What Tony Montana Can Teach You About Hiring a Lawyer

Picture this. You're in the drug business. You're a cocaine dealer. You're making a lot of money but you're having a hard time "washing" it. Your local banker is charging 6 "points" on your money to make it legitimate. Your partner tells you about a guy who owns an "exchange" that can do the job cheaper. The details are blurry but your partner says you can trust them.

You decide to ponder the decision. Finally, after taking a bath in a giant bathtub watching corrupt news reports and pelicans, you make a decision. It's time to move on this thing. Your partner wants to handle the deal himself but you decide that's not wise. You're concerned he's a little too busy with his social life to handle the finer details at the meeting.

Boom. Meeting day. The boom was just in case you weren't paying attention. You're sitting in a room full of people. There's a giant pile of your money on a desk and those people are counting it. After the first and second count the numbers are off by a relatively insignificant amount. "Count it again", you say. They all moan and groan like you're being unreasonable. "It's 3000 dollars here". "Keep it" they tell you.

As they're making out a check to your real estate company they pull out their guns and badges. Your worst nightmare. You're busted. They even have you on camera from a well positioned clock embedded device. You tell them, "You wanna waste my time? Okay. I call my lawyer. He's the best lawyer in Miami. He's such a good lawyer, that by tomorrow morning, you gonna be working in Alaska. So dress warm."

If this story sounds familiar it's because it's from the film 'Scarface'. Al Pacino plays the main character in the movie. So what are the lessons we can learn about lawyers from Tony Montana?

He had a great lawyer and the money to pay for it. What would you do if you got in trouble? Would you be as confident as Tony? The law assures all Americans a lawyer but it doesn't always assure them a good one. I'm not trying to scare you if you're in trouble. It's the just the economic reality of the situation.

Usually the more talented the attorney the more money you'll have to pay. It all depends on how complex your situation is. If you're in a situation like Tony Montana was then you need the best lawyer in the world. Even his attorney wasn't able to get him out of it in the movie.

For many legal troubles having a star attorney represent you would be a waste of money. You wouldn't bring an attorney like the late Johnny Cochran to fight a traffic ticket. That would be like trying to fill a glass of water with Lake Michigan.

Other situations don't require you to pay at all. If you've been in a car accident or have been injured at work, usually your lawyer will not charge you any money until you win or settle the case.

My overall point is that there are very good attorneys in every category that can handle your case just as well as the best attorney in Miami might.

Some Things to Consider When Picking Your Lawyer

1. All attorney's have completed law school and have passed the bar exam.

2. Simple cases are mostly standard paperwork.

3. It's not usually the specific lawyer that matters but actually following through with your legal claims. Many people quit when they should fight.

4. Finally. If you're really in trouble and can afford it, tell everyone that they'll be working in Alaska if they mess with you.