Clients usually stress out a little (or a lot) before they call a lawyer. Their problem or perceived problem has usually been weighing on them for a while. This can produce a situation where the client gets so wrapped up in the legal problem that the two become one and the same. Perspective is lost. Sometimes, the client can be a bigger problem than the problem the client wants us to solve or resolve. A client may have an unrealistic idea of what a lawyer can accomplish or what may be the cost of legal services.

The client may also have an unrealistic view of our legal system itself; the functioning of our courts, the unpredictability of a judge’s decision(s), the intensity of a lawsuit, the amount of time and commitment required of both the lawyer and the client, or how closely the lawyer and client need to communicate and work together in order to avoid the waste of time.

Take a moment to read the following statements. Mark your answer in the spaces provided to the left of each statement and then hit the finished button. There are no right or wrong answers, but we think taking this quiz will help many people better assess what they can expect their lawyer and the legal system to accomplish.