Harriette Cole: I thought we were talking as friends. He tried to bill me.

DEAR HARRIETTE I have a close friend who is also my lawyer Related Articles Harriette Cole My mom and I are offended by the birthday party snub Harriette Cole I feel like she s using me as a prop for her online persona Harriette Cole They have no time for my unlikable aunt Harriette Cole I need to honor my feelings about the broken vase Harriette Cole My dog bit someone s baby and I m worried about what will happen now In recent months I have unveiled it awkward to talk to him about things because if I bring up sensitive issues he may turn on his lawyer brain and then later suggest that I pay him for legal counsel meanwhile I thought we had just been talking as friends How can I draw the line with him on what is official legal business and what is friendship I don t want to be disrespectful to him but I also don t know how to just be friends if I fear that he is going to bill me for his advice Drawing the Line DEAR DRAWING THE LINE Talk to your friend and express your concerns Make it clear that you appreciate him in all the solutions as a friend and as legal counsel but you are finding it formidable to know which hat he is wearing sometimes Suggest that the only time you expect him to give you legal advice is when you hire him to do so Make it official before discussing your problems Otherwise ask him to be willing to talk to you as your friend If he feels like a conversation is going too deep into his area of expertise invite him to speak up and tell you that if you want to go further this should be a professional engagement It may add clarity if he signals his intention to bill you by inviting you to discuss the matter in his office This advice can be used for those of you who are therapists coaches instructors etc Whatever your skills know when you re offering a gift as a friend and when you should be compensated for it DEAR HARRIETTE I have a friend who has invited me to attend a Juneteenth event at our local museum We often do cultural things together so I m down for going but I feel uncomfortable because I have no idea what Juneteenth certainly is My hometown didn t celebrate this when I was growing up Can you fill me in Understanding History DEAR UNDERSTANDING HISTORY As of Juneteenth is an official federal holiday It commemorates June the day when the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation was officially ordered in Texas This day came more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the proclamation that declared slavery over It took that time for soldiers to reach Galveston Texas and announce to the people on a plantation there that they were no longer enslaved and for everyone to understand that their liberty was ultimately their own A celebration naturally broke out and over the generations people in Texas and throughout the South have acknowledged that day as sacred Related Articles Miss Manners I let my child pick her party guests and she picked wrong Dear Abby A false accusation destroyed our friendship Should I give it a second chance Asking Eric Once again my parents have hijacked my birthday and made it about them Harriette Cole My mom and I are offended by the birthday party snub Miss Manners I yelled at the people on the bus It did not feel great Over time the word spread In Juneteenth became an official state holiday in Texas Thanks to ongoing agitation and awareness-building especially by activist Opal Lee now years old President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law on June This day celebrates a critical moment in American history and I recommend that you attend the festivities and learn more about this part of the American story Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams You can send questions toaskharriette harriettecole com or c o Andrews McMeel Syndication Walnut St Kansas City MO