Bringing a Trusted Friend To a Meeting

Doctors sometimes recommend that you bring a companion to an appointment where a second set of ears may be useful.  Sometimes my clients find it helpful to bring a second set of ears to our meetings together, and will invite a friend, family member or other trusted advisor to sit in.  This usually takes place in the context of explanations of the Medicaid process, when the client is having difficulty making certain decisions and wants some guidance from me and her friend, or when the client simply feels overwhelmed in their situation and wants someone to come along for moral support.

A companion at the meeting can help with:

1. Talking to you before the meeting about what you want to remember to ask your attorney, and writing those things down,

2. Going over materials with you to spot any questions you might have, or things you may have overlooked,

3. Taking notes during the meeting so that you can just talk and listen,

4. Reminding you of things you wanted to mention or questions you wanted to ask.

Times when you may want to ask your helper to step out of the room (or your attorney may ask them to):

1. If you are discussing privileged information such as strategy for a trial, or private information like how you want your estate distributed,

2. If your attorney thinks that a family member may question your helper’s influence, they may ask that person to wait in the waiting room for a bit,

3. If you ever feel uncomfortable having them there for a particular part of the discussion.

It’s not right for every person or every meeting, but having a trusted friend or family member at a meeting can often be very helpful and productive.