5 Reasons Why a Family Member Should Not Provide Your Legal Representation

It is a general case. For one purpose or another, a person needs legal counsel and, and with insufficient finances, reaches out to a close relative who is also a lawyer.

Instead of choosing a family member as your legal representative, why not try out other professionals or firms? ReviewsBird.com is a great site to make your findings. On the website, you’ll find several reviews of legal firms. You may eventually find the perfect legal firm for representation. Now let’s take a look at 5 reasons why a family member should not provide your legal representation.

1.     They are not neutral parties

Family members have emotional attachments. They generally would not like to upset or distress their loved one, nor do they want to be the harbingers of bad news. As a result, friends or family representatives can decide to add their viewpoints or even exclude important pieces of the message being shared. This is not the right approach for your representative in legal circumstances. Therefore, it would be better to go for an impartial attorney with whom you have no ties.

2.      You may put your attorney at a disadvantage

This scenario is similar to the first reason. Here, your attorney isn’t holding back information from the public, rather, you are the one holding back information from your attorney. Normally, a lawyer would assiduously represent their client. To do so, they must get as many necessary details as possible. People in stressful circumstances are reluctant to let the truth out. That being said, if it’s a family member, the specifics are much less forthcoming. Think about it, who likes to inform their relatives of all the inner secrets of their marriage life? This kind of situation places your attorney at risk of losing when representing you. How will your lawyer apply the rules to your collection of facts when they don’t have the right set of facts?

3.      Disagreements can put a strain on your familial relationship

Lawyers are usually really sincere individuals. They deal with issues on a factual basis, and they like to prepare for the worst-case scenarios. They’re also very good at planning, and typically don’t fear confrontation if it’s necessary to defend their client. However, arguing with a friend or relative who has become a client may trigger a serious long-lasting conflict.

4.      Financial issues

Yes, you might have chosen your lawyer cousin to represent you because you cannot afford a regular neutral lawyer, but is it really fair? Maybe he’s kind enough to say he’s going to deal with the matter and not think about the money. Sounds good, but you’re still expected to find out his regular price for representation in this kind of situation. Attorneys do all sorts of things for clients—from making calls and sending emails to appearing in court to fill out paperwork. You wouldn’t want your attorney to believe he’s being taken advantage of because it’s almost impossible not to despise someone who wants work for free.

5.      You are likely to break business rules

Even though you keep it in mind not to mix business and family, and you understand all the rules, it might be hard to keep up a formal appearance with a family member. A family member may not give you the respect you deserve in their office and vice versa.

It’s advisable to leave the law to someone you don’t know or get a referral from your family. That way, you can avoid conflicts and save your relationships.