Understanding the Attorney-Client Relationship When it comes to legal representation, both attorneys and clients have the right to say “no.” As attorneys in private practice, we are under no obligation to accept you as a client. We do not have to give you a reason behind our decision to decline your representation—or even meet with you. In some cases, it may even be unethical for us to explain our reasoning. Every time...

Understanding how contracts are interpreted can make or break a legal dispute. Even a small wording error can shift hundreds of thousands of dollars, as one borrower named Charlie found out the hard way. A Costly Case of Contradictory Terms Charlie borrowed $1,700,000 from the bank to buy a home. He actually received the $1,700,000. No one disputed that.  However, the bank made a mistake when it prepared the loan documents. In...

Interpretation of Wording Is Key On January 29, 1998, Bryan Powell pulled out a blank sheet of paper and wrote his will. Two decades later, that simple, small act tore his family apart. When Bryan died in 2022, he was survived by his son Shandy and Bryan’s two siblings. Several months after his father’s death, Shandy filed an application to probate his father’s 1998 will. Shandy claimed that he was the...