Clients who forget checkbooks. Or want to bring a case for the principle of the thing. Or who assure you that they’ve got a multi-million dollar, slam dunk claim. If you’ve practiced law for even three weeks, you’ve probably encountered at least one of these red-flags. Trouble is, starting out, you may not recognize these
Retain or Refer? What’s the Best Way for Solos/Smalls To Take Care of Their Best Clients?
A colleague recently sought advice on the following (facts have been changed):
I recently achieved a fantastic result for an out of state client who had a matter in my jurisdiction. The client now wants me to help with all of his legal work, and asked me to assist with a matter in his home
The Dangers of the 19th Century Retainer Agreement
OK, maybe this Engagement Agreement sample, extracted from a Start Up Law Firm Toolkit published by Lawyers Mutual North Carolina isn’t as outdated as the Pony Express. Still, the engagement letter provision below, which seeks express client authorization for use of any modern day method of communication is so antiquated and short-sighted made me
Using Your Retainer Agreement to Generate Positive & Deter Negative Client Reviews
Increasingly, consumers are exploring client reviews on sites like Avvo as part of the process of hiring a lawyer. Though it’s hardly scientific evidence, over the past few weeks alone, I’ve heard several examples of lawyers who attracted fairly decent cases as a result of their presence on Avvo or Yelp and the positive feedback
Be the Lawyer Who Sits on the Toilet Seat
During the last week of my dad’s life, my sisters, mom and I experienced the best and worst of the medical profession.
The lowest point came mid-way through my father’s last week, when my mother and I were accosted in the public lounge outside the intensive care unit (ICU) by one of the doctors
Don’t Poach on Me
Earlier this week, I dropped a few hundred dollars to attend one day of an industry conference. I didn’t do it for the CLE. Rather, I had to guard against other lawyers poaching my client. Even with my oversight, at least one consultant made an overt, brazen play for my client as I stood by.
HALO – Help a Lawyer Out
Professional courtesy. When is the last time you’ve used that phrase, or heard it as anything other than the punchline of a lawyer joke?
For me, professional courtesy is one of the aspects of being a lawyer that I most enjoy. Like giving a free consultation to a client sent my way by a
More On Technology Taking Us Back to the Future
Dr. Brest Rosenblum runs a solo family practice in Aspinwall, Pennsylvania, that hearkens back to the days before healthcare, like law, became a business. When Dr. Rosenblum’s patients arrive at the office, he greets them in the waiting room and takes down their intake information himself. After hours, when Dr. Rosenblum isn’t available, his patients
Why Should Your Clients Care That Their Lawyers Don’t Work Weekends?
There’s a small law firm in South Carolina with a Client Expectations policy that’s made a big splash online. The policy, which bluntly states, “We do not work weekends and do not provide emergency numbers for weekends….We make mistakes…” attracted notice from the ABA Journal and generated discussion at several blogs, including Jim Calloway’s Practice
Why I Won’t Let My Clients Set My Fees: It’s Not Their Job to Do My Work
Over at Slaw.ca, one of my very favorite bloggers, Jordan Furlong, offers up a couple of innovative alternative billing ideas, including a recent and somewhat controversial initiative of 300 lawyer, UK-based CMS Cameron McKenna: letting clients decide what to pay. Though many might assume that if left to their own devices, clients