Meet A Lawyer Because You Should Know (1979)

[Music] [Music] [Music] n [Music] hey what are you doing bringing that stuff here now can't you read the clock it's almost quitting time hey I just do what I'm told to do Jackson you want answers to questions ask SS he runs this dump not me hey last day huh Tommy yeah and if I never see this place again it'll be too soon what's going on here what do you guys think you're doing uh nothing Mr SS I can see that you dummy but that isn't what I'm paying you to do I get this truck moving and you two get this stuff stacked now yes sir Payday the only day better than S Saturday Sundays and holiday no doubt about it I've got a good check coming too so held back my first week's pay so he owes me for 3 weeks and a lot of overtime [Applause] Smith rutage Jackson Klein Thomson what's the matter Tommy my check's not right we got a lot more than this coming are you sure Mr SS I I think someone's made a mistake on my check well there's no mistake R Andrews Anderson bwick but this is only half what it should be there's got to be a mistake there's no mistake you did a boy's work I paid your boy's wages I should have been doing it all summer remember you're only 15 and you don't have a work certificate from the State you should be glad I'm paying you anything now beat it I worked as hard as anybody here and you know it I said beat it get out of here this isn't fair you owe me more money take your hand off my arm I need that money you stupid little punk you don't know when you're well off do you come on Mr SS what are you doing he's just a kid but out Jackson this is none of your business hey look I don't know if you owe him more money or not but you shouldn't rough him up like this you're fire Jackson get out of here here and you you take that chick and get out of here with him right now but I said right now you you can keep this check I want what you owe me come on Jackson let's get out of here you owe me money SS I want my money you're a creep SS I want give me my money Johnson you can't fire me I quit hey what are you doing no don't do that now you've done it let's get out of here before he call us a cops you better run if I ever catch you around here again I'll break your legs see you Tommy good luck yeah thanks 5 minutes ago Tommy's life was comparatively uncomplicated now he's suddenly faced with three big legal problems his boss has broken their employment contract by refusing to pay his full salary and Tommy may have broken the law by taking the job before obtaining a work certificate and he now may be in deep trouble because of breaking Mr s's window [Applause] a I bet you slamming the door you scared me Tom are you all right what's wrong when Mr SS gave me my check after work it was only half of what he owes me half let me see the check I didn't take it I told him I want it all you should have kept the check Tom what was the amount on the check he gave you $420 he owes me 840 did he say why he only gave you that much he said I only did a boy's work and he was only going to give me a boy's wages then he threw me out and fired Jackson when he tried to help me what I'm going to call him we'll get this straightened out right now he's probably gone already we'll soon find out s Sausage Company hello I'd like to speak to Mr SS please this is SS what can I do for you Mr SS this is Peggy rutage Tommy's mother he just told me that you refused to pay him this evening and that you actually threw him out of the building I'd like to know wait a minute Mrs rutage that's a bunch of bull I did pay him but he says the amount on the check was only half of what you owe him I paid him all he's going to get and that's final lady but listen him and that friend of his Jackson threw a rock at my window and hit one of my machines and he's going to pay for the damages or I'm going to call the cops and another thing he's only 15 and you let him work here all summer without a work certificate that's against the law and you and your kid could get into a lot of trouble for that well you never told me he needed a work certificate that's your problem lady now I've told you how much she's going to get minus the damages take it or leave it you didn't bother to tell me about a broken window and damaged machine I was mad what are we going to do now I don't know maybe we better find someone who can help us yes Tommy and his mother do need help they've tried to talk out their problem with SS but it did no good now how they must look to the legal system for help in many states it's possible to resolve problems like Tommy in court without a lawyer by going to the prosay small claims court prosay means for yourself without a lawyer these courts handle cases involving relatively small amounts of money they use Simple Rules of procedure which allow individuals to get Speedy inexpensive and just resolution of small disputes without using a lawyer Tom state has a prosay small claims court but the maximum amount that can be recovered there is only $500 but