Here’s the value of a really good legal assistant (will credit to the Mother of all Hamsters–she knows who she is)

Many lawyers face the problem of a client who calls many lawyers and can’t evaluate which one is best for the situation.  So if you can’t take their call right then, they move on.  Well the Mother of all Hamsters was talking about this and she described how a good legal assistant handles it:

A good secretary will establish rapport with the caller and find a way to suggest to them that, to paraphrase, “I know you’re eager to find somebody to help you with this, and you’re probably flipping through the phone book (or visiting lawyers’ websites), but do yourself a favor and don’t hire anybody else until you talk to (THE BOSS).  He does a really good job in Court, and he prepares thoroughly for every case, even something relatively straightforward like a […..] Every single case is different, and I’d hate to see you go to one of those law firms where they show up and act like your case is the same as everybody else’s, with hardly any recognition that you may have a circumstance that the lawyer needs to be sure to make the judge aware of.  So give him just a little while, please, to call you back. He’s at lunch but I expect him pretty soon. In the meantime, can you fax (or email) the paperwork to me so I can pull the statute for him?”

MOAH says that how your assistant says it will depend on the person’s presentation on the phone, but an intuitive secretary will find just the right tone of voice and speech pattern to create some urgency for the client to come see YOU and not the guy down the street.