dialog 1
brenda was being very hopeful in the above dialog. in the next one, she is a lot more practical and asking the right quesitions. much of dialog remains the same but, by pinning the attorney down with precise language,she gets a very different result. by asking the right questions,they find out what their chances really are.
brenda:that's what happened. do you think we have a case?
lawyer:okay, let me see if i've got this straight.
you want to install a large air conditioning unit in your home and put the main motor on the roof , and run conduit across the outside of the building. is that it?
brenda:yes,and the board of directors say it's not allowe. we think they're just picking on us.
i mean, it's twenty-five floors up. hardly anyone will see it. and it makes too much noise for us to put it in our living room.
i ask you,does that seem fair?
lawyer:it sounds like a reasonable request to me.
brenda:well,we know it seems reasonable,to us at least .but what about in court, what is a judge likely to do?
lawyer:anything can happen in court. it's possible we could win.it could go either way.
brenda:we already know that in this country anybody can sue anyone for anything.在这个国家,每个人都有控告权,这点我们早就知道了.
i want to know if this is a winnable case,or is ita loser.what's the case law on this?
lawyer:well,to be honest, the case law is not in our favor.lots of owners have sought relief in the courts for similar requests. not many of them have won.老实说,过去的案例法则对我们不利,类似诉求的业主很多,但很少人能胜诉.
brenda:how many have won?
lawyer:i'm not really sure of the exact number. i'd have to do some research.
brenda:okay,but offhand how many do you know of?好,但是就你现在所知道的,有多少人赢过?
lawyer:actually, i don't know of any but that doesn't mean we couldn't win.
brenda:fine,i understand that. i want to know what our chances really are.
lawyer:to know that, i'd have to do some research.
brenda:have you ever been a party to a similar lawsuit, representing either side? i assume you have. you're supposed to be experieced in this field of law.
lawyer: yes i am,and i've been involved in several cases like this one.but,i was usually on the other side.
brenda:and in how many of those cases did the unit owner win?
lawyer: well,actually,none.but that dosen't mean we couldn't be the first.