By Bradley L. Kenny, Esq.
Two quick stories with which to begin. I have been a practicing attorney since 1993. When I first started out, I had to attend hearings at other attorney’s offices. One such attorney had a big sign in his office that stated, “If you do not have an appointment, you will not see an attorney.” Wow. Talk about avoiding new business. The attorney has long since retired, but I will never forget the feeling that he probably was not the best at trying to help people.
Second, recently, I had my own customer experience that I wanted to share. I have been a member of a credit union since 1986 that is located in Illinois. Even though I had long moved away, I kept the account open. After living in Las Vegas for a long time, I found out that my credit union had acquired some branches here in Nevada, and lo and behold, I could actually go to a branch close to my house. I remember the first time that I had visited the branch, the teller had remarked that she had never seen a strange sequence of numbers that had been associated with my account. I explained that I had opened the account in the mid-’80s back in Illinois, and that I kept the account open because I knew that they would eventually come to Las Vegas, though not in my wildest imagination did I ever think a small credit union from Illinois would expand into Nevada. In any event, I noticed recently that the credit union had started a monthly charge for a paper statement. I went to my local branch to change my account to paperless. After meeting with a teller and customer service representative, I was told that I needed an appointment and they could not help me. Incredible. I was just trying to make a simple change to my account, and they did not want to help at all. I left feeling very frustrated.
The reason for these two stories is that I want to emphasize how important communication is. Sure there will always be situations where you cannot get the required information, but as the old adage goes, “knowledge is power.” You will never be turned away at our office if you do not have an appointment. We meet with walk-in clients on a regular basis. It’s just common courtesy. It’s the right thing to do.
The American Bar Association has a special section about client communication. Client-Lawyer Relationship: [1] Reasonable communication between the lawyer and the client is necessary for the client effectively to participate in the representation.
Communicating with Client: [2] If these Rules require that a particular decision about the representation be made by the client, paragraph (a)(1) requires that the lawyer promptly consult with and secure the client’s consent prior to taking action unless prior discussions with the client have resolved what action the client wants the lawyer to take. For example, a lawyer who receives from opposing counsel an offer of settlement in a civil controversy or a proffered plea bargain in a criminal case must promptly inform the client of its substance unless the client has previously indicated that the proposal will be acceptable or unacceptable or has authorized the lawyer to accept or to reject the offer. See Rule 1.2(a).
So, in the spirit of better communication, I am providing all of the attorney’s emails and direct office numbers. Please feel free to call, text, or send an email anytime. We know it is a two-way street. Las Vegas is a 24/7 town. You should be able to communicate with us whenever you need information.
Lawrence E. Mittin – lmittin@cpklaw.com -Cell number: 702-513-4016
Bradley L. Kenny – bkenny@cpklaw.com -Cell number: 702-919-0670
Leon R. Symanski – lsymanski@cpklaw.com -Cell num: 702-704-4759
Billie-Marie Morrison- bmorrison@cpklaw.com -Dir line: 702-405-3476
Jimmy Howard – jhoward@cpklaw.com -Cell number: 702-374-2554
Paul R. Kirst – pkirst@cpklaw.com -Cell number: 702-245-8710
Hayley Price – hprice@cpklaw.com -Cell number: 702-592-8260
Craig P. Kenny – ckenny@cpklaw.com -Direct line: 702-405-3470
