Stop Asking Social Media… Listen To Your Attorney!

Stop asking social media and listen to your attorney! Yesterday I attended a presentation by an attorney who discussed difficult clients. One situation that makes them difficult is  because they ask a group of strangers on social media what they should do instead of following their attorney’s advice. Every lawyer I know would say “Stop asking social media and listen to your attorney!” That’s why you are paying them.
This morning I saw an example of a mom asking a group of complete strangers on social media what she should do in her upcoming mediation.  The poster (who posted anonymously) only gave a brief overview of one issue that was going to come up in mediation. There were likely to be about 20 more issues that would be discussed in mediation so the entire picture was not discussed.

As a mediator I see it time and time again. The client will say, “but John Doe or Susie Smith got XYZ”. In divorce or child custody litigation no two situations are the same. Every case is different because every case has a different set of facts and different people. When you are in mediation you are there to try to reach an agreement so that you do not rely on a Judge deciding your case. Your attorney likely has been to Court several times and has a good idea of what the Judge would do in your case. Often times the mediator has also been to Court and has a good idea of what the Judge would do in these situations as well. Those strangers on social media likely do not know what a Judge would do. They only know what happened in their situation.

Want to know more about mediation click the links below:

What to Expect

Finding the Middle