Have you ever 'fired' a client, or wanted to? If so, why, and how did you do it?
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Some lawyer-client relationships are simply dysfunctional. Maybe the client never takes your advice; forces you to spend a lot of time getting him or her to pay the bill; or browbeats you to the point that you lose confidence in your work with other clients. Many lawyers in this situation will decide to “fire” the client.
“Why does this happen?” lawyer David J. Leffler wrote for GPSOLO a few years back. “If, instead of giving short shrift to existing clients because you are so tangled up with a trouble client, you fire the trouble client, then you will have more time to spend with existing clients in a calmer environment, permitting you to ask about their business and how everything is going, which can lead to new business. Also, you will have the extra time to find new clients by making phone calls, setting up business-generating meetings with other professionals and potential clients, and doing whatever else it takes to get more clients.”
So this week, we’d like to ask you: Have you ever ‘fired’ a client, or wanted to? If so, why, and how did you do it?
Answer in the comments.
Read the answers to last week’s question: In your experience, do new lawyers have the necessary skills to be ready to practice?
Featured answer:
Posted by Dean Boland: “I think law schools are not unlike college football programs. They prepare students to do really well … in law school. Just like college football programs prepare players to do well in college football. The pros, however, is not the same game as college. Likewise, practicing law is not the same game as arguing the intent behind this or that Supreme Court case. Real law, as it is meted out in state and federal courtrooms, is far more human and much less book learnin’ than law school prepares the student to tackle.”
This week’s question was suggested by a reader. Do you have an idea for a future question of the week? If so, contact us.
