Introduction
In general, working with an attorney is costly, especially if you are being billed hourly. Now, if you have a flat fee arranged with your attorney you may think this won’t apply to you, but it does. The reason is when an attorney sets a flat fee there are certain time expectations that the attorney uses to decide on your fee. If you end up taking more time than the attorney expected due to your failure to do as asked, failing to complete intakes accurately, failing to deliver as requested, or because you change your mind every other day, it is likely to create a sense of frustration and lack of seriousness on your behalf which will very likely impact how the attorney works on your file, will even if it is subconscious.
Another issue I see that greatly impacts Clients, who are many times completely unaware of his/her own behavior are the Clients who believe every single thing is an emergency, eventually don’t get responses as quickly as those who understand what a true emergency is because your attorney no longer considers you capable of judging what an emergency is and isn’t
This all comes down to Clients not working with his/her attorney in the ways that will help the Client “get the most” of the Attorney-Client relationship. Anytime you devalue your attorney’s time, as exemplified above, you are losing valuable connection and working against your own interest. I believe if individuals knew how to work better together, they would because who does not want to “get the most”?
I have set out in this short guide to help my own Clients work with me better, and also to help all those out there work better with their attorneys so that they will be able to make the most out of the relationship and get the best results.
Over the years, I have had some horrible attorney experiences, but I have also had some great experiences. Even with the bad experiences I found that there are things I could do or could have done different that might have impacted my experience, or at least my frustration level. I am sharing with you the tips I found helpful to myself, as well as my clients in working with me.
We will be covering the following topics in short posts, all will be under the “Get the Most Out of Working with An Attorney” title:
Understanding the Financial Responsibility You Are Undertaking
Communication with Your Attorney
Completing Intakes/Questionnaires for Your Attorney
Respecting the Boundaries of an Attorney-Client Relationship
Communication, Honesty, & Total Transparency
While I hope this will help you get the most out of your experience working with an Attorney, there are some Attorneys that even if you do everything “right” unfortunately you will always feel you got shorted. As in every field, there are those that are just incompetent, uncaring, and have their ways. When in doubt, ask your attorney what they prefer, and always ask clarifying questions.
