You are listening to an episode of Ask the Experts on Talk 860 WWDB AM with host Steve O and weekly guest, LGBTQ legal expert Angela Giampolo.
The title of this episode says it all. When you are in a legal pickle, here’s what you need to know in order to find the right representation for you and your family.
What is the first step to choosing a lawyer?
What should you settle on, for lack of a better word, or not? And be able to say that that’s not the right lawyer for me. First and foremost, get clear on what the legal need is that you have.
So let’s say it’s estate planning or right now, post Roe v. Wade, especially, a lot of LGBTQ folks are getting their legal house in order, right? Doing their confirmatory adoptions, transgender name changes, estate planning documents, and anything requiring a court order in any way. And then also estate planning. So if that’s you and you’re looking for an attorney, first and foremost, look on their website and you’ll be able to tell.
The LGBTQ community is very knowledgeable about whether or not someone is pandering to the community. Whether they’re just sort of marketing and throwing up a virtual shingle to market to them, or whether they are truly, truly whether they are themselves a part of the community or not, whether or not they are truly passionate and knowledgeable about the community. So a quick glance over of the website will be able to tell you that. Do they in fact, do LGBTQ law? Are they familiar with the LGBTQ community in each of these areas? Because they could be an adoption lawyer, they could be an estate planning attorney, but do they work with LGBTQ folks? So then you find someone that does, and you reach out. And then typically, there’s an intake form of some kind before you get to that point of a zoom. Is the intake form inclusive? Right? Did they ask about your pronouns and how you identify them? Again, if they’re a true lawyer that services the community, then the intake form itself will be inclusive. And so it’s important to look for that. Those are the two big ones in terms of getting to the point that you’re reaching out to the lawyer.
You cannot ask an attorney for references, that would breach attorney-client privilege. Still, you can go on Google and read my reviews. Over 42, I think different reviews. And people leave words about me because I don’t just ask people for stars. A lawyer could get 500 5 stars reviews. But did someone care enough about the representation to actually leave verbiage words around what it was like to work with you? So go there, and if they have zero reviews, that says something. If they have negative reviews, that definitely says something.
How to assess if a lawyer can meet your legal needs?
Once you reach out to the lawyer you have an opportunity to ask them questions. I don’t charge for consultations. If a lawyer is going to charge you for a consultation, that says something. Tell me on a macro level what it is that his need is about. I’m not going to charge to get on a zoom with you until I know exactly what it is that you’re asking me to do because I don’t know if I can help.
So I get that not all practice areas lend themselves to no consultation fees, especially family law, and contested family law. Everybody wants free legal advice when they’re about to get divorced, so I get it. But if nothing else, then pay for that consultation in order to interview your lawyer.
You should feel comfortable with your lawyer. You’re going to be divulging things and talking about things that are intimate. And you deserve to feel like you have a teammate in this thing called, you know, life, which is what you’re going to that lawyer for. Estate planning. That’s for life. It’s called estate planning -ING because plans are meant to change, right? If you’re going to get divorced, that’s one of the top three life transitions that you’re going to be depending on this lawyer as your representative in this fight. So taking an hour. And unfortunately, if you have to pay for that interview, I would still suggest doing so and really getting clear on the human you’re about to retain.
Even if money is an issue, beg, borrow, family, or friends. That’s why God invented amex, swipe it and do what you can to get a good lawyer for you. Do not settle based on money. Go to therapy and have an objective soundboard around whether or not you should settle and whether or not you’re settling because you’re beaten down and you may not have the fight in you right now. But the you of three years from now that is healthier and has more fight in them will regret you making that decision. So getting a soundboard, are you settling because it’s amicable, or are you settling because you’re truly settling? You’re not, you know, and not getting as much as you should.
What kinds of questions should you ask?
Once you know what the practice area is that you’re looking for, ask them how long they’ve practiced in that area and how many clients they’ve served. There are lawyers who clearly don’t really do the law they advertise. Just because they say they do it doesn’t mean they actually do it. And so ask questions about the area that you’re actually reaching out to. And if money is tight and you don’t have a choice but to hire someone who’s not that good, then just know that that’s what you’re doing. Be knowledgeable that, yeah, it says family law, but she really has only done three divorces, but she’s done 1000 murder cases.
Episode Transcription
[00:00:51.730] – Speaker 2
Hey, Angela, I got your emails today.
[00:01:23.850] – Speaker 3
I sent you emails and in the chat. we are talking about how to choose a lawyer today.
[00:01:32.670] – Speaker 2
What a great subject.
