"The Beard Grows, But The Head Does Not Grow Wiser."
"Lawyers work hard and, like us, they're human, many of them."-Dick Cavett
“A judge is a law student who marks his own examination papers.” - H. L. Mencken
"I tell you, I'll consult my lawyer. And if he advises me to do it, I'll get a new lawyer."-Groucho Marx 
"We are all here for a spell, get all the good laughs you can."
As part of the continuing preparation for the first installment of the Lex Fugit Podcast (it is coming, really), I asked all panel members to prepare a short summary of their career "stops". At our last Zoom session I presented mine as an example. In putting together my bio, I recalled a period I had largely forgot, my madcap 10 months as a lawyer for Hyatt Legal Services.
Like many young attorneys, I moved around a bit early in my career. I have worked as an attorney at six firms in my career. I had started at the fifth before the ninth anniversary of my swearing in.
Joel Hyatt was the face of this national (I suppose) firm, founded in 1977. Great pedigree, educated at Dartmouth and Yale Law School. His father-in-law was then Ohio Senator Howard Metzenbaum.
Hyatt Legal Services was made up of multiple small store front law offices in metro areas across the nation. At one time there were 10 offices in southeast Michigan. See the Detroit TV ad above. The firm billed itself as a low-cost legal service, making legal services available to millions of "hitherto disenfranchised middle-and lower-class Americans"-from the Wikipedia entry.
An appealing concept. Interestingly, every service was flat fee, paid in advance. I won't speak here about attorney motivation under such an arrangement.
Office hours were 9am-8pm, Mon.-Thurs, 9-6 on Friday, and 9-4 Saturday. The attorneys, three to each office, were expected to work a "flexible 50" hours per week, which meant at least 2 nights until 8 and 1 1/2 out of 3 Saturdays. Walk-ins were welcome, and the street-side entrance doors weren't locked.
At the time, I needed to get out of a bad situation, and Hyatt presented itself. Looked good to me, under the circumstances. In fact, I was promoted from associate to managing attorney before I finished the week long training period. With a $1000 raise, to boot.
I managed what was called the Northland office, in the Green-8 Shopping Center. The strip mall was located at the northeast corner of 8 Mile and Greenfield. Technically Oak Park, but right across the street from Northland Center in Southfield, where I often walked for lunch. Hyatt's Livonia office was a 5 minute walk from where we lived at the time, but you can't have everything.
Even though there was a Hyatt office at 8 Mile and DeQuindre in the Belmont Center, Northland was considered the "Detroit" office. Most of our cases were in Wayne County Circuit Court, which suited me fine.
Northland lawyers were supposed to be the "streetwise" lawyers in the Hyatt stable, which was laughable, really. Walking through the office singing "Can I Get a Witness?", as I did, when a client came in to sign her will, does not give one street cred.
There were monthly managers meetings at metro Detroit headquarters, in Warren. I can genuinely say that I liked everyone I met at Hyatt. We had some good lawyers, and good people. Lo these many years later I remember the names, first and last, of everyone who worked at Northland while I was there.
Green 8 was an interesting place. There was a small clothing boutique next to our office, and several times a week the owner's girlfriend rolled up in her DeLorean.
One of my lawyers drove a Fiero to work. One day I noticed, out the front window, that "2 Yutes" were breaking into his car. Rather than call the police, fool that I was, I went out, unarmed, into the parking lot, and walked, pretty slowly, towards the car. Thank God, the boys were unarmed (I think), and ran rather than choosing one of several available alternatives--shooting me, and stealing the car, or beating me to a fine pulp, and stealing the car. I am still not sure that I have told my wife about my derring do that day.
We had our first child while I worked at Hyatt, and the staff threw us a nice party at the office-a surprise to me.
I got to meet Joel himself when he came to my office during one of his periodic visits to the provinces. Nice guy. I never sensed an ego issue, which are quite common in our business.
Joel eventually sold most of the offices, I believe to help finance his unsuccessful campaign to succeed his father-in-law as Senator.
The Hyatt name survives as something called "Hyatt Legal Plans", which became the country's largest provider of employer-sponsored group legal services-again from the Wikipedia article. Not around here, that I know of.
I left Hyatt when an old adversary called an offered me a job, which served as my introduction to the PI "game". At Hyatt, all PI clients were referred out.
The Livonia Hyatt office is now a dance studio, the Green 8 Shopping Center has been leveled, and Northland Center is closed and is "poised" for redevelopment.
Lex and Tempus Fugit.
FAscinating article. Really taking me down memory lane. I remember as a "young lawyer" at the City of Detroit being happy to get a case from Hyatt Legal Services because they never worked them up very well. No offense to you Michael.
Posted by: Paula Cole | 11/30/2020 at 11:43 AM