Can I Help You, Please?

I had to wait until I was 16 to get my first job. I have heard some real horror stories from friends of mine about their first jobs - crazy bosses, long hours, minimum wage, and lots of burger flipping in greasy fast food places.

But, I was lucky. My first job was at a country club. And, my first boss, John Darak, was the Golf Pro at that country club. My job was to unload golf bags from the car trunks, strap the golf bags into golf carts, clean the golf clubs once the golfers finished playing, and then load the golf clubs back into the car trunks at the end of the day.

Yes, I got paid minimum wage. But, I also got paid tips from club members and their guests for the services I provided to them. It was here that my first boss really helped me. Mr. Darak taught me exactly what I had to do in order to make great tip money from the members and their guests that I served. 

Now, since birth, I have gone by “Clint”, a shortened version of my middle name. My first boss, however, always called me by my full middle name, “Clinton”. So when he taught me exactly what I had to do to make great tip money from members and their guests, this is exactly what Mr. Darak would say to me:

“Clinton, you have to kill them with kindness. 

You have to kill them with kindness, Clinton.”

Was it truly that simple? And, while we’re at it, did it have to be repeated? Over the next four summers, I did exactly what Mr. Darak taught me. And he was right. The tippers tipped, and tipped plenty. And, with time (and a lot of kindness), some of the non-tippers would even occasionally give me a tip.  

A lot has happened since my first job. The short version is that I became a lawyer, got married to my wife Cindy, started my own law practice, and became a Father to our 3 sons. To this day, I still try to follow what Mr. Darak taught me. Kindness goes a long way in the practice of personal injury law. What I learned from Mr. Darak is just as applicable today as it was back then.

One way of showing kindness to clients is to put yourself in their shoes. Being injured, not being able to work, dealing with medical bills, and having to hire a lawyer can cause lots of stress and anxiety. This may be the first time a client has had to hire a lawyer, and they may be worried about being able to afford legal representation. They may not know if they have a case in the first place, and if they do, what their case is worth. They may not know how long their case will take to be finished. Clients may wonder who is going to pay their medical bills for the medical treatment that they need to get better and get back to work. Spending time with clients and explaining the legal process and what steps to expect can go a long way to alleviating all that stress and anxiety.

This is one of the main reasons that I start each case with a thorough and detailed free case evaluation. I take the necessary time to know what each case is about, how the injuries occurred, how severe the injuries are, and how significant the damages are. I then let my clients know what to expect as the case goes forward. 

Feel free to call me for a thorough and detailed free case evaluation to see if you have a personal injury case, and to being the process of determining how much your case is worth, how long it will likely take to be resolved, and getting rid of your stress and anxiety.