attorney client relationships Archives

7 10, 2014

Who Will Pinch-Hit for an Injured Solo?

2019-03-20T21:31:45+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|Comments Off on Who Will Pinch-Hit for an Injured Solo?

A lawyer client recently posed a question to me about obtaining professional liability insurance. She practiced in a larger firm, and now she wants to start her own solo practice. Solos face some unique issues in obtaining insurance and making disaster contingency plans. Some legal malpractice carriers require a solo to designate a back-up attorney who will step in for her if she is incapacitated due to illness, injury, or even death. How does a solo find a lawyer willing to do that? Here are some of my suggestions:

Perhaps you have a colleague with a similar practice in a solo or small firm. They need lawyers available to cover for them, too. By making a reciprocal arrangement, you may be able to persuade a lawyer to take on that daunting responsibility.

If you don’t know someone who would be a good fit, however, it’s time to develop some additional relationships. How could you go about that? […]

2 09, 2014

Humorous Client Misconceptions

2024-11-03T00:38:33+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|Comments Off on Humorous Client Misconceptions

Judge throws up his hands in confusion over plaintiff's request Clients get confused sometimes and we are all aware of how that can lead to misunderstandings. However, many of their misconceptions are quite humorous and I have compiled several of these for today’s post. Hopefully this will offer you a little break from your daily grind while you read some of their “ideas” about their cases. If you are a new lawyer, perhaps this information can help you head off some misunderstandings in the future.

First, some misconceptions about domestic relations matters:

1. I don’t need to negotiate with my spouse. The Domestic Relations Court will resolve my case and my problems.

2. Joint custody or shared parenting automatically means we will split time with the children on a 50/50 basis.

3. Since the divorce wasn’t my idea, I shouldn’t have to endure changes to my lifestyle, like selling the house, getting a job or experiencing a lower standard of living. […]

5 08, 2014

“Circle of 8”

2019-02-21T23:25:19+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|Comments Off on “Circle of 8”

Mastermind groups are a small group of colleagues who meet regularly and can provide support, accountability, solution brainstorming and a sense of community in your law practice. Mastermind partners usually share experience and resources. They can also offer crucial reality checks that keep you from launching bad ideas.

You can create your own support and referral group that can be particularly helpful for your law business. It is called the “Circle of 8,” so named because it shouldn’t have more than eight members. It is a hybrid of a mastermind group and a business networking group. It consists of a limited number of select entrepreneurs in related, but non-competitive businesses. Besides the masterminding aspect, the Circle of 8 differs from traditional networking or leads generation groups because (i) the number is limited, (ii) all the participants serve a similar target audience, and (iii) the members are handpicked.

Circle of 8 Benefits

A Circle of 8 delivers value in many ways. As a result of the shared target audience, the members jointly have a 360 degree view of their market, with which they can educate and support each other. Your circle members may come into contact with someone needing your services before you do, so they can be good referral sources. You’ll be able to provide better service to your clients by confidently introducing them to reliable resources for their non-legal needs. Circle members may hear opinions expressed by your potential clients about what they really appreciate in legal services, or dislike about other lawyers, giving you an edge on your competition. They may be able to give you valuable feedback about your own services that your clients don’t tell you. Participants may collaborate to put on seminars or other marketing […]

1 07, 2014

What Clients Want

2019-02-21T23:25:20+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|Comments Off on What Clients Want

In 2000 Mel Gibson starred in a movie called “What Women Want” in which a freak accident caused his character, Nick Marshall, to suddenly have the ability to hear women’s unspoken thoughts. He initially found it to be a very disconcerting experience, because (1) he discovered that he had some erroneous assumptions, and (2) women’s impressions of him were not very flattering. In fact, many of them thought he was a jerk. It turned out that what they said to him and what they actually thought did not exactly coincide.

Eventually, however, Nick realized that he could use his new abilities to do research that would allow him to understand women better. He began to modify his own assumptions, expectations, perceptions, and behaviors, based on his research. His interactions became more effective and enjoyable. He became more successful in his career. […]

3 12, 2013

Why GP Solos Need to Worry About a Modern British Invasion

2019-02-21T23:25:25+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|Comments Off on Why GP Solos Need to Worry About a Modern British Invasion

In May 2007 Slater & Gordon, an Australian personal injury firm, became the first law firm to go public. At the time, I discussed some of the implications of publicly held law firms, including the commoditization of legal services. I also gave some tips on how you can reduce the risk that your law practice will become a mere commodity.

