[fabsroman]

DS,

Don't assume to know what my practice is. I mostly deal with small business owners, but their stories aren't as good as the criminal cases and PI cases I take, and no I do not chase ambulances. I worked for a PI attorney that did that very thing and he never tried a single case. He would talk people into settling cases because the firm didn't try a single thing. I couldn't stand it. After that, I went to a litigation firm that only did litigation and most of that was construction litigation and insurance defense litigation, but we pretty much handled any type of litigation that came in the door if the client was willing to pay.

Now, I do several different types of litigation, with a very small portion being PI. The cases I have in Court right now are 1 criminal matter, 1 violation of probation matter, 1 negligence matter wherein my client wrecked his buddy's motorcycle and is being sued for it. I have other cases that I am trying to resolve short of trial which are 2 PI cases, 2 divorce cases, and several collection cases for my construction clients. I have one construction client that is being audited by the unemployment administration for erroneously classifying his employees as sub-contractors, thereby not paying unemployment insurance on them, and they want to fine him based upon $1.2 million in payroll. I have another construction client that hasn't filed 4 years worth of tax returns. I have a granite counter top fabricator that hasn't filed 2 years tax returns. Maybe you might be smart enough to understand that I do tax returns throughout the year too. I just finished one up for a Homeowner's Association that I do the bookkeeping for. Oh yeah, I set up the accounting system for the granite fabricator, a general construction contractor, and my day spa client. I currently go to each of those businesses every two weeks to make sure that everything is being done correctly until they get the hang of it.

I think that might be everything that I have going on right now, but I could be missing something because I didn't go through all my files.

As far as tort reform is concerned, I have mixed feelings about it. I would prefer a no-fault system where people didn't get paid for pain & suffering. An accident is an accident. So be it. The victim should have his medical bills paid and receive lost wages. Pain & suffering is merely there to pay the attorneys. When one of my employers can make $400,000 in a year by coming in at noon and leaving by 4:00 every day to miss traffic and not trying a single case, there is seriously something wrong with the system. You and I are the ones paying that guy's $400,000, not to mention the salaries of everybody else. That firm's goal was to take in 365 new cases a year. The year before I left, the firm did about $1.8 million in gross fees which equates to a little less than $5,000 in fees per case. That means that most cases would settle for $15,000 or less. A lot of people are motivated to run up medical bills in these cases because the amount of "pain & suffering" is reflected in the medical bills. PI attorneys have doctors in their pockets because they refer them tons of clients. Likewise, insurance companies have doctors in their pockets because they pay these doctors to do IME's (Independent Medical Examinations). Both are experts and testify in Court, but they are biased. This is the tort system we have in Maryland. Having no pain & suffering award would alleviate the motivation for "victims", attorneys, and PI doctors to run up medical bills.

What made me really sick working at the PI firm is that we were representing people that I know were not hurt. They just wanted a paycheck. One client said he was going to buy a bathtub full of pot with the money he was getting from us. His buddy was mad because he wasn't getting the same amount and threatened to come into the place with a "Glock". When I started questioning him about why he liked that gun, versus a Beretta, Sig, Smith & Wesson or whateever other name I said, he shut up completely about the settlement amount not being adequate and he quit with his threats.

So, as far as Bush taking away my livelihood, I seriously doubt he could do such a thing if he enacted tort reform and/or made the tax laws simpler (i.e., enacted a flat rate tax which would punish the poor and help the rich). I have plenty of clients who have customers that do not pay. I have clients that need leases and contracts drafted. I have clients getting divorces. I have clients getting into criminal trouble. I could go on and on, but I think you get my point.

In the end, I hope that tort reform is enacted so that car insurance and medical insurance might possibly be affordable. Making that tax code simpler will be extremely tough, but I am all for that too.

Now, who is the damn fool? You should know better about assuming. As far as trying to shake some sense into me, I think I have already proven that my practice is diversified enough to withstand the removal of any single component of income (i.e., I HAVE A GENERAL PRACTICE). They taught me about diversification while I was in undergrad studying to be an accountant. Oil companies are starting to diversify as have a lot of other companies. People should do it with their investments also. It tends to lessen the hurt when an industry suffers a set back or becomes extinct.