Philosophy

Perhaps it is a sign of a mature democracy that we occasionally gripe about the law. Sometimes our laws seem to get in our way. Few of us have lived in a society without a system of laws that, while not perfect, strives to be beneficial and fair. Consequently, we forget that our laws provide us with tremendous benefits, which include:

• Allowing us to be secure in our property. Whether its real estate, personal property (e.g. your car), businesses, intellectual property, etc., the law protects our ownership rights and our ability to enjoy this property.
• Allowing us to count on business expectations. When we conduct business, even for our personal needs, the law allows us to have certain expectations of the benefits we will receive from that business. We expect contracts to be fulfilled, deposits to be exchanged for value or returned, work to be rewarded with a paycheck, wills to be honored upon death, etc.
• Allowing us to rely on important relationships. The law defines many of our most important relationships, and tells us some of what we can expect from them. When we invest in our marital communities, we can expect that we will receive our share if the community is dissolved. We can rely on the government to act more or less in our best interests. We can expect people driving on the road to take care not to harm us or our property.
• Allowing us to resolve our disputes peacefully. While the law tries to avoid disputes, disagreements are inevitable. The law provides peaceful mechanisms to resolve disputes in a fair and consistent manner.

We gain most of these benefits without the services of a lawyer. Unfortunately, the law is complicated, reflecting the complexity in our society. Therefore, there are times when expertise is needed. Consider the following:

• When a marriage ends, the judge has tremendous discretion in dividing up the assets of the marriage in an “equitable” manner. Often, the judge awards one spouse more than the other to account for differences in their earning potential and other considerations. Brandli Law knows what information the judge needs to understand the share a spouse should receive.
• If a criminal case is not settled, a jury usually decides guilt or innocence. Often, the only person who has a complete understanding of what happened is the defendant, whom the jury may not trust to be completely truthful. Consequently, the jury sifts through evidence giving an imperfect picture of the facts. Brandli Law knows what evidence is important and how to present it can make the difference in a close case.
• The primary goal when interpreting a will is to determine what the writer (the “testator”) intended for the will to mean. While “I give everything I own to my sister Alice” may seem clear on first glance, complications can arise that the testator, who is no longer available for consultation, may or may not have considered when he wrote this sentence. For example, if he later marries and does not change his will, did he intend to disinherit his new wife? Brandli Law carefully drafts wills with knowledge of how the law interprets wills, preventing this kind of ambiguity.

An important element of the services Brandli Law provides is to counsel clients on what services they really need. We cannot feel good about our work if we are charging our clients for unneeded legal services. But, at those times when a client needs expertise, Brandli Law is ready to provide it.