Revolution in the U.K.

In October 2007 the United Kingdom passed the Legal Services Act (“LSA”), which authorized alternative business structures (“ABS”) with non-lawyers in professional, management or ownership roles in law firms. One of the regulatory objectives of the legislation was to promote competition in the provision of legal services. The LSA became effective in 2011, and in 2012 the Solicitors Regulation Authority approved the first four ABS firms. One of them, Co-operative Legal Services, launched a fixed fee family law service, with the intent of bringing “a refreshingly different approach to family law” with an “easily accessible and affordable” range of services. It is a division of The Co-Operative Group, a retail giant in the UK with 4800 retail outlets and 7 million members. So I guess you could say it is now the Costco of legal services. […]

5 11, 2013

Unexpected Resource for Client Effectiveness Tips

2019-02-21T23:25:26+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|Comments Off on Unexpected Resource for Client Effectiveness Tips

I seem to know a lot of attorneys with special needs children. One of them described to me how he manages himself and his special needs child in situations that might increase her stress. As he described his process, it reminded me of how effective lawyers steer their clients through the twists and turns of the legal process.

In this time of economic turmoil and uncertain futures, today all lawyers have stressed out clients to deal with. See if this parent’s process for a special needs child might help you be more effective in managing both yourself, and those you advise, in stressful situations. […]

17 07, 2013

Updating Your Marketing Strategy

2019-03-20T22:08:10+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|2 Comments

Back in 1980 when I started practicing law, lawyers touted this client development strategy: “Just do good work.” Even back then, that sounded naïve and simplistic to me, but perhaps it had validity when there were fewer lawyers competing for clients. The number of attorneys has almost tripled since then, yet I still hear experienced lawyers give newer lawyers that same business development advice.

The legal world has changed, however, and the old ways need a makeover. This article will provide a few ideas for updating some well-worn (and perhaps worn-out) business development strategies. […]

6 03, 2013

How to Properly Shorten Client Meetings That Drag On

2019-03-11T21:19:59+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|2 Comments

In my last post, I wrote about how to recognize bad clients before you make the mistake of taking on the representation. Among the responses I received, there was a request to discuss how to deal with basically good clients with a few unappealing behaviors. These are clients you want to keep, but you just wish that it was a little easier to deal with them in some respect. In this post I’ll make some suggestions on how to wrap up meetings with clients who take up too much of your time. […]

12 02, 2013

Picking the Wrong Clients? You Can’t Blame the Wreck on the Train

2019-03-20T22:20:16+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|2 Comments

Lyrics from the song: “You Can’t Blame the Wreck on the Train” by Terri Sharp:

“When the gates are all down
And the signals are flashing
And the whistle is screaming in vain,
And you stay on the tracks, ignoring the facts
Well then, you can’t blame the wreck on the train.”

Almost all lawyers have rued their decision to take on some client, and with hindsight can recognize the warning signs that they disregarded. Many of us learned our lessons the hard way, but you don’t have to. Well…you probably will learn the hard way that a difficult client can cause you a lot more harm than the lost fees you wind up writing off. But after one such experience, if you ignore these warning signs, then you can’t blame the wreck on the train. […]

19 11, 2012

How to Give Thanks to the People Around You

2019-03-11T21:46:30+00:00By Debra L. Bruce, JD, PCC.|3 Comments

“Karyn, thank you for working so steadily from the time you arrive at our office to when you leave. Your dedication demonstrates that I can trust you to play fairly with me. Trust is important to me, and it is a relief and a time-saver not to have any concerns about your attitude.” That’s a message I want to convey to my assistant in this month dedicated to expressing gratitude. I know she’ll receive this message, because she’ll publish this blog post for me. I’m hoping she’ll relish having the world (or at least this corner of it) know something that I appreciate about her.

I’ve written previously that studies have found various ways that expressing gratitude can enrich your life and increase your enjoyment of your law practice. I wrote about the value of acknowledging a job well done, which is a form of expressing gratitude, and how to give an effective acknowledgment. I’ve also written about the importance of demonstrating your appreciation to referral sources. Are you starting to get the message that I think having an “attitude of gratitude” is important? […]

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