By Joan Middleton

I work with children, the elderly and vulnerable adults. My clients don’t drive or they shouldn’t, so my practice requires me to travel to them.

My cases are often court appointments and those I visit may or may not understand why a judge has sent me to see them. They may be in institutions, their own homes or maybe they are staying in a family member’s home. They are always frightened, confused and shy when I enter their lives.

That quickly changes when I tell them about Bunny Girl, my pet rabbit. Depending on the age and mental capacity of my client, I may tell some rabbit stories in an effort to lighten the atmosphere. After I get their attention and they are receptive to me, I continue on to carefully explain why a judge wants me to speak with them.

As I advise them of their legal rights, my scope of work and the legal proceeding of which they have become the subject, they brighten when I also intersperse comments about Bunny Girl. My bunny is the perfect icebreaker for my client base and a welcomed counterbalance to hearing about scary legal issues. Bunny Girl is my “hook” as I make a connection with my clients, big or small, young or infirm.

I tell them how my rabbit is a vegan and a natural-born composter, eating all my household salad, fruit and vegetable trimmings plus all the weeds in my garden, of which there are many. This rabbit is good for my clients and she’s also good for the environment.

I tell them how Bunny Girl waits for her morning carrots and, if I don’t move fast enough to get her breakfast, she nips at my ankles. Bunny Girl chases my cats around the living room, too. This is one tough bunny. She is also litter-box trained, which further adds to her charms.

The best part is I got this rabbit free on www.craigslist.com. Bunny Girl is a retired hospital worker who was taken by her previous owners to visit gravely ill people. Since my clients are often very ill themselves, their faces brighten when they hear this part.

When I tell these stories, elderly clients lost inside their foggy dementias have been known to smile. Children, fearful of the dissolution process and the custody fight shenanigans of their parents, have been known to open up and ask me questions. Surly teenagers will listen to me when I advise them of their rights and how my rabbit does a binky-jump greeting when she’s in a good mood. (It’s an airborne half-twist at great speed and surprising elevation. Nice hang time.)

Making a connection with a client under stress and explaining the intimidating legal process are challenges for every lawyer. To increase client comprehension, a lawyer must sometimes use a prop. Bunny Girl is mine. n