Over lunch recently, a friend suggested I take a look at the mission statement on the Firm website. She thought it didn’t quite communicate what it is that we do. I think she is right.

Our former mission statement, “Justice through proactive communication”, was created after I attended a Covey leadership training 10 years ago. I thought “proactive communication” summed up good habits our Firm aims to practice in each case, including:

• explaining the legal process and discussing possible options with each of our clients;

• listening to our client’s concerns and goals;

• clearly and timely communicating with our client, the opposing attorney, the court, and other necessary parties;

• actively seeking to convey our client’s legal position and to understand the position of the opposing party in the hope of finding a win-win resolution; and

• effectively advocating for our client throughout the process, whether in settlement negotiations or in the courtroom.

Good work habits still make sense to me, and I try to make them work for my clients, but my friend is right – the Firm’s mission statement needs to better reflect who we are, what we deliver, and what we want for our clients. I’ve landed on “Justice through effective advocacy.” We want to be effective – highly effective – in every case, for every client. 

There is something of a personal challenge to the new mission statement. What does it mean to be an “effective” lawyer? I’ve had 25 years in the practice to study the question. For me, today, being effective means providing zealous legal representation, which is a lawyer’s mandate. In my experience, effective lawyers are also professional, insightful, prepared, creative, and efficient. These characteristics are a few of the ones I’ve identified and aspire to achieve with each client who retains my services. The attorneys and staff at Siemens Family Law Group understand that each client is a unique individual, not just another file. We strive to give each client the time and attention that is needed to bring their case to a fair, efficient, and as amicable of a resolution as possible.

Being an effective lawyer, providing effective advocacy, is my professional mission and the mission of my Firm. If you have a case involving a family law matter that might require our effective representation, we are interested in hearing from you.

Jim Siemens

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This article is intended for information purposes only and is not to be considered or substituted as legal advice. This article is based on North Carolina laws in effect at the time of posting.