F. S. Liverman | Pointe-Claire Litigation Lawyer

There was a case I had where a young woman went to a law firm to fight a speeding ticket. They did not help much and she was dissatisfied. The ticket was for $90 and the bill to the lawyer was about the same. This is not where it ended. She wrote a bad review on the internet. The lawyer wrote her and threatened to sue her for $100,000.00 unless she immediately withdrew the review. I learned that this wasn't the first time he had so threatened. She refused and he actually sued her for $100,000.00. She came to see me about it, but didn't have the funds to pay for the legal fees. I was so incensed that I agreed to take the case and only get paid if I was able to recover my fees from the lawyer as damages. At trial, the judge dismissed his suit with court costs and awarded our client $20,000.00 to cover her legal fees and another $8000.00 for her. This judgment not only made a difference for our client, but also for all future clients of this lawyer who would otherwise be intimidated and forced to withdraw honest reviews.

Over the 48 years of my practice, I have dealt with varied areas of law. When one area went down due to recession or otherwise, I shifted to another area and so on. My persistance and determination through the years to make it work, resulted in a practice I am proud of.

The best way is to get a recommendation from someone you respect who has dealt with the lawyer in his own case. This works very well in commercial matters where business people network, and deal with lawyers on an ongoing basis. But not so much in civil matters where it is difficult to find anyone who has dealt with a lawyer even once in their life. So when you don't have a recommendation I would advise that you see a few lawyers, discuss your case and listen to their advice. Chose the lawyer who you intuitively believe is the one you feel you can work with and who has the legal knowledge about the subject you are dealing with. No matter how "smart" you believe the lawyer is, if you are not comfortable, find another.

Preparation for a case includes knowledge of the background and culture of your client and witnesses. Understanding their traditions and mores will help you to get at the true facts of the case and make you a better litigator.

I tend to give a caller as much information on his concerns as possible. If he needs a lawyer afterward, he generally appreciates it and comes to you.

Generally it depends on the matter under discussion. For example if the prospective client has suffered a personal injury due to a fall, I would want to know extent of injuries, how and why did he fall, where did he fall and who is the owner of the property, etc.

I spent 35 years downtown before coming to the suburbs. Our way of practice, fee structure, and integrity is the same as it was downtown. Our practice deals with litigation in many areas of law and we have trial lawyers who limit their practices to specific areas so that they are on top of any new changes in the law and case law. Our clientele comes primarily from greater Montreal but many are from other provinces in Canada, the US, Europe, and South America.

When you are a trial lawyer, for each case, you must become an expert in the industry which is the object of the case whenever there are expert witnesses. I have mastered the degrees of strength of steel fabrication, the intricacies of musculature in the hand, the proper construction of retaining walls, the differences between PTSD and personality psychosis, and so on. This is what makes our job interesting and makes me want to get up everyday and learn something new.

I enjoy reading non fiction, primarily biographical, I build wooden tall ships, I play golf badly, but I am a glutton for punishment, and I enjoy vacationing.

Over the last 48 years, I have been active in my synagogue, in charitable committees in support of heart and stroke, breast and ovarian cancer and children's hospital.

• Canadian Bar Association, International Trial Lawyers, Lord Reading Law Society

 Me. Liverman will take all telephone calls personally at any time, including weekends. His calls are automatically sent to his cellular phone.

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