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CHOOSING
THE ASSOCIATION’S ATTORNEY
By
Eric Glazer, Esq.
Published March 2, 2015
For obvious reasons, this may be the toughest column I
ever wrote. In fact,
I’m not going to say much at all, as I want you guys to tell
me the factors that you consider important when deciding to hire
counsel for the association.
I’ll tell you one
thing that I’m not thrilled with.
Association boards like to have representatives from a
few law firms come to a meeting and give each attorney the
opportunity to tell the Board how wonderful they are and whey
their firm should be chosen.
The attorneys go through their sales pitch, each spending
approximately ten minutes with the Board and then each eagerly
await their fate.
I don’t know how
this process started, but I never liked it for a few reasons.
First, it is impossible to know what you need to know
about a law firm in an interview that lasts ten minutes.
Far greater due diligence should be done by the Board
first. Next, despite
the thousands of jokes to the contrary, I still believe that the
legal profession is dignified.
The people who serve on these Boards would never ask a
few doctors to appear at their home for an interview so that the
patient can decide which doctor to hire.
No doctor would participate in such a practice.
Then why is it OK for attorneys to participate in such a
practice? Why
can’t the attorney say that they don’t want to participate
in a practice that they believe is wrong in the first place.
Don’t base your decision to hire counsel on a ten
minute interview, especially you’re interviewing attorneys who
for the most part have spent years or decades practicing
association law.
In all candor, it is
also not uncommon for Boards to simply choose the firm with the
lowest hourly rates. This
is despite the fact that higher priced attorneys in other firms
with more experience may prove far more cost effective in the
long run. Like any
other service, do you sometimes get what you pay for?
Nearly every law firm
today has a website that tells much about the firm.
Internet searches can also provide a wealth of
information about the firm.
References are certainly important, and probably the most
important factor in the medical field.
So what is the best way to choose the attorney or law
firm for the association? What
factors are most important?
What factors may automatically disqualify a candidate?
How important should the interview process really be?
Ok…..feel free to let me have it.
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About
HOA & Condo Blog
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Eric
Glazer graduated from the University of Miami School of
Law in 1992 after receiving a B.A. from NYU. He has
practiced community
association
law for more than 2
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decades
and is the owner of Glazer and Associates, P.A. a seven eight
attorney law firm with offices in Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and
Naples.
The
firm also has satellite offices in Tampa and Fort Myers.
Since 2009, Eric has been the host of Condo Craze and
HOAs, a weekly one hour radio show on 850 WFTL.
See:
www.condocrazeandhoas.com.
He
is the first attorney in the State of Florida that designed a
course that certifies condominium residents as eligible to serve
on a condominium Board of Directors and has now certified more
than 8,000 Floridians all across the state. He is certified as a
Circuit Court Mediator by The Florida Supreme Court and has
mediated dozens of disputes between associations and unit
owners. Eric also devotes significant time to advancing
legislation in the best interest of Florida community
association members.
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