M. L. Stroeber

At age 85, as an investor, and former public school administrator for two decades, I’ve had too many reasons to avail myself of legal services! I’d like to pass along a” nugget” gleaned from those experiences. As opposed to the large, big-name legal conglomerates, in retrospect, through the yea...rs I was better served by the offices of single and/or dual-partnership law firms. How so? With the “biggies,” in an overwhelming number of cases, the primary workload is delegated to interns, law clerks and very junior partners. On the other hand, however, the individual practitioner is highly motivated to achieve a successful end. His/her “survival” depends upon it. Limited resources in the small firm? Hardly. In today’s electronic age, detailed research is instantly available to all who seek it. This brings to mind a personal experience of a dozen years ago. I had invested $100,000 in an insurance company annuity based primarily upon the terms defined in its promo. At the end of the first year, though, the credited return amount fell far short of that promised. On the recommendation of a friend, I contacted Attorney Mingo Stroeber who agreed with my position and accepted the case. Her action was immediate. I was given all copies of the ensuing correspondence. Certainly in large measure because of her letters, the company “caved” in a matter of weeks and settled for cancellation of the annuity contract and awarded me $120,000. (An interesting footnote: purely the “luck of the draw” in my case, within two months of that settlement the company declared bankruptcy!) As a result of that initial lawyer-client experience, my wife and I developed a personal relationship with Mingo, providing many opportunities to observe her in social situations where she continued to display the qualities evident in the law office. She has an ease of manner that quickly places her on a mutual-acceptance basis with people of varying age groups and different walks of life. We also recently had an opportunity to observe her demeanor in a tense court room situation. Presto! There the social bon vivant was replaced by a steely all-business agent! But the story doesn’t end there. While, fortunately, I’ve had no further need of Mingo’s services directly in a lawsuit, from time to time, various issues have arisen requiring a quick legal opinion. I’ve never hesitated and always felt welcomed to ask for her advice (another advantage of the small firm “personal touch”).