You’re going to have brain surgery. You hire the best surgeon in the business. And, later you find out that he has given most of the work to a junior associate-surgeon with just a few years experience, whom you’ve never met. This is exactly what happens in most law firms. The top flight ace you initially hired to represent you and handle your case has delegated most of the work on your case to an inexperienced associate.
When you hire Timothy Norton of Norton & Associates to represent you in your real estate litigation matter, including any construction defect matter, you are represented by Timothy Norton, and your case is not handed off to associates.
It is thought that using less expensive, less experienced associates, saves money. It does not. A lesser experienced associate is less efficient, less focused, less aware of the precise nuance, theories and direction of the case. And, any information they glean, has to be relayed to the top. And, more importantly, because of their lack of experience, they do not know or even recognize the significance of most information, do not know what to relay, or why, and therefore, that information has to be reviewed again, by the trial attorney.
Large law firms utilize this process precisely because it increases their billing, not to save money, and because they are designed to take on a case load beyond a single attorney’s capacity that is too voluminous, too large and too unmanageable for the top attorney to handle, again to maximize their billing. Timothy Norton of Norton & Associates specifically and carefully maintains a manageable caseload such that Timothy Norton knows, directs and manages every aspect of every case, and quite simply turns down cases when he has a small stable of cases in hand.
Certainly, clerical tasks can be delegated, and are, but the assimilation of information from documents, witnesses, architectural plans, expert reports, depositions, other attorneys and insurance adjusters must be filtered by the attorney in charge. When this is the attorney’s operating method, as it is at Norton & Associates, not only is the process more efficient, but in fact, it is more economical as well.
Another area where this deficiency is evident is when the client contacts the firm with questions. In most firms, these interactions are handled by the junior associate, the one who is, unfortunately, the one more familiar with the case than the top attorney, and one decidedly less familiar than they should be, because of the lack of experience, and therefore incapable of responding to and fully answering all questions and concerns the client has. Often, the client will find the lead attorney, or partner, simply unavailable, or too busy to take the client’s calls, and when they do, don’t really have proper answers or information because the day-to-day handling of the case has been delegated to someone else.
Imagine receiving a batch of emails, many of them containing critical information about a series of interactions and communications between the client and the opponent. These emails are critical to the case, and cannot be analyzed and “summarized” by someone other than the attorney responsible for settlement negotiations and trial preparation. The same is true with depositions. This is an opportunity not only to get answers to vital questions on the record and under oath, but a chance to evaluate how the witness acts and conducts themselves. Do they make eye contact, do they hesitate, do they have selective memory, how are they dressed, do they rely on their attorney for support or interruptions, and how does the attorney act, what is the attorney’s level of knowledge of the case, and sophistication, is the attorney just a junior associate and not the trial attorney. All of this, and every single nuance of the interaction must be taken in first hand by the same lead trial attorney who will be engaged in settlement negotiations and trial preparation. Any other arrangement requires duplication and is an extremely inefficient process, not to mention inferior.
And, it should be noted that in most cases, real estate litigation and construction defect litigation, the theories of recovery, damages and defense can change over time, as the facts and information is developed and analyzed. This requires a constant real-time knowledge of all events and all new documents and facts that are developed, and the legal theories that make the best use of the information. This all has to be relayed to the experts to create and prepare a comprehensive consistent theory of the case, for settlement negotiations, for mediation, depositions and discovery, for arbitration and for trial.
With Norton & Associates, you know that the one you hired to represent you, Timothy Norton, the one you chose for his knowledge and experience, based on the conversations and meetings with him directly and personally, is also the one who will personally and directly handle every critical aspect of the case and who will be intimately familiar with the facts and nuances of the case. One you can call with questions or concerns and have Timothy personally and directly respond to you, promptly, to answer your questions and speak about the case with the knowledge and authority of someone who is in charge of the case, is familiar with the file and the documents, the witnesses, attorney’s and the various theories that each side is developing, and most importantly is familiar with your needs and considers you a valuable and important client.
Timothy Norton of Norton & Associates, Los Angeles Real Estate and Construction Defect Attorney, provides unparalleled personal attention and direct involvement in your real estate litigation and construction defect litigation. 34 years of experience. $190m in jury verdicts. $70m punitive damage verdict. Millions more in settlements.
Protect your investment: Call Timothy Norton today for a case evaluation: 310.706.4134 or write to: [email protected].
