Do core values really matter? Let’s find out.
A senior reporter from the HuffPost (formerly Huffington Post) calls me to discuss a national story about a suicide case that our firm handled. Before I said a word, I knew that I had to get the consent of our client. Once consent was obtained, I still questioned whether I should share this story. I knew the insurance carrier would not like a national story about the hospital’s neglect.
I turned to our brain trust (aka, our tribe in the Mastermind Experience) and asked for their guidance. Adam Rossen, Esq., a highly successful criminal defense lawyer in South Florida, posed a question that was spot on: “What do your core values tell you?” The answer was clear: “We never agree to confidential settlements.”
Our firm’s purpose of “Stopping Medical Injustice” would mean nothing if I kept my mouth shut. So, I shared the story of medical neglect that led to the death of a good man.
With the advice of public relations guru, Wayne Pollock, Esq., I met with the reporter, stuck to the facts and prefaced my remarks by stating, “We contend that….” I am proud of the work of our team and I shared the story that needed to be told.
There was one thing that few members of the public would know. Because of our core value of non-confidentiality (“We never agree to confidential settlements.”), there were no limitations on what I could share with the reporter. Few realize this, but 99% of law firms agree to confidential settlements, and in my view, that is a damn shame. It’s good to live by ideals that you will not compromise. Our law firm would go out of business before I would agree to confidentiality.
As a nice bonus, the HuffPost provided, at our request, a link to our law firm’s website in their article, “How America’s Mental Health Crisis Became This Family’s Worst Nightmare”. Whenever you speak with a reporter, ask for a link to your firm’s website in the article. The reporter might say “no”, but it never hurts to ask.
