What is My Role and My Attorney's Role in Negotiating Settlement?
Understanding Your Role and Your Attorney's Role in Negotiating SettlementThere is no black and white rule on this, and it certainly varies depending on the attorney-client relationship. There are two basic principles, though, that are important.
First, you are the one that decides whether you will agree to a settlement. Your attorney cannot, and should not, make that decision for you. Second, your attorney should be the one making the decisions about strategy and tactics to get to your goal. Certainly you should be able to provide input, but client "scripting" of settlement discussions for an experienced attorney is rarely effective. Beyond that, the secret to success is open communication between attorney and client. Your attorney should be ready to hear what your goals and concerns are, and to act on them. You, too, should be ready to hear what their advice is based on their experience with cases like yours. Learn more here about civil lawsuit settlements. |
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Meet Our Trial Attorneys
Emily Smith-Lee is the owner and founder of slnlaw. She is a 1996 graduate of Boston College Law School. She was previously a partner at the Boston office of a large international firm, where she worked for thirteen years, with a focus on complex business litigation. In 2009, she started the firm that became slnlaw. She has been recognized as Massachusetts Superlawyer each year since 2013, and in 2018 earned recognition as one of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly's Lawyers of the Year for a precedent-setting victory at the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. She has written a book on employment law: Rules of the Road, What You Need to Know About Employment Laws in Massachusetts, and helped thousands of clients with business and employment disputes. Emily has handled cases at every level of the state system, in the federal trial court, and before the First Circuit Court of Appeals.
Elijah Bresley: Eli is a 2014 graduate of Seton Hall Law school, and has worked with slnlaw since 2020. He previously worked for a boutique employment law firm outside of Boston, and then for the Labor and Employment department of a large Boston firm. He also spent a year clerking for the judges of the Superior Court in Hartford, Connecticut. Eli has successfully defended numerous employers in the MCAD, and litigated other business and employment disputes throughout the state court system and in the federal trial court.
Sharleen Tinnin: Sharleen is a 2010 graduate of Northeastern University School of Law, and has been with slnlaw since 2023. Prior to joining slnlaw, she worked with King, Tilden, McEttrick & Brink, P.C. on complex civil litigation matters. She previously worked for the United States Department of Justice, and received an "Excellence in Justice" award in 2017. Sharleen has litigated both plaintiff and defendant cases in the state court system, MCAD, and the federal trial court.
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