When faced with the prospect of instigating or defending legal action, you must be very objective and honest with yourself about what you intend to achieve by it and assess the options most likely to result in the best outcome for you. What constitutes this depends upon the reason for the action, but it is usually money.
Don’t assume that the winning party is always fully recompensed; costs are awarded at the discretion of the judge, and a technical victory in the case might not extend to an award of all costs also. Expenses notwithstanding, you won’t be recompensed for the stress it caused you and you certainly won’t ever get back the time you spent on the whole thing!
It is often the case that by the time a dispute arrives to the point of litigation, there has been so much disagreement and acrimony that the issue has usually escalated way beyond the original problem. Emotion can generate feelings of injustice and a desire to impose a moral victory, or not wanting to lose face. This is where a good lawyer is necessary, as they will cut right to the core of the problem and advise solely on the most efficient and realistic solution. That’s what a good lawyer does, I can’t speak on behalf of bad ones!
As a client, you should be aware that the decision on whether to progress with significant legal action is based upon a combination of the following factors (in no particular order):
- The total monetary value of the claim – smaller amounts may never be worth the cost of certain types of litigation.
- The potential cost of the action and its implication to the client – can you afford to sustain the action? Is time a significant factor? For example, if the process drags on for years, will this detrimentally affect your business?
- The relative strength of the client’s case and likelihood of success.
- The net benefit to the client in the event of a successful outcome.
- The reality of actually receiving any award from the other party.
When discussing the problem with a lawyer, you must give them a full account of everything that has happened, even if that includes mistakes by you. You are not being judged so don’t present a modified version of events that you believe best represents the situation. You can be sure that if you have omitted anything significant, your lawyer will find out as soon as the other party presents its case, which is not ideal, and may even be too late.
In summary, if you find yourself faced with a decision about legal action, whether instigated by you or as defendant, ensure that you are completely objective and above all, realistic about the best course of action. Ego or emotion will lead you down the wrong path!
ShareJUN
2014
