Some Reasons Why Clients Fear Their Law Firm

Clients fear legal bills and especially the uncertainty of legal bills

Most business attorneys rely on the billable hour revenue model and this brings inefficiency and mistrust into the attorney-client relationship.  This also causes many attorneys to fail to deliver high value at a predictable cost.  From the client's perspective, once hired, the attorney turns on the billing faucet; huge legal bills rain down and the attorney never provides an avenue for the client to control the process or the costs.  Attorneys simply must learn to provide high value at a predictable cost. 

Clients fear their attorney’s lack of attention to the ROI

The most commonly used law firm revenue model encourages non-productive billable work that often brings little to no return on investment.  Attorneys, especially junior attorneys, operate under enormous pressure to meet the “billable hour” target, and the billable hour target is often a threshold for earning a bonus.  This can breed the inefficient delivery of legal services.  Attorneys and clients should always look to the return on legal services investment as a decision making tool.

Clients fear the loss of control that occurs when their attorney takes over

Attorneys tend to grab control of the solution process and this can result in a loss of credibility for the client.  This loss of control frustrates many clients.  In some cases, attorneys should be invisible advisors and allow the client to shine in the "solution spotlight" as they work though their legal issues with key stakeholders.  This approach helps build the credibility of clients in the eyes of stakeholders and makes them stronger in business.

Clients fear their attorney will destroy relationships with key stakeholders

Clients often fear that their attorney will overreach and harm relationships with important stakeholders. Some attorneys fail to engage in any kind of dispute preemption process, launching instead into dispute resolution. This almost always harms relationships with client stakeholders.  Attorneys should engage in dispute preemption when possible to help clients preserve and grow relationships with key stakeholders.

Copyright 2007 | Mark D. Walters | All Rights Reserved