Leslie A. Sweet

Running a law practice is a business.  First of all, a large portion of fees goes to staff, office space, insurances, and more to taxes.  We generally state that more than half of all fees go towards support.  When fees are not timely submitted, where does the slack come from?  People do not get paid, services are not provided.  An attorney cannot operate on air.  People want the best respresentation but that cannot be accomplished if the attorney is now able to be able to operate efficiently.  The attorney cannot tell the light, phone company, gas station, westlaw legal research, the IRS, the landlord, the staff, the credit card companies etc, that I had a funeral, I was in the hospital, my sister was sick, my job laid me off, I had to move, etc, these are reasons but the expenses keep piling up. 

When a client retains any attorney they are essentially buying a piece of that attorney's life.  Clients fail to realize when they call or text to ask an attorney a question that attorney is completely devoted to them at the time.  At our hourly rate, our time works out to about $6.00 a minute.  This is based on the lengthy education, experience, knowledge of the law and everything that it takes to respond to a legal inquiry.  When speaking to an attorney, talk is not cheap.

I have personally been through the struggle.  I have suffered being falsely accused and falsely convicted.  I have suffered people posting negative things about me onthe internet.  I never worry about that.  Anyone that does not want to hire me based on something that they read on the internet should not hire me.  They are denying themselves a sincere attorney that will do anything to get the best result for a client.  I have lived.  I know how a client's decision can negatively impact the rest of their lives.  I have life experience.  I am a lawyer to make a difference in the life of my client and to make a difference in our community.  I have a special love for young people who are enountering their first time with the criminal justice system.  While I work hard to get them a second chance, I also work with the client to modify their behavior so what brought them to me does not bring them back.  Representation is more than just knowing the law, you have to know people, you have to know resources, you have to be able to do more for a client than just close a case.