I get approached by clients and potential clients on a daily basis to help them in fields of law in which my firm does not specialise. In my opinion, and while I accept some people truly are very talented and can do almost anything, I believe that you must stick to what you are good at and limit the work that you do.
If, for example, I am involved in a property transaction, I get the advice of a property attorney – I don’t do it myself – and the same goes for a commercial transaction. If I, as an attorney, am doing it, then I would certainly not be comfortable representing a potential client or friend in a field of law in which I don’t specialise. Of course, I do have a better idea of that area of law than perhaps my friend or potential client has, but I think that only a specialist, who works with that field every day and all day, is aware of the up to minute changes. If I take my own field of law, being personal injury claims, the developments and changes with the case law and the legislation are so quick and so dramatic that I cannot believe that somebody who does not work in that field, on a day to day basis, could possibly keep up or achieve the same results than someone who does. I have seen far too many brain damage cases, for example, settled against the Road Accident Fund for ridiculous amounts of R50 000,00 and have taken over cases where a computer programmer, for example, who lost 60% of his fingers, was being advised by his attorney to settle the case for R43 000,00, when clearly, and even to his wife, it had to be worth much more. Stick to what you are good at and whatever you are looking at, whether it is plastic surgery or legal services, get a specialist in that field to help you.