Best Practices in Client Relationship Skills

In today's economy, lawyers are scrambling to do everything they can to maintain and grow their current client relationships. They should because it's easier to keep clients than to find new ones. There are key activities that lawyers can engage in to promote the health of existing client interactions. All of these activities can be categorized into one of three stages: 1) establishing the relationship; 2) building the relationship; and 3) proliferating the relationship.

Establishing the Relationship

Establishing a productive relationship begins with the first client meeting after you have been engaged as lawyer. Although important topics (such as goals and finances) were covered during the courting and sales process, they should be reiterated and confirmed at this initial meeting. Begin a conversation with the client about what the engagement should accomplish and how it ties into the client's overall professional and personal goals. This automatically moves you from being reactionary to being proactive with a vision of the client's future plans. Show the client you are in this relationship for the long haul by identifying all stakeholders and their interests as well. Close this initial meeting with more mundane, but equally important topics such as communication preferences, need for status reports and a discussion of fees, costs and retainers. Clarifying details now can prevent problems later.

This newly minted relationship is developing and the client is determining standards for satisfaction or disappointment, so be sure to stay on top of the work. Ensure there are clearly defined roles and responsibilities for your team as well as for the client's team. With today's financial constraints, it is prudent to offer a project budget or an estimate that includes a list of assumptions to limit monetary surprises. Be sure to discuss a project's deviations from budget and get clearance from the client to move forward on certain tasks before exceeding budgets.

Building the Relationship

Open lines of communication are essential to moving you into the building stage of a relationship. By managing the project and the team effectively you will demonstrate your competency as a leader. To further your success, communicate the client's goals and expectations to each team member so they are fully versed when interacting with their counterparts at the client.

One problem that can thwart building and result in demolishing the relationship is how you handle client complaints and concerns. The most common complaint involves billing issues. To avoid this problem share billing reports with senior associates so potential challenges can be identified before bills are sent. No matter how diligent you may be, clients will still have complaints. Be sure to give problem resolution top priority. To answer client concerns, start by actively listening and make note of the client's situation, problem or request. Summarize what the client expects and be sure to accept the blame, not to deflect it. Involve the client in joint problem solving to arrive at an agreement, therefore creating a bond and, hopefully, solidifying the relationship.

Proliferating the Relationship

The ultimate goal of every client relationship is to grow it into multiple opportunities for ongoing work.

The key to proliferating the business is to understand the client's legal needs both on a professional and personal level. Throughout the relationship keep probing for insight into the client's current and future business problems and worries, as well as possible personal concerns. Constantly be curious, ask questions about what keeps the client up at night or what's behind the latest events everyone else is talking about. Expand your knowledge of the client's organization by meeting other leaders in the company or touring its facilities (at no charge to the client).

Clients are a part of an industry or business sector, so demonstrate familiarity with current trends by reading relevant trade magazines and attending conferences. Listen to what is important and real to the client and commit to learning more about it. By the same token, educate the client, about new or upcoming issues or conditions you have identified. Create a notification link in your e-mail, so you are alerted everytime something is in the media about your client or the industry.

You can move from being an attorney to being a business adviser by integrating your interests with those of your client. Help him or her look good to his or her boss by focusing on the relationship, while exceeding expectations related to the transaction or case at hand. Think outside the box by offering solutions and introductions to others who can provide services the client needs but that are outside your scope of work. The client will thank you for showing concern and care on both a personal and a business level.

Conclusion

Establishing, building and proliferating a client relationship is the foundation of a healthy and successful law practice. Take time to think about each stage of the relationship, outline activities that will enhance the connection and then commit to action steps that execute those activities. These actions will be your best practices in client relations.

Dr. Sharon Meit Abrahams, a member of this newsletter's Board of Editors, is the Director of Professional Development at McDermott Will & Emery, LLP, Miami. She can be reached at [email protected].

In today's economy, lawyers are scrambling to do everything they can to maintain and grow their current client relationships. They should because it's easier to keep clients than to find new ones. There are key activities that lawyers can engage in to promote the health of existing client interactions. All of these activities can be categorized into one of three stages: 1) establishing the relationship; 2) building the relationship; and 3) proliferating the relationship.

Establishing the Relationship

Establishing a productive relationship begins with the first client meeting after you have been engaged as lawyer. Although important topics (such as goals and finances) were covered during the courting and sales process, they should be reiterated and confirmed at this initial meeting. Begin a conversation with the client about what the engagement should accomplish and how it ties into the client's overall professional and personal goals. This automatically moves you from being reactionary to being proactive with a vision of the client's future plans. Show the client you are in this relationship for the long haul by identifying all stakeholders and their interests as well. Close this initial meeting with more mundane, but equally important topics such as communication preferences, need for status reports and a discussion of fees, costs and retainers. Clarifying details now can prevent problems later.

This newly minted relationship is developing and the client is determining standards for satisfaction or disappointment, so be sure to stay on top of the work. Ensure there are clearly defined roles and responsibilities for your team as well as for the client's team. With today's financial constraints, it is prudent to offer a project budget or an estimate that includes a list of assumptions to limit monetary surprises. Be sure to discuss a project's deviations from budget and get clearance from the client to move forward on certain tasks before exceeding budgets.

Building the Relationship

Open lines of communication are essential to moving you into the building stage of a relationship. By managing the project and the team effectively you will demonstrate your competency as a leader. To further your success, communicate the client's goals and expectations to each team member so they are fully versed when interacting with their counterparts at the client.

One problem that can thwart building and result in demolishing the relationship is how you handle client complaints and concerns. The most common complaint involves billing issues. To avoid this problem share billing reports with senior associates so potential challenges can be identified before bills are sent. No matter how diligent you may be, clients will still have complaints. Be sure to give problem resolution top priority. To answer client concerns, start by actively listening and make note of the client's situation, problem or request. Summarize what the client expects and be sure to accept the blame, not to deflect it. Involve the client in joint problem solving to arrive at an agreement, therefore creating a bond and, hopefully, solidifying the relationship.

Proliferating the Relationship

The ultimate goal of every client relationship is to grow it into multiple opportunities for ongoing work.

The key to proliferating the business is to understand the client's legal needs both on a professional and personal level. Throughout the relationship keep probing for insight into the client's current and future business problems and worries, as well as possible personal concerns. Constantly be curious, ask questions about what keeps the client up at night or what's behind the latest events everyone else is talking about. Expand your knowledge of the client's organization by meeting other leaders in the company or touring its facilities (at no charge to the client).

Clients are a part of an industry or business sector, so demonstrate familiarity with current trends by reading relevant trade magazines and attending conferences. Listen to what is important and real to the client and commit to learning more about it. By the same token, educate the client, about new or upcoming issues or conditions you have identified. Create a notification link in your e-mail, so you are alerted everytime something is in the media about your client or the industry.

You can move from being an attorney to being a business adviser by integrating your interests with those of your client. Help him or her look good to his or her boss by focusing on the relationship, while exceeding expectations related to the transaction or case at hand. Think outside the box by offering solutions and introductions to others who can provide services the client needs but that are outside your scope of work. The client will thank you for showing concern and care on both a personal and a business level.

Conclusion

Establishing, building and proliferating a client relationship is the foundation of a healthy and successful law practice. Take time to think about each stage of the relationship, outline activities that will enhance the connection and then commit to action steps that execute those activities. These actions will be your best practices in client relations.

Dr. Sharon Meit Abrahams, a member of this newsletter's Board of Editors, is the Director of Professional Development at McDermott Will & Emery, LLP, Miami. She can be reached at [email protected].