Is An Attorney An Attorney For All Matters?

Three times in one week the same question came up with different doctors. I just have to vent my viewpoint, shared with all three and now for all my blog readers. Here's the question, in a modified form, asked by all three: "I know this is a transition of my practice and I also have some estate issues that need attention and I want to sell the practice facility and real estate, can't I just use the same attorney?" The simple answer is "yes", but also "no". Each of the areas mentioned above, transactional, estate / tax and real estate is a separate area of law, with of course overlaps. But the degree of sophistication required today to effectively and efficiently provide legal services in all those areas by the same person takes, in my view, an exceptional attorney. My experience has been that doctor CEOs are overseeing ever more complex practices with significant legal issues and they need expert assistance. I personally like to encourage that experienced and comment counsel with a working background in the needed area of the law be used. So even though you may need two or three attorneys for your affairs it is in your own best interest to have an expert in the given legal area on your team