How To Maintain A Good Relationship Between The Lawyer And The Client

Relationship With The Client

In the practice of law, The attorney's relationship with the client is always permeating by trust, as the client deposits in the attorney all his fears, anxieties, grudges, achievements, including his assets. We often learn about facts that not even people close to the client know. Therefore, maintaining discretion and secrecy are key factors in this relationship.

Everything Too Much Can Be A Problem

Empathizing the attorney's relationship with the client in empathy is one of the tactics I used and still use a lot. However, it is not as simple as it sounds, as the client was not always created as you were. Therefore, prudence is always very important and must permeate your entire relationship.

Always remember the two magic words: prudence and empathy. 

Communication Is The Keyword

Another equally important factor is transparency and clarity. Remember what I wrote initially: the attorney's relationship with the client is based on trust. 

When you hear your client's story, sometimes some details don't fit the story or even the documents you're analyzing. That's where transparency and clarity come into play.

The Lawyers' Code of Ethics and Discipline determines that, in the relationship between the lawyer and the client, it is a determining factor to inform, clearly and unequivocally, any risks of his claim.

Although the ethical disposition turns to the lawyer to inform the client about the legal risks (succumbing, deadlines, appearing in court) that a judicial demand entails, using empathy, you can think, what if I were in my client's place? Was it clear in my statements? Was I assertive? Did the client understand me?

 

This duty of information fits very well when dealing with trust, informing the lawyer about everything important that happens in his case and believing that it does not "lock-up" the office or overload the service. 

Quite the contrary: it narrows and strengthens the attorney's relationship with the client, making him more relaxed, also being very important (and very effective) a personal marketing tool.

The attorney's relationship with the client must be as transparent as spring water, crystal clear and pure, and any imperfection or shadow must be quickly treated or removed; otherwise, it is a relationship that is bound to fail.

Keep Close, But With Limits

It is also common for us to get closer to our clients over time. We called for lunches, dinners, birthdays, and the whole relationship is building over time.

I have had contact with countless colleagues who draw a clear boundary between them and the clients. Others bring clients into their lives and become great friends. There is everything, and although it is good to say that rules must be imposed, the lawyer himself must define his barriers. 

Watch out for the "little favors." If it is a service, and you should feel you should charge for this service, charge. Therefore, it is good to avoid some invitations from clients, as they can understand as favors or even an exchange: I pay my lawyer a dinner at the corner bakery, and he makes the contract for me. 

That is, the relationship with the client is extremely important. But as I said, in all of our personal or even professional relationships, we must keep clear limits in mind and always analyze the points that we must not overcome.

I have clients who have become great friends, great clients who have become great ex-friends, friends-clients, clients-friends, including a client, once knowing that I would be traveling abroad, he asked me for clothing products.

Although it is a delicate situation, it is possible to detach yourself from it and maintain a good relationship between the lawyer and the client.

How do you define the limits of your relationship with your clients? Please share with us in the comments below!