Why don’t attorneys listen? Is there something that happens when they pass the bar exam that automatically inserts a filter on what they hear from paralegals? (Or other staff members, for that matter.)
Attorney A asked me yesterday if we’d received records from a certain hospital which happens to have incredibly insane requirements for their records authorization. (Really? A patient’s privacy isn’t protected if the release they sign isn’t in 14 point font?) Nope, I replied. Got rejected twice and then sent the hospital’s authorization to the plaintiff’s attorney for a signature. So far so good, message seemed to be received okay.
Today, I was bcc’d on an email from Attorney A to opposing counsel saying we haven’t gotten any records at all from Dr. X. I wanted to shoot an email back saying, “That’s not what I said, that’s not what I said, THAT’S NOT WHAT I SAID! “ sigh The HOSPITAL isn’t giving us the records. Dr. X, who is affiliated with said hospital, DID send us his clinic records. That’s a different story than the hospital not sending records. And as a matter of fact, we have already produced copies of those to opposing counsel. It may not seem like a big deal, but seriously, how smart does that make us look?
I have a belief that attorneys shouldn’t be allowed to touch the original of anything that comes in the mail. (Not that anybody listens to me, but seriously, it would save us all a lot of time trying to find something that was on the attorney’s desk or in their briefcase the entire time. Or stop a lot of crazy looks when they act like I’ve seen Document A when, in fact, they never sent it to me. But, I digress.) Maybe they should filter all their comments to opposing counsel on what records we need through me before they send it. I know he’s been an attorney a lot longer than I’ve been a paralegal, but I think I have a handle on what has and hasn’t come in from the 50+ records requests we sent on this plaintiff than he does. Or maybe take a look at that log of records requests that I’ve kept meticulously updated to see what has or has not come in, and what has or has not been copied to opposing counsel.
Just sayin’.
Mom-alegal's blog 
Attorneys don’t listen because they’re human. And humans don’t listen. Everyone is so quick to jump to conclusions and assumptions, including what they read. I’ve had that at work, too, where I wanted to reply, “Did you even read what I typed?” I didn’t type it for my health! Attorneys (and other highly paid professions) definitely do NOT get paid for their organizational skills!
I try not to let my attorney NEAR the originals of anything as they will be written on, soaked in coffee, mangled and strewn all to hell on his desk, or some combination of the three.
What I don’t like is when THEY don’t listen, they try to get all lawyery on you to avoid admitting that they were wrong.