Young Attorney Joe Schmo grew up in Muskegon, Michigan, then moved away to attend college in Ann Arbor followed by law school in Chicago.  Joe worked for a couple years at a big Chicago law firm but decided to come back to Muskegon because he thought he could be a big man in Muskegon right away.
He really wanted to impress his family and everyone he grew up with, and he thought the best way of doing that was to hang out his shingle in Muskegon and practice personal injury law.  He opened his new law office late last year, but fewer people were getting injured in Muskegon than he anticipated, so business was very slow at first.
Shortly after setting up shop, he saw a man walking gingerly up the sidewalk to his office.   Right then, Joe decided that the man must be a personal injury candidate and that he needed to make a big impression on this new potential client when he arrived.
Right before the man reached for the door, Joe picked up his office phone.  As the man walked in the entryway, Joe motioned him into the office, all the while saying, “No. Absolutely not.  You tell those clowns in New York that I won’t settle this case for less than your client’s policy limit of $1 million… Yes, I understand that, but the appeals court is going to hear the case next Friday, and you know the insurance company’s argument is weak so the court will definitely rule in our favor.”
This sort of thing went on for almost five minutes.  All the while, the man sat patiently as Joe rattled instructions and arguments and eventually ended the call with, “Okay.  Agreed.  $1 Million it is then.  Just tell their legal team that my team will meet with them next Tuesday at 9am at your office in Detroit to finalize the settlement agreement and accept the check.”
Finally, Joe put down the phone and turned to the man.”I’m sorry for the delay,” he said, “but as you can see, I’m very busy. What can I do for you?”
The man replied, “I’m from the phone company. I came to hook up your phone.”
-Written by an unknown source and slightly modified by Attorney and Muskegon native, Shawn Eyestone.