Malbec Wine Tasting - Preview - key to regional lawyering/drinking

Before announcing the winners of the malbec wine tasting event, a preview of the legal gourmet's varietal foreign wine tasting much like what lawyer should I pick when facing a legal problem in "X" state.

We have at least six wines provided for tasting at my DC office deep in the heart of the city in the Golden Triangle. Each is from a different region in South America, but all are Malbec.

The bottles are covered and range in price and grading. And, much like paying for the attorney you hire, those wine tasters at the event will be able to decide whether more expensive is truly better and/or highly rated really worth it.

A prize will be given and after the ratings are finished we will finish off what is left before returning to our significant others for the weekend.

While picking a lawyer with a specialty is not as fun as wine tasting, it is similar in that there are different "varietals" of attorneys and their region of practice are very important. Depending on the case, you might really want to go local. And, again, like drinking wine, some clients have certain tastes and one wine/lawyer cannot be all things to all people (think merlot).

And, although age is usually a positive with wines, it really depends on the year. This is true with attorneys, some improve while others are from a vintage that sours with age and are best drunk early or not at all.

Maggiano's / the Legal Zoom of Italian Food

Recently I ate at Maggiano's Italian Restaurant in Tyson's Corner, Virginia. While the the company was great, the food was only as good as obtaining legal services from a franchise operated legal service like Legal Zoom.

It lacks the personal and professional service that a boutique law office or locally operated and owner run restaurant can provide.

While it is not the McDonald's of Italian food, Maggianos lacks the individual flavors and homemade quality of any Italian restaurant on Mulberry Street in NYC. It attempts to recreate the feel of a neighborhood restaurant but it falls flat in the end.

For instance, I ordered a veal cutlet dinner which had a generous portion, but its flavor lacked the uniqueness achieved in a local place. It was almost too efficient, i.e., it had the "take a number" please type service.

Much like hiring a lawyer, or going to a "chain" law services center, you really miss the point of having a professional represent you. Legal Zoom may have a slick website and easy to use questions and answers, which are seemingly very efficient, but this misses the point of having a lawyer with years of experience ask you questions and "diagnose" the solution to your legal problem.

So, my advice, don't fall into the marketing trap by eating at or being retained by something you believe is the real thing when its just a phony recreation.