Your attorney:-- expert or advisor?
Amazing Firms Amazing Practices points to legal service maven David Maister article characterizing lawyers as either transactional experts or beloved advisers.
The "expert’s job is to be right—to solve the client’s problems through the application of technical and professional skill....the expert takes responsibility for the work away from the client and acts as if he or she is “in charge” until the project is done.
The "adviser's job is to be helpful, providing guidance, input, and counseling to the client’s own thought and decision-making processes."
Maister treats the terms as if they are mutually exclusive.
My own experience is that clients expect their construction lawyers to play both roles. The lawyer-adviser counsels and helps the client decide on goals and strategy--e.g., talking more versus taking the first swing. Once the direction is decided upon, however, clients want the attorney to take the lead. Stated differently, the client decides whether and what case to pursue, but the lawyer decides the ways and means.