sometimes it's not possible to solve a legal Problem by yourself then it's usually necessary to get help from a lawyer wait a minute didn't your friend Frankie cotter's father have trouble collecting his money when he left his last job I don't know ma'am I think he did though you call his father up and ask him and if he did ask him for the name and telephone number of his lawyer if you decide you need the services of a lawyer it's important that you choose carefully Tommy and his mother are relying on the recommendation of a friend who has had a similar problem which is usually a very good way of selecting a lawyer but there are other ways that should be considered as well many state and local bar associations have lawyer referral plans under these plans the bar association will refer you to competent and reliable lawyers one of these lawyers will consult with you without charge or for a small fee and in some communities there are legal clinics these legal clinics can assist you on relatively simple matters at rates that are generally lower than those charged by individual lawyers or law firms I'd like to make an appointment to see Mr Clark please but if you can't afford to pay for the services of a lawyer you may be eligible for free legal assistance legal aid officers provide legal services without cost or for a small fee let me do the talking Tommy I don't think we should say anything about the work certificate or the broken window there's no sense muddying the water okay whatever you say Ma Mr Clark this is Mrs rutage and her son Tommy good morning Mrs rut how do you do Tommy hello please have a seat would you like a cup of coffee no thank you now what can I do for you we're having trouble collecting Tommy's wages from his summer job Mr Clark what seems to be the trouble Tommy Mr SS the man who owns the always be honest with your lawyer tell him everything you know about the case even though it may not seem to be in your favor if you don't feel that you can trust or have confidence in the lawyer you've chosen don't waste your time or money find another lawyer I tried to talk to Mr SS on the phone but he hung up on me we don't know what to do now well based on what you've told me I think there's a good chance we can reach a settlement with Mr SS I think we should try however I can't guarantee anything I understand I think we want you to do what you can okay I'll get right on it Mr Clark I don't know how much you charge for something like this will it cost very much Mr SS only owes Tommy $840 my fee for a case like this is $35 an hour and based on what you've told me I don't think it will take more than one and a half to two hours of my time now if Mr SS is not Cooperative it may be necessary to take the case to court that will involve more of my time time and some court costs however I'll explain and discuss any additional charges with you before they're incurred it's good that Mrs rutage has asked about fees fees should always be discussed with your lawyer on the very first visit to his office many lawyers adjust their fees according to the client's ability to pay and if it seems that the lawyer's fee is too high check with other lawyers to find out what they would charge fees for the same service may vary from lawyer to lawyer so it's one factor you should use in choosing a lawyer how long do you think it'll be before we have an answer well that depends I should know something by the middle of next week if I have no problem getting in touch with Mr SS I feel much better now thank you very much Mr Clark I'll keep in touch and if anything new develops please let me know goodbye Mrs rutage Tommy goodbye good morning may I speak to Mr SS please my name is Jim Clark I'm a lawyer and I represent Tommy rutage I prefer to discuss this matter with him if he's too busy to speak to me now I'd be glad to call back or he can return my call when he's free yes I'll wait this is SS what do you want my name is Jim Clark Mr SS I represent Tommy rutage and I'd like to I don't care who you are buddy or who you represent I don't have anything to say to you Mr SS this could be a very serious matter I'd advise you to have your lawyer call me as soon as possible I don't need a lawyer to deal with that little punk or with you either Mr SS I'm sure you don't want this to end up in court any more than we do you really should have your lawyer call me my number is 9 when did this letter from the rut kids lawyers show up it's afternoon special delivery this is Mr Clark's office Mr Clark would like to speak with Mr SS please I see well will you ask Mr SS to return the [Music] call S Sausage [Music] Company it's time rut's lawyer I'm sorry he's not in now here retype this there's been a problem with the case Mr SS is not cooperating he won't answer my phone calls or respond to my letters but I have called the State Department of Labor to see if you could file a complaint against SS with them it's something you should consider they'll handle time complaint without any charge however