Those tips are in no particular order, are common sense, not rocket science, but practically i found them very useful in my personal practice and i hope it will help young lawyers maintain a healthy client relations which leads to clients' loyalty.
1- Good client service starts with good client selection, don't work without someone you don't like on the personal level, make sure you developed a good intake procedures, do not take clients outside your area of expertise, send non-engagement letters to potential clients you do not take, and sign a confidentiality and retainer or legal service agreement with the clients you decide to take.
2- Do not over promise or over bill, but be enthusiastic about your career , it is always better to say less and do more, sometimes less is more, don't raise expectations and not meet it, be honest and transparent, humans make mistakes, lawyers are humans, so we may make mistakes, always tell your client the truth if you make a mistake, most clients will forgive a mistake but they will never forgive trying to hide it, make sure your work is timely and to keep your clients informed about all developments early on, never make clients wait for you more than 10 minutes, their time is as valuable as yours, send you clients update on the developments of their work.
3- Stay on top of technology, it will save you time, costs, effort and will give you a huge comparative advantage over your peers. Technology and internet are the power of this era of the human development and evolution.
4- Contact clients regularly, don't just call them to discuss problems, always return calls the same day or within 24 hours, never make a client feel you are too busy for him, or that you have more important work than his work, just call to touch base for no reason other than to let them know you are there when they need you, ask your client what they think of your work, your office and your services, and don't forget to say thank you.
5- Don't engage in a conflict of interest, or represent conflicting interest, and keep your client's information confidential, even your closest friends, family, wife, colleagues ....etc.
6- Bill monthly and with details, show the effort exerted in the work performed, you may write a short note on the bill to personalize it, follow up on payment, ask the right questions for the unpaid bills, such as, have you received the invoice, do you understand it, is there anything that you don't like about the related service, when shall i expect the invoice to be paid, make sure there is a penalty for each day of delay in payment.
Finally one should not hesitate good luck.
Best Regards,
Mohamed E. Shaheen
1- Good client service starts with good client selection, don't work without someone you don't like on the personal level, make sure you developed a good intake procedures, do not take clients outside your area of expertise, send non-engagement letters to potential clients you do not take, and sign a confidentiality and retainer or legal service agreement with the clients you decide to take.
2- Do not over promise or over bill, but be enthusiastic about your career , it is always better to say less and do more, sometimes less is more, don't raise expectations and not meet it, be honest and transparent, humans make mistakes, lawyers are humans, so we may make mistakes, always tell your client the truth if you make a mistake, most clients will forgive a mistake but they will never forgive trying to hide it, make sure your work is timely and to keep your clients informed about all developments early on, never make clients wait for you more than 10 minutes, their time is as valuable as yours, send you clients update on the developments of their work.
3- Stay on top of technology, it will save you time, costs, effort and will give you a huge comparative advantage over your peers. Technology and internet are the power of this era of the human development and evolution.
4- Contact clients regularly, don't just call them to discuss problems, always return calls the same day or within 24 hours, never make a client feel you are too busy for him, or that you have more important work than his work, just call to touch base for no reason other than to let them know you are there when they need you, ask your client what they think of your work, your office and your services, and don't forget to say thank you.
5- Don't engage in a conflict of interest, or represent conflicting interest, and keep your client's information confidential, even your closest friends, family, wife, colleagues ....etc.
6- Bill monthly and with details, show the effort exerted in the work performed, you may write a short note on the bill to personalize it, follow up on payment, ask the right questions for the unpaid bills, such as, have you received the invoice, do you understand it, is there anything that you don't like about the related service, when shall i expect the invoice to be paid, make sure there is a penalty for each day of delay in payment.
Finally one should not hesitate good luck.
Best Regards,
Mohamed E. Shaheen
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