Law Firm Client Relationships

While many attorneys know referral partners are an integral piece of their career, they don't take the time to build authentic referral relationships. To their current and future detriment, they don't make quality referral relationships a priority.

We're well into 2022, and despite the flip of the calendar, COVID is still sweeping the U.S., it feels like not much has changed. Or has it?

There is no way to guarantee a lateral's clients will make the move to a new firm. But a series of questions can examine the quality of these relationships and the likelihood that the client will move with the lateral candidate.

The question has been frequently debated in the legal community: What is the difference between an attorney providing business consulting services or acting as legal counsel? The California Court of Appeal recently issued an opinion on the concern.

Demonstrating client service before the engagement serves attorneys well into the ongoing relationship. This checklist can help professionals discuss important topics with new clients and demonstrates their skills in quality client service.

The law firm office cannot remain unchanged, as if frozen in time set to some date prior to the onset of pandemic, when the terms and meaning have all changed. In fact, the office must now provide benefits or an experience the lawyers and staff cannot get at home.

Attorneys need their clients to see them as a trusted advisor and partner in their legal solutions. If the lawyer takes time at the beginning of the relationship to establish expectations, then future conflicts can be avoided or resolved more quickly.

If it was challenging to get facetime with clients pre-pandemic, that challenge has only multiplied in the post-pandemic world. As firms look for creative ways to reconnect with clients, client interviews and surveys have become more important than ever for ensuring client satisfaction, loyalty and profitability.