If you really need a lawyer, it's great that they are around - but they are relevant much less often than you'd think.
My last encounter with a member of that specie was when I had left my previous employer. I was not sure if I had received all that I was entitled to and thus sought outside council.
Somebody recommended me a lawyer specializing on labor law and in the end he sent my former employer a letter. They replied basically saying "no, Rune is not entitled to anything more". Of course, he did not register their reply at first, so it wasn't until after he had poked them again that he realized his mistake.
_Then_ he told me he wasn't sure and that he would look up the relevant laws and get back to me. That was more than seven years ago and I still haven't heard back from him.
The case wasn't a big deal for me. I just wanted some advice. If I had known that the authority on this kind of question was my former employer, I would have simply asked them directly myself.
Oh well, next time I have hopefully learned my lesson: Never involve a lawyer. What a waste of time and money. And what a waste of oxygen. I truly believe the world would be a better place without such leaches.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
