Philosophy
The Teichert Law Office is founded on three basic principles:
Many skills go in to successfully representing a client.
In an increasingly specialized and complicated world, even the best attorneys
cannot master all of them. However, the skills of thorough legal research,
intelligent legal analysis, and persuasive legal writing, are essential in all
areas of practice. All lawyers are not equal with respect to these basic
skills. Just like an athlete, a lawyer with a brilliant strategy will be
ineffective if he has not perfected the fundamental elements of his craft. In
law practice the fundamentals consist of: research, sound judgment, and
persuasive legal writing; just as dribbling, passing, and shooting are the
fundamentals of basketball.
In addition to his Juris Doctorate degree, Jeffrey B. Teichert has completed coursework for a Master of Laws (LLM) degree with emphases in British and early American legal history, and environmental law. Because of his background in legal history and advanced jurisprudence, Mr. Teichert has an appreciation of etymology (the study of words), and a well developed understanding of the interrelationships between the law, politics, culture and language. He is the author of a number of published articles and lectures.
In addition to his advanced education, Mr. Teichert has proven his ability in the judicial arena. In 1999 Mr. Teichert authored a brief to the United States Supreme Court in support of a petition for the Court to hear a case. Despite the overwhelming odds against having a case accepted by the Supreme Court, the petition was granted. Mr. Teichert has also filed effective briefs and made oral arguments in a variety of other federal and state courts and administrative tribunals. Mr. Teichert began his career as a Judicial Law Clerk to the High Court of American Samoa, where he assisted the Justices in crafting approximately 100 judicial opinions. This experience was invaluable in perfecting his legal writing skills, as well as teaching him the process of judicial decision making. Mr. Teichert takes pride in his craftsmanship of clear and persuasive legal writing.
The Teichert Law Office believes that every client (or potential client) has the right to an honest and forthright assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of his/her case, even if that assessment makes it less likely that the client will proceed with the case (which would generate more fees for the lawyer in the short term). While no attorney can guarantee a particular outcome, we aim to give our clients honest assessments of their cases, using our best professional judgment.
We trust that intelligent clients understand this reasoning and want us to focus on representing them well rather than flattering or impressing them personally.
Like almost every other law firm, the Teichert Law Office takes its duty to keep client confidences very seriously. We understand that legal matters often involve sensitive and private information. We will vigorously protect these confidences to the maximum extent of the law.
Like every good law firm, we will never lie for a client, nor assist any client to commit perjury, conceal legally discoverable evidence, or commit any other crime. (An attorney that will lie for a client will also lie to a client when it is in the attorney's immediate interest to do so. Fortunately, such lawyers are rare exceptions to the norm.) The Teichert Law Office puts a premium on honesty. Any potential client that wants an attorney to help him/her tell falsehoods need not waste his/her time with this office.
The Teichert Law Office embraces the ancient idea that the practice of law is a "profession." Originally, a "profession" was a religious oath or vow indicating a special commitment to service. The original professions were priesthoods and religious orders. Other professions included the orders of chivalry and knighthood, and the practice of medicine.
The common characteristics of a profession include: higher knowledge of a specialized subject; special power and authority to utilize that knowledge for the benefit of humankind; duties of confidentiality; and binding oaths
and vows of service. Among other elements, these characteristics set the professions apart as special and noble callings.
The Teichert Law Office understands that its clients may have their entire livelihoods and security at stake in their legal conflicts and disputes. While no attorney can or should guarantee a positive outcome, every client deserves to know that his/her business is being handled by an attorney with a commitment to a higher principle than billable hours. The Teichert Law Office is not taking vows of poverty and could not go on without attention to billing and other financial matters. Nonetheless, our orientation is toward service and professionalism in the traditional sense.
As a professional, a lawyer must be both warrior and healer--knight and physician. It is often a matter of professional judgment which role should predominate in a particular case. Often it is better for a client to pursue settlement of a legal problem in order to ensure an acceptable result and to be liberated from a stressful conflict. Where this is not possible, the client needs an attorney that can be trusted to vigorously protect and defend his/her interests, sometimes against more powerful opponents. The Teichert Law Office views the business of its clients as a sacred trust.
Legal problems are, unfortunately, often entwined with circumstances of personal animosity. Lawsuits can accomplish a number of legitimate objectives such as: compensating business losses, ending a destructive and stressful conflict, restraining dangerous or intimidating behavior, or protecting private property rights. However, litigation is not helpful to anyone when instituted for the purpose of revenge. As any good professional firm, we will not permit our services to be used for the sole purpose of obtaining revenge. We would do a disservice to the client, to the bar, and to our country by misusing the courts in that way.