[00:01:34.390] – Speaker 3
Yeah, so we’ll just talk about how to choose a lawyer, no questions.
[00:01:38.750] – Speaker 2
Okay, great. This is the expert show. We’re with you every Tuesday from ten to eleven. Folks. We have nine shows now across the country. They’re all at different times. They’re all Ask the eExperts. This is absolutely one of my favorite shows with attorney Angela Giampolo. And Angela, we seem to have new listeners joining us every week. So why don’t you tell people about your practice?
[00:02:11.850] – Speaker 3
Yeah, so I formed Giampolo Law Group back in 2008 now, and sort of accidentally, I always thought that I’d be an international human rights attorney. Actually, I didn’t really know that I was going to be an attorney. The detention lady told me I should become a lawyer and actually get paid to do all the arguing I did that got me into trouble. But separate from the detention lady, at twelve, when I was twelve years old, after I decided myself to become an attorney, I thought that I was going to go into international human rights. And that’s very much what I ended up doing in college and in law school. Interned everywhere I could, from the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom to the American Bars Association Center for Eastern European Legal Initiatives, and in law school specifically, got passionate about human trafficking and was published in Law Review around human trafficking. And that really poverty is the main issue that leads to human trafficking. Given all things being equal, people wouldn’t choose to traffic humans if they were able to make money doing other things like trading timber and other commodities, but that poverty leaves.
[00:03:42.790] – Speaker 3
So I was very passionate about that and moved to Beijing and lived in China for a while and worked in human trafficking. And then from there being French Canadian, I remember the Rwandan genocide like it was yesterday. So 1994, that’s when Blackhawk Down happened here in the US. And in Madeleine Albright, bill Clinton had just lost eight soldiers in Africa. They talked about it as if it was a country, but it is a continent. And so when the unrest happened in Rwanda and turned into genocide, the United States did not want to get involved, ultimately. And so the head of the peacekeeping mission there was French Canadian. And so being French Canadian myself, I remember it being on the news as much as Black Hawk Down was on the news for Americans. So I told myself if I ever did go to law school, that I wanted to do something with the Rwandan genocide. So after working in human trafficking for a while, I moved to Tanzania and worked at the war crimes tribunal for the Rwandan genocide and did that for a little over a year, and then quickly realized that everyone who worked in international human rights catastrophes were shells of human beings, as they should.
[00:05:15.880] – Speaker 3
Because you can’t be a normal, everyday human with normal feelings and feel everything when you’re dealing with genocide and crimes against humanity and torture all day, right? So you sort of shut off the and compartmentalize, right, in order to be able to deal with that. So looking at my bosses and everyone who’d been doing it for 20 years, all I knew was I didn’t want to be like them. So I don’t know where I had the wisdom. There was nobody that I could look at that in any way, lived a life that, when I was their age, I wanted to be like. So I didn’t see how I would be any different. So I left Tanzania, came back to Philadelphia, and at that point, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. And my background in Chinese law I had a certificate in Chinese law from when I was working there and living there. And Mr. Softy was franchising into China, or wanted to franchise into China at the time. So I was working for a franchise boutique firm and got hired rather with my Chinese background at this franchise boutique firm. And I worked there for seven months, and I’m still friends with one of the owners, but I hated it.
[00:06:38.610] – Speaker 3
And I just at that point, couldn’t work for anyone anymore. And I was like, oh my God, my work ethic has been destroyed. What am I going to do? Do I need to move back to Africa and just be a bartender for the rest of my life? What am I going to do? And so I would just refresh my email all the time, and I was on AOL, IM, and I’d leave the office for no reason. So my boss at the time was like, you kind of have to be here in the office. And I was like, Why? He’s like, Because you work here. Well, I don’t think I want to work here. And he’s like, yeah, I don’t think it’s working out. So it was like the most amicable of parting of ways where I didn’t want to be there. And they were like, you’re never here. So when that deal was done, I left because the deal was done, and I was hired to do that particular deal. So here I am, just wondering, what am I going to do? And I had drinks with a gay couple friends of mine, and one is American and one was not at the time, and we’re talking 2008, there was no thought of marriage equality at that time.
[00:07:54.650] – Speaker 3
And they were both business owners, but they were not able to get married. And one was here illegally as well. And so they were having drinks, and the one’s like, we met with one of your kind today. And I was like, what do you mean one of my kinds? Lesbian? No, a lawyer. I was like, oh, my God, I’m so sorry. Why do you meet with a lawyer? Lesbian is better than that. And he was like, because we need a corporate attorney, and we need an estate planning attorney to help since we can’t get married and we own a business together and what have you. And so he like it was a horrible experience. And I was like, Why? What happened? We went together to see the lawyer, 18th in Market, 57th floor, right? Big mahogany doors. And so we walked through the doors, and the lawyer shakes my hand. He’s like, oh, you know, business partners. And my friend said, no, oh bring a friend with you for a second set of ears. No, your brother. They look nothing alike. Like one’s from South America. One’s Latino, white, Jewish dude. He’s like, no, not brothers.
