Listening to Your Attorney’s Advice is the Smartest Thing You Can Do
If you are considering entering into a contract or agreement, particularly one that involves a good deal of money, it is important to consult an experienced and capable attorney to represent your interests.
However, that is only the first step.
The next step is to make sure that you actually heed the advice of the attorney representing you. While this seems obvious, clients often fail to listen to their attorney’s advice. The most common reason clients fail to listen to their attorney is that they are so anxious to get the agreement signed and believe the details are either insignificant or can be sorted out later. Unfortunately, this type of thinking is often a recipe for disaster. A good attorney will treat your matter as a priority and work as quickly as the other party and its representatives are able or willing.
If your attorney makes a recommendation, there is usually a very good reason for it. Your lawyer most likely handles contract matters like yours on a daily basis—and has had the benefit of years of experience to understand the practical problems that can come with being overanxious to get an agreement finalized.
One of the most common examples of being overanxious occurs when a client is considering renting a property. The lease typically has a provision in which the tenant acknowledges that it is taking the premises “as is.” Whether it’s because they are overanxious, or, perhaps, that they don’t want to spend the money, but clients should retain professionals, like engineers or architects, to inspect the premises and attest to its condition. Too often, upon receiving such advice, clients say, “I’ve already looked at the place, and it seems fine.” Then, within a few weeks after signing the lease, serious structural problems surface, and the new tenants wish they had heeded their attorney’s advice.
Remember, your attorney is your advocate, he or she is there to protect you, and sometimes that means taking extra steps or precautions before finalizing and signing a contract.
Keep this mind: If the other side refuses or puts up a fight about the added verifications you ask for, maybe there is something about the deal they don’t want you to know.
If you are considering entering into a contract, lease or other type of agreement, please do not hesitate to call Levine Law, LLC at (516) 921-6700. And, once you call, listen.
Harlan Levine
Tel. (516) 921-6700
[email protected]
