To The Editor:
Upon reading attorney Susan Cartier-Liebel’s June 26 article (“Real Estate Certification A Death Knell To Solos”), we were struck by her comment that “Representing a client in a residential real estate closing is not brain surgery. If it was, most of the ‘detail’ work could not be done by a paralegal while the lawyer shows up in his tennis whites on a Friday afternoon to sign the papers.” With this overly broad comment, Ms. Cartier-Liebel manages to offend both attorneys and paralegals alike. As the real estate department of a Hamden law firm, we can assure Ms. Cartier-Liebel not all closings are as simple as they seem. It takes lawyers, paralegals, and any other support staff to ensure a smooth transaction takes place. To declare they are not “brain surgery” undermines the hard work of all real estate attorneys and paralegals. If closings seem routine to Ms. Cartier-Liebel, it is because of the preparation by the firm long before anyone gets to the closing table.
