How to Promote a Healthy Lawyer and Client Relationship

When you need a lawyer, your life is probably going through changes. Whether you have been arrested or you are suing someone, this time can be extremely scary and stressful. Even if you are just fighting for your family, the whole court system can make this a trying time.

The right lawyer can make the difference between a stressful time and an unbearable one. Once you find the right one, it is important to work on your relationship.

Here are some tips for a healthy lawyer and client relationship.

• Be open to communication. You are going to spend a lot of time with your lawyer. You are going to have meetings and time in court. For this reason, you need to be open to communicate. Talk when it is your turn, though you should also listen when it is time to!
• Find a lawyer that you trust. It is important that you trust your lawyer, though they also have to trust you. You are going to share some difficult things with your lawyer and you need to be able to be honest or the relationship is not going to work.
• Trust-worthy support staff is a must! Since most lawyers are always busy, meaning that they are not always available, it is important that you are able to talk to those in the office. By hiring a secretary and legal staff who are easy to talk to, your questions and concerns are more likely to be answered quickly, making you feel confident in your lawyer and the office.
• Speak the truth. It is important that you tell your lawyer the truth, no matter what it is. The only way that a good lawyer can help is by knowing the whole story. For this reason, you need to hire someone that you feel comfortable around. If you are not confident and comfortable, you may have the wrong lawyer, which won’t help the relationship.
• Be realistic. Lawyers are very busy people, juggling many clients every day as well as the multiple court appearances that are expected of them. Whether you hired them for a quick job or just sent them an email with a question, you can’t expect them to drop everything just for you. Instead, give them a few days to reply to your messages. If you did ask them for work, don’t be afraid to ask them when you should expect it to be done.
• Respect their time. Lawyers often work late nights and weekends to keep up with their client load. Don’t expect them to always meet you after hours or on the weekends. Do your best to have your meetings during their business hours, even if you have to take some time off of work to do so.
• Don’t ask for a discount. Lawyers work very hard to get you the best result for what you want. They work long hours and deserve the money that they make. By asking for a discounted fee, you are telling them that you don’t think that they are worth it, even if your case depends on it.

In order to win in court (or just have a successful project completed like a will), you need to work on your relationship with your lawyer. The first step is picking the right one, which makes the whole process go smoother.

It is important that you choose someone you trust and can communicate with. You need to tell them the whole truth. Make sure that you respect their time and they will respect yours. Never ask for a discount. They work hard and are worth every penny that they make.

Contact us for all of your legal needs.