Anna Attorney is a plaintiff-side medical malpractice lawyer with ten (10) years of experience representing clients seeking
Question:
Anna Attorney is a plaintiff-side medical malpractice lawyer with ten (10) years of experience representing clients seeking to recover for injuries caused by doctors, hospitals, pharma companies, and insurance networks. Anna is one of three attorneys—all partners—comprising a boutique law firm called WE-GOT-YOU PLLC incorporated in Atlantis State. The three partners must vote and approve of all new clients unanimously per their partnership agreement. The firm was well-known for their television advertisements featuring Anna Attorney and her partners as The #1 medical malpractice attorneys in Atlantis." The television ads also contain three (3) client testimonials claiming the firm secured over $1 million for each of them. Codi Cooper is a married mother of two (2) children who lives near the WE-GOT-YOU offices. Codi works as software engineer for a large computer manufacturing company; her primary job responsibility is writing and editing code for the software that comes standard on the computers
sold by her employer. Codi's husband, Tim, is a stay-at-home dad and cares for their two small children. Codi's job is therefore the only source of financial income for the Cooper family. One day as Anna was leaving her office building and walking to her car, Codi approached her and begged Anna to take on Codi as a client. Anna was caught off-guard by Codi's desperate- seeming demeanor. Anna asked Codi to take a breath and to tell her briefly why she needed legal assistance. Codi explained that she'd seen Anna's face in the firm's TV ads and that she felt in her gut that Anna was the only person who could help her. Codi explained that several months ago, she had minimally-invasive surgery on both of her wrists to remove painful cysts that she had developed and that interfered with her hand and finger mobility. Codi's treating doctor, Dr. Felix Frye, had previously assured her that the procedure was routine and the risks minimal.
Nevertheless, Codi is convinced that something went wrong during this surgical procedure and that Dr. Frye caused permanent damage to her wrists, hands, and fingers, rendering her unable to work as a coder. She showed Anna her hands, which were bruised, swollen, and tremoring. Anna is shocked and tells Codi that she'd "see what I could do" regarding taking Codi on as a client. Codi burst into tears of joy and said, "You have no idea how happy I am to have a lawyer— you're an angel!" Anna replied, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. But, come back here on Monday at 9am and we'll get some things sorted." Codi agreed and hugged Anna, exclaiming "You're my 'Erin Brockovich'!". Anna thought she smelled the scent of alcohol on Codi. Annagave Codi the firm's standard intake questionnaire to fill out at home. Codi then happily left. Codi stopped at a store to buy several professional-looking pantsuits, which she figured she'd need for her legal case.
When Codi returned the next Monday, after a short wait in the lobby she was called by Anna into Anna's office. Codi again ran up to Anna and embraced her in a tight hug. Anna thought she smelled booze on Codi and noticed that Codi's speech was slurred, though only slightly. Codi said she was wearing one of the suits she had bought after they first spoke. Anna, looking concerned, told Codi that she was not in fact a current client of the firm, and that her partners may decide not to take her case. Codi was confused but they soon moved on to discussing the substance of Codi's case. Ultimately, WE-GOT-YOU agrees to accept Codi's case and to file suit against her doctor and the hospital where the procedure took place. Codi tells Anna, "I'm in your hands now; you do your thing to make the monsters who ruined my life pay for what they've done!"
At what point was the attorney-client relationship formed between the firm and Codi?
Management A Practical Introduction
ISBN: 978-0078112713
5th edition
Authors: Angelo Kinicki, Brian Williams