what I mean?”
“Okay, okay.” I raised my hands in the air. “Let’s just see if we can settle this.”
Ultimately Merola made an offer: Maria could keep her tenancy under a six-month probationary agreement, but on the condition that Jose would be permanently banned from her unit. That meant Maria would continue to live in her apartment, but if the agreement was violated she would face a speedy eviction hearing. If the six months passed without event, her tenancy would be reinstated. Merola insisted on a further condition—if Maria even saw Jose at George Washington, she had to notify both management and the police of his presence. I tried my best to dissuade him from this particular requirement, knowing it would be hard to get Maria to agree to it, but to no avail.
“You tell him, no way,” Maria said angrily.
“Maria, you should consider it,” I advised her.
“They’re trying to run my life, not yours. Do you understand that? I have a right to my own privacy and to do what I want in my own apartment. They’re favoring Crystal. They believe everything she says, and they let her boyfriend stay there and they don’t even care.”
Speaking softly and slowly, wanting to lower the temperature between us, so to speak, I explained that I had tried my best but the housing authority was inflexible and it was the best deal she could expect to get. I emphasized that it would allow her and her children to stay sheltered, which was the most important thing, and if she wanted to see Jose, she could always do so at some other place. I further told her that, in my opinion, if we went to trial she would lose, but it was her decision on how to proceed. I agreed with her that what was happening to her was unfair and said I’d be frustrated and angry, too, if I was in her shoes. I summed up by saying that while I couldn’t change the law, I could try to secure the best deal possible for her, and that’s what I had done.
Just one year ago, I wouldn’t have taken that approach with her; I would have instead thrown my hands up in the air in frustration. But I had learned over time that it was very effective to empathize with clients and what they were going through. It was important to reassure them that I was on their side, and not just some bureaucrat giving them bad news.
I backed away from Maria in a way that physically signaled that the ball was in her court. She and Jose huddled together to discuss the matter, and I watched as she gestured angrily while he tried to calm her down. I sensed that he understood what she was up against and knew that she should take the deal. In the meantime, I talked with a lawyer I knew from a prior case, every now and then glancing over at Maria and Jose to see how they were doing. After a few minutes passed, she approached me.
“Fine, just take it,” she said.
“Are you sure?”
“I just want to get this over with. Take it,” she instructed, not looking me in the eye.
“Are you really sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. Just do it.”
Merola and I sat down together on a bench and wrote out the agreement together.
“By the way,” he said, “your client has to pay the one hundred eighty dollars in court costs that my client paid to file this case.”
“What? You never mentioned that before.”
“Your client was in the wrong, and my client had to pay to file the case, so your client should reimburse my client.”
I sighed. “Kevin, we’re agreeing to completely ban the boyfriend from Washington. I think we’re giving up a lot.”
“And you’re getting a lot. Your client is getting to stay in her apartment.”
“Don’t make me do this, Kevin,” I groaned, tilting my head back in a dramatic fashion. “It’s just going to make things a lot tougher. If you keep backing her up against the wall, this might fall apart.”
Kevin shrugged. “I’m letting her stay in her apartment. I don’t think this is a high price for that.”
When I informed Maria of this
“Okay, okay.” I raised my hands in the air. “Let’s just see if we can settle this.”
Ultimately Merola made an offer: Maria could keep her tenancy under a six-month probationary agreement, but on the condition that Jose would be permanently banned from her unit. That meant Maria would continue to live in her apartment, but if the agreement was violated she would face a speedy eviction hearing. If the six months passed without event, her tenancy would be reinstated. Merola insisted on a further condition—if Maria even saw Jose at George Washington, she had to notify both management and the police of his presence. I tried my best to dissuade him from this particular requirement, knowing it would be hard to get Maria to agree to it, but to no avail.
“You tell him, no way,” Maria said angrily.
“Maria, you should consider it,” I advised her.
“They’re trying to run my life, not yours. Do you understand that? I have a right to my own privacy and to do what I want in my own apartment. They’re favoring Crystal. They believe everything she says, and they let her boyfriend stay there and they don’t even care.”
Speaking softly and slowly, wanting to lower the temperature between us, so to speak, I explained that I had tried my best but the housing authority was inflexible and it was the best deal she could expect to get. I emphasized that it would allow her and her children to stay sheltered, which was the most important thing, and if she wanted to see Jose, she could always do so at some other place. I further told her that, in my opinion, if we went to trial she would lose, but it was her decision on how to proceed. I agreed with her that what was happening to her was unfair and said I’d be frustrated and angry, too, if I was in her shoes. I summed up by saying that while I couldn’t change the law, I could try to secure the best deal possible for her, and that’s what I had done.
Just one year ago, I wouldn’t have taken that approach with her; I would have instead thrown my hands up in the air in frustration. But I had learned over time that it was very effective to empathize with clients and what they were going through. It was important to reassure them that I was on their side, and not just some bureaucrat giving them bad news.
I backed away from Maria in a way that physically signaled that the ball was in her court. She and Jose huddled together to discuss the matter, and I watched as she gestured angrily while he tried to calm her down. I sensed that he understood what she was up against and knew that she should take the deal. In the meantime, I talked with a lawyer I knew from a prior case, every now and then glancing over at Maria and Jose to see how they were doing. After a few minutes passed, she approached me.
“Fine, just take it,” she said.
“Are you sure?”
“I just want to get this over with. Take it,” she instructed, not looking me in the eye.
“Are you really sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. Just do it.”
Merola and I sat down together on a bench and wrote out the agreement together.
“By the way,” he said, “your client has to pay the one hundred eighty dollars in court costs that my client paid to file this case.”
“What? You never mentioned that before.”
“Your client was in the wrong, and my client had to pay to file the case, so your client should reimburse my client.”
I sighed. “Kevin, we’re agreeing to completely ban the boyfriend from Washington. I think we’re giving up a lot.”
“And you’re getting a lot. Your client is getting to stay in her apartment.”
“Don’t make me do this, Kevin,” I groaned, tilting my head back in a dramatic fashion. “It’s just going to make things a lot tougher. If you keep backing her up against the wall, this might fall apart.”
Kevin shrugged. “I’m letting her stay in her apartment. I don’t think this is a high price for that.”
When I informed Maria of this
Similar Books