[00:09:13.730] – Speaker 3
And he was just clueless. And my friend was like, Life partner. And the lawyer was like, oh, partner, partner. Now, if ever your air quotes come up and your voice goes down, just know that whatever you’re about to say is bigoted in some way, shape, or form and say, oh, partner, partner. Not business partner, but life partner, whatever. So I told my friends, I have a few attorneys that I recommend that would be okay with you being gay. Let me refer you. And he’s like, no, we already gave him a $5,000 retainer check. And it just dawned on me right then, like, oh, my God. They were willing to part with $5,000 towards an attorney they in no way felt safe with, right? But they’re feeling safe and understood and seen as an LGBTQ couple was so secondary to the fact that they had this legal need, which is this corporate and estate planning need, which coincidentally is because they’re LGBTQ, right? And they were willing to cut a retainer check right then and there, despite everything that had transpired. So right then and there is when the idea, for example, the law group was born.
[00:10:30.740] – Speaker 3
And actually where I was sitting, Zapilani, it doesn’t exist anymore, but you could basically see my first office from where I was sitting with that martini on that day. And Giampolo law group was born the following month. August 28, 2008, and I created Philly Gay Lawyer as a separate sort of advocacy entity that I, Angel Giampolo, live into as Philly Gay Lawyer. But Giampolo Law Group was created for the community, by the community as a law firm geared towards the LGBTQ community for all of our legal needs.
[00:11:05.510] – Speaker 2
So, Angela, you practice estate planning, you practice family law, you also practice employment law, and you also do real estate law.
[00:11:16.290] – Speaker 3
And corporate, like, small business real estate.
[00:11:20.230] – Speaker 2
When you opened up your practice, did you know you were going to be having all those different areas of law?
[00:11:27.500] – Speaker 3
So it’s not as varied as it sounds. So they all interrelate, especially pre-marriage equality. When there was no marriage, if you were a business owner, you needed estate planning. You probably owned real estate, either your residence, your primary home, maybe a second home, and or the building in which you operate your business. But you definitely had a lease. Right? And then since we didn’t have marriage, if relationships ended well, in creating relationships, we would have to do cohabitation agreements. So that was the extent of family law and then dissolving them. There was no divorce, so then there was a lot of mediation, and what have you. So LGBT law, if you will, as an umbrella. In my opinion, the high-level areas that you have to have some knowledge of are estate planning, family law to the extent of creating relationships and or dissolving them both with or without divorce, and then small business and real estate. On a micro level, personally, as an entrepreneur, and as a business owner and obsessed with real estate, even at that point. And now I have multiple whole portfolios, including commercial properties and whatnot, in my opinion, a true LGBTQ estate planning attorney needs to be able to touch on those areas.
[00:13:02.550] – Speaker 3
Employment discrimination is its own thing, and not everyone needs to necessarily know how to do that. But that was because of how I got my start in civil rights and human rights. It obviously naturally led into the human rights issue of today in the United States, which was employment discrimination against the LGBTQ community. There was also the component of Angela, as a human, is an entrepreneur and owns a ton of real estate. So I am just naturally knowledgeable around business law and real estate. So not as many estate planning attorneys are as knowledgeable about those areas as I am, but I am because I do them myself. So I come at my clients as a real estate investor, as a business owner, and not every family law, very few family law and estate planning attorneys have that piece. They typically refer that out.
[00:14:03.950] – Speaker 2
I’ve said this many times on the show. You won’t say it, but ask the experts broadcast now in nine different markets, so I have a feel for many cities across the country, and we work with a lot of attorneys in different areas of law. But one of the things that I’ve seen and Angela won’t say this, but I see a lot of attorneys and we refer to it as a shingle. Like, you do family law, you do personal injury law, and they list the different areas of law. And I have noticed that the last year, a lot of attorneys, especially family law attorneys, have added a shingle. Now, they don’t have any more experience in it like Angela does, but they’ll say that we also handle LBGTQ law, and they really don’t have the experience. Angela has the experience. And I don’t know why it upsets me that they try to promote themselves like that because it’s really not true. I mean, you make your living off this. You live and breathe this every day. There’s a lot to learn.
