David Jay Glassman

David Glassman

This client's review presents an opportunity to address what you should expect when contacting me. I often get calls from individuals who are already being represented and question the advise from their present lawyer, or who have received a bad result and want to see whether something can be done to correct it. Most of these individuals are seeking a truthful response; however, there are a few who, despite their representations to the contrary, only want to hear what they want you to say. When this happens a lawyer has two options: (1) Take the easy way out, tell your client what they want to hear and make he or she feel good; or, (2) Give the client an honest assessment of their options and advise them of their best course of action to achieve their goals. Sometimes, this means telling your client what they don't want to hear and risking the fact that they will get angry, make unfounded accusations, and write a negative review about your services. The choice for me is not difficult. I have seen the results of other criminal lawyers who take the path of least resistance and tell the respective clients whatever is necessary to either generate a fee or avoid having to explain what the truth of their situation really is. In one case, a defense lawyer's refusal to confront his client with the reality of her situation cost her an additional 15 years in prison. During my review of that matter, when asked why their daughter took action that was entirely without any merit, the response was always the same: "We trusted what the lawyer told us to do." Finally, the author of this review is angry because rather than seek to undermine her present lawyer's advice, I concurred with his assessment of the case. In short, with few exceptions, when clients profess their innocence but refuse the opportunity to take their case to trial, they become disgruntled when their lawyer cannot provide them with a 3rd Option, when the fact is, there is none. That is why this client has agreed (along with her present lawyer) to follow the advice she was given by me. Making sure a client does what's in their best interests, while not always popular, is more important to me as a Criminal Defense Lawyer, than guaranteeing a good review. Thank you for your consideration of my response. David Jay Glassman, Esquire