For Michael Cheatham, the status of the economy isn’t reflected in how many cases his firm takes on, but rather the push back he gets from clients when it’s time to pay—or as he puts it, “complaint-age.”
And for the most part, he says, complaint-age is down.
The 50-year-old has spent the last decade representing landlords and tenants on the brink of foreclosure or eviction from his spare walk-up office on a crowded street in downtown Brooklyn. His often cash-strapped clients don’t just have difficulty making rent or mortgages; they also have trouble paying his legal fees, which can start at $750 for a single court appearance.
“Most of our clients are paycheck to paycheck,” he says while reclining on a couch in his office across from a wall covered with handwritten notes of the latest foreclosure laws and references. But lately, he says, “it’s easier for people to come up with the money than five years ago.”
While Cheatham continues to work with clients to set up repayment options, he says they have gotten better at meeting his standard charges. He describes the nature of his work as one of necessity, not luxury.
Cheatham considers himself and his firm’s two other employees to be better off than many young lawyers, and clients, in one of the toughest job markets in decades. “At least we’re working,” he said.
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