Introduction A lawyer is an uninterrupted pursuit, continuously navigating between dreams and reality, perpetually embodying the spirit of "holding the world with reason, acting in accordance with the law." Similar to doctors who wish for a world free of suffering, willing to let their medicine gather dust on the shelves, lawyers embody the most cherished pursuit of "resolving disputes, achieving a world without litigation." The contradiction between the growing aspirations for a better life by the people and the imbalance and inadequacy of development is the primary contradiction in social development. Although the law can mitigate and resolve these contradictions, it has its limitations, such as conflicts between legal principles and common sense, conflicts between legal principles and ethics, and the law's inherent lag. Economic foundations determine the superstructure, and from the moment the law is enacted, it is already outdated. Therefore, lawyers serve as essential "lubricants" between the law and reality's friction.

What is the value of a lawyer?

Upholding Legal Justice: Lawyers are the executors and guardians of the law, using their professional knowledge and skills to protect the legitimate rights of citizens and uphold social justice.

Resolving Disputes: Lawyers help people resolve various disputes, such as commercial disputes, family disputes, criminal disputes, etc., through legal means, maintaining social order and enabling normal life for individuals.

Providing Legal Consultation: Lawyers can provide legal consultation services to individuals or businesses, helping them understand and comply with the law, thus avoiding risks due to a lack of legal knowledge.

Promoting Legal Development: Lawyers, in practice, identify inadequacies and issues in the law. They can propose suggestions and reform plans, driving the improvement and development of the legal system.

Protecting Human Rights: In criminal cases, lawyers can defend defendants, safeguarding their legitimate rights and preventing wrongful convictions.

Public Education: Lawyers use various methods such as public speaking, writing, media interviews, etc., to disseminate legal knowledge to the public, enhance legal awareness, and promote the process of legal governance in society. In summary, the most valuable aspect of a lawyer lies in the application of professional legal thinking to integrate and process facts and laws, providing intellectual service value. However, this aspect of value is often misunderstood by the public.

Consultation Stage During the consultation stage, many parties may hesitate due to the consultation fees, ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars per hour. Young lawyers often provide free consultations to try to secure representation, particularly in cases involving acquaintances. Many people fail to understand the value of lawyer services: firstly, they cannot accurately quantify lawyer services, and even with established fee standards by bar associations, many still find them exorbitant. Secondly, a case involves various legal processes over an extended period, and the desired legal effects may not be immediately apparent to the parties involved, making it difficult for them to perceive the true value of the lawyer's assistance. For instance, a party seeking debt recovery may be hesitant about the cost of hiring a lawyer to navigate the legal process, as it may not necessarily achieve the expected outcome. However, just as effort does not always guarantee results, no effort ensures no results. Carrying the burden of unresolved debt, the creditor should timely change their perspective and, with the help of a lawyer, follow the prescribed legal procedures to minimize losses.

In addition to procedural assistance, the value of a lawyer is further exemplified through their legal service strategies. While legal provisions are fixed, how to apply them in conjunction with the facts is the crystallization of a lawyer's wisdom. The strategy of different lawyers for the same issue may vary, and their articulated perspectives may differ due to experiences or skill levels. In reality, there are individuals who are overly confident in navigating legal procedures themselves and face obstacles. Worse yet, some individuals feign consultations to extract a lawyer's strategic thinking and then entrust others to exercise their rights. In a sense, this constitutes a theft at the intellectual level.

Conclusion In conclusion, the value of a lawyer lies in their legal thinking and intellectual service solutions. Therefore, lawyers should continue to learn, enhance the quality of legal services, protect the intellectual labor of their minds, develop an understanding of charges, and cultivate an awareness of payment from parties involved. They should effectively turn knowledge into wealth, contributing to the construction of the rule of law.