[00:15:28.810] – Speaker 3
There is. I totally agree with you. You’re right. I wouldn’t say it in that way, but I 100% agree with you that out of everyone who threw up a landing page and or says that they do LGBTQ law, they’re really just an estate planning, an attorney that is putting up a landing page exactly. In order to get more clients. It’s a pure marketing tool. With that said, I temper that with the fact that especially in places not like Philadelphia or not in a big city, if there’s a lawyer in Alabama or Arkansas or Ohio that is willing to do that, then I commend them for outing themselves as an ally to the LGBTQ community where there aren’t a lot of out attorneys.
[00:16:27.500] – Speaker 2
Yes I agree.
[00:16:28.320] – Speaker 3
It’s a both. And there are lawyers that are purely doing it from a marketing perspective, and they have no knowledge of the community, and they stumble over the acronym LGBTQ and probably don’t know what it stands for, and they could care less about the community. They’re just doing it for the buck. And then there are those who identify as an ally and want to let people know, who may not have a lot of out attorneys nearby, that they’re a safe place. So I commend those people, and I like to highlight those lawyers, for sure.
[00:17:01.430] – Speaker 2
Well, I want people to know, and I think this is really important because we’re getting ready to go to Break, that even if you’re not part of the LGBTQ community, maybe you have a family member that is, or a friend that is and let them know. Do them a big favor and let them know about attorney Angela Giampolo. Angela, give everybody your phone number before we go to break.
[00:17:28.980] – Speaker 3
Sure. 215-645-2415. And you can also find me at Giampolo Law.
[00:19:06.830] – Speaker 2
And we are back. This is the Ask the Expert show. We’re with you every Tuesday from ten to eleven. I have to think about it. Our first show every week is our show about the LGBTQ community as it refers to law. And we have one of the finest attorneys in the Philadelphia area, Angela Giampolo. Her practice consists of estate planning, family law, employment law, real estate law, and corporate law. We’re talking about hiring an attorney. Angel, when somebody contacts you, you have, I guess, either a Zoom meeting or a meeting in your office. Is that correct?
[00:19:56.670] – Speaker 3
Yes. Even before hiring me or even reaching out for the Zoom, wanting to educate people on how to go about choosing a lawyer. Right. So the first part of the show sort of setting up how I came to be a lawyer, but what are my thoughts on my two friends that had to choose a lawyer? Their whole experience around how to choose a lawyer was the impetus behind my wanting to open up my law firm. So if you find yourself in that predicament, how do you go about finding a lawyer? Right? What should you settle on, for lack of a better word, or not? And just say that that’s not the right lawyer for me. First and foremost, getting clear on what the legal need is that you have. So let’s say it’s estate planning or right now, post Roe v. Wade, especially, a lot of LGBTQ folks are getting their legal house in order, right? Doing their confirmatory adoptions, transgender name changes, estate planning documents, and anything requiring a court order in any way. And then also estate planning. So if that’s you and you’re looking for an attorney, first and foremost, look on their website and you’ll be able to tell.
[00:21:34.140] – Speaker 3
The LGBTQ community is very knowledgeable on whether or not someone is pandering to the community. Whether they’re just sort of marketing and throwing up a virtual shingle to market to them, or whether they are truly, truly whether they are themselves a part of the community or not, whether or not they are truly passionate and knowledgeable about the community. So a quick glance over of the website will be able to tell you that, right? Do they in fact, do LGBTQ law are they familiar with the LGBTQ community in each of these areas? Because they could be an adoption lawyer, they could be an estate planning attorney, but do they work with LGBTQ folks? And so then you find someone that does, and you reach out. And then typically, there’s an intake form of some kind before you get to that point of a zoom. Is the intake form inclusive? Right? Did they ask about your pronouns and how you identify? Again, if they’re a true lawyer that services the community, then the intake form itself will be inclusive. And so it’s important to look for that. Those are the two big ones in terms of getting to the point that you’re reaching out to the lawyer.
[00:22:52.160] – Speaker 3
Okay. Then you reach out to the lawyer, and now you have an opportunity to ask them questions, right? And I actually had someone ask me this the other day. They asked for references, and I was like, I can’t give you references that would be breaching attorney-client privilege. I’m not a contractor where I can just hand you names of five of my clients. And the woman was like, oh, I didn’t think about that. And I was like, Go on Google and read my reviews. Over 42, I think different reviews. And people leave words about I don’t just ask people for stars. Every lawyer doesn’t give me a five-star. Give me a five-star. It’s like, you get a 5005 stars. But did someone care enough about the representation to actually leave verbiage words around what it was like to work with you? So go there, and if they have zero reviews, that says something. If they have negative reviews, that definitely says something. And then ask questions to your lawyer and meet with them. I don’t charge for consultations. If a lawyer is going to charge you for a consultation, that says something like, if Steve were to reach out, tell me on a macro level what it is that his need is about.