they're running 6 months to a year behind in processing claims right now I don't think we want to do that that's too long Mrs rutage is trapped she doesn't want to have any contact with the State Department of Labor Tommy has been working all summer without a work certificate and she doesn't want to have them find out about it and because she hasn't been honest with Mr Clark she can't explain her refusal to accept this useful service so she is using the delay as an excuse if SS isn't responding what do we do now he isn't giving us any choice we're going have to consider filing a lawsuit however I still hope I can get him to settle before we go to trial but wouldn't that take a lot of time and a lot of money too it could take several months and with my fee the court cost and the filing fee it could cost 1/3 to 1/2 of Tommy's total claim depending on whether or not I can get SS to settle or we have to go to trial that's why may be a good idea to handle this whole matter through the State Department of Labor or you might consider handling the case yourself without a lawyer and small claims court because when my fee the court cost and the filing fees are deducted Tommy could end up with the same amount in our lawsuit that he could get by himself in small claims court however in any settlement I negotiate with SS I would ask that he pay these fees Mr Clark has done the right thing in suggesting these alternatives he has a responsibility to act competently and honestly on behalf of his client if he doesn't he may be disciplined by the court or sued by his client for malpractice I don't know what we should do why are you so reluctant Mrs rutage I don't know I mean it could take a lot of time and cost a lot of money it's up to you of course but I think you should follow through on your claim either by going to the Department of Labor or filing suit in court I don't know all right guess you better go ahead and file a suit against him I'm sorry to interrupt you Mr SS but this gentleman has something for you are you wiber SS yeah this is for you sir what is it it's a summons for legal action Mr s the Tom rutage thing Mr Clark's office yes he is I'll tell him you're on the phone Mr SS Mr Clark Mr SS is on the line thank you good morning Mr SS what can I do for you you can call off the dogs that's what you can do for me I'll pay the rutler kid what he says I owe him but you tell that little punk that I'm deducting the $118 in Damages he caused when he threw that rock at my window where do you want me to send the check if my client accepts you should send it to me but first I have to explain your offer to Tommy and his mother it's their decision frankly Mr SS I think they'd be more likely to accept your offer if you were to pay their loyer fees and filing fees in court no way buddy you tell him I'll give him the $840 less to 1118 in Damages but that's it and I don't want to hear any more about it those damages would come out during trial so your lack of honesty could have proven disastrous to our case you should have told me about the broken window is there anything else you haven't told me well yes Tommy is only 15 and he's been working there all summer without a work permit Mr SS told us we could get into a lot of trouble I was afraid to tell you that's why you were so reluctant to get in touch with the Department of Labor it doesn't work that way Mrs rutage anything you would have told me would have been strictly confidential information I couldn't have told anyone else anyway to get back to business SS has agreed to settle for the $840 less the damages he says he won't pay any of my fee or the filing fees in court that if he knew that Tommy was under Ag and still allowed him to work without a work certificate the blame for that is pretty evenly distributed he did know Tommy told him the first day he went to work there in that case I think I can get him to pick up at least part of my fee and the other expenses but it's up to you Tommy it's your money I really need the money for some school clothes and to buy my motorcycle if there's enough left if you could get him to pay part I think that' be great good I'll see what I can do I think it might turn out all right one of the most important jobs of our legal system and lawyers too is to help you resolve your disputes peacefully quickly and justly and in most cases it works if you know how to make the best use of it we've told you a few ways you can cope with a legal system first by trying to talk out your problem and second if that doesn't work by trying to handle the problem yourself in small claims court or through an inexpensive Legal Clinic if you have one in your town or by finding out if you're eligible for free legal service and finally if you decide you can't handle the problem yourself we've told you how to find hire and use a lawyer when you need professional help we've told you these things because this information is important to you as a potential consumer of legal services and because you should know d n