gone sour it is always difficult and expensive to sort things out.
Other legal issues, such as, when someone is trying to screw you over, or when you have screwed up, should also be addressed by quickly obtaining legal counsel. Many problems will simply go away as soon as lawyer makes an inquiring phone call. If the call doesn’t bring satisfaction letters will often work. It is only in the very worst of cases that lawsuits will need to be filed. But the main point to realize is that when you think you are treated wrongly by a landlord, tenant, or business, what they are doing is likely against the law. And if, what they are doing is against the law, they will almost always back off when faced with the threat of legal action.
In addition, for many consumer and landlord tenant issues, the law specifically authorizes double or treble damages, and/or attorney’s fees. So even if the amount of money involved in your issue is small it may still be worth it to consult a lawyer.