I’m not going to charge to get on a zoom with you until I know exactly what it is that you’re asking me to do, because I don’t know if I can help.
[00:24:20.040] – Speaker 2
Right.
[00:24:20.950] – Speaker 3
My time is not is valuable. It’s not that it’s not valuable. But there’s, I think, something about meeting human to human, hearing out the issue, and then saying, I may not be the right lawyer for you, but I recommend Steve. I recommend Michael. Steve, reach out to Michael or Diana or what have you. So I get that not all practice areas lend themselves to no consultation fees, especially family law, and contested family law. Everybody wants free legal advice when they’re about to get divorced, so I get it. But if nothing else, then pay for that consultation in order to interview your lawyer.
[00:25:03.930] – Speaker 2
Right?
[00:25:04.590] – Speaker 3
Like, you should feel comfortable with your lawyer. You’re going to be divulging things and talking about things that are intimate. And you deserve to feel like you have a teammate in this thing called, you know, life, which is what you’re going to that lawyer for. Estate planning. That’s for life. It’s called estate planning -ING because plans are meant to change, right? If you’re going to get divorced, that’s one of the top three life transitions that you’re going to be depending on this lawyer as your representative in this fight. So taking an hour. And unfortunately, if you have to pay for that interview, I would still suggest doing so and really getting clear on the human you’re about to retain. Then when it comes time for it, then yes, I do a lot of the substantive work before we need to meet in person via zoom. People love it nowadays.
[00:26:05.990] – Speaker 2
Yeah. I guess depending on what area of law they need your help in is the number one or number two question they should ask an attorney because people forget. A lot of people have never been to an attorney before. What kind of questions should people ask?
[00:26:34.110] – Speaker 3
Once you know what the practice area is that you’re looking for, ask them how long they’ve practiced in that area and how many clients they’ve served. I have a friend who just sent me a screenshot of opposing counsel in her dad’s divorce. And so I looked her up, and it says family law. It says divorce, but it also says criminal defense and personal injury. And the woman clearly doesn’t really do family law. She’s clearly a criminal defense attorney who threw up a landing page that says family law. She was probably the cheapest that this woman could find, so she hired her. But, I mean, it’s clear she doesn’t do family law. But it was on the website. Right? And so just because they say they do it doesn’t mean they actually do it. And so ask questions about the area that you’re actually reaching out to. And if money is tight and you don’t have a choice but to hire someone who’s not that good, then just know that that’s what you’re doing. Be knowledgeable that, yeah, it says family law, but she really has only done three divorces, but she’s done 1000 murder cases.
[00:27:45.120] – Speaker 3
Right, okay. But she’s affordable, and so there’s that. But if you if all things being equal and you can afford solid representation, then ask, how many of said matters have you handled? And then Google will let you know if those however many people enjoy working.
[00:28:07.450] – Speaker 2
With them, you hear all the time, especially in family law, of people said, God, I wish I would have got more. I was too nice. When somebody comes into your office for family law, you have a pretty good idea of what you can get them. And I hear especially women saying, you know what, I just didn’t want to go through the hassles and I had to settle, and then they regret it. You must see that all the time.
[00:28:46.120] – Speaker 3
Absolutely. Two things there, even if money is an issue, beg, borrow, family, or friends. That’s why I got invented amex, swipe it and do what you can to get a good lawyer for you. Do not settle based on money. A. B. And I know we’re almost at time, but go to therapy and have an objective soundboard around whether or not you should settle and whether or not you’re settling because you’re beat down and you may not have the fight in you right now. But the you of three years from now that is healthier and has more fight in them will regret you making that decision. So getting a soundboard, are you settling because it’s amicable, or are you settling because you’re truly settling? You’re not, you know, and not getting as much as you should.
[00:29:39.270] – Speaker 2
You know, we have got time goes by so fast. Maybe we can talk about this. I’ve got more questions. People are calling with questions. Give everybody your phone number.
[00:29:49.680] – Speaker 3
Sure. 215-645-2415. And you can go to my website at GiampoloLaw.com
[00:29:57.960] – Speaker 2
And don’t wait, listeners, until the last minute to get your questions in, but we’ll be back. We’re going to go break right now. We will be back with more Ask the Experts and Angela will be back with us next week. Thanks, Angela.