As I’ve written about before, I get calls and letters all of the time from doctors who are trying to get me to send them patients. And if I do, they’ll send me injured workers and we’ll all get rich. At least that’s what they are thinking.
At the expense of my pocket book, but not my morals, I always say no to those types of arrangements.
Recently I got a call from a reputable rehab facility. Their director had read my blog and because he understands that I’ve created a network of attorneys and that I care about my callers, he wanted to have a lunch meeting to learn more about what I do and try to promote what they do. He apparently is part of a network of doctors too and also believes that doctors and lawyers shouldn’t engage in the tit for tat relationship.
As we talked further, it seemed they were really just looking for good lawyers. I talked about how some law firms just want to sign up 100 clients a month with the hope that 70 of those cases are easy and the 30 hard ones they can blow off.
When I said that, the director laughed and said that was exactly their concern. Patients need surgeries and aren’t getting them because their attorneys won’t fight for them.
In my head at that moment I was thinking of the five worst law firms when it comes to not fighting for their clients. That opinion is based on getting calls about them every week from people like you who made the mistake in hiring them.
Sure enough, this director rattled off what he thought were the three worst firms and those three were on my list. It’s funny and pathetic all at once.
I declined to meet them for lunch, but do hope that they are sincere in wanting to help their patients and if so will send them to me. I know some of their doctors and think a lot of them are great. If you ask me for a doctor recommendation I’d give it to you in most circumstances, but I’d never insist that you see a certain doctor. And they should never insist that a patient use a certain lawyer.
