![]() ![]() This will indicate to clients that there is also integrity in the billing process. The effort projected in the bill is part of an overall approach of demonstrating concern for the client’s well-being and legal needs, which begins at the initial intake and carries through to the final bill.ĭemonstrate a high level of integrity in the way you handle cases. For instance, if someone tells you he has been injured, take care to show you really care about the client first as a human being. ![]() While discussing fees is important in your first meeting with a client, start by expressing concern for the client and his or her issues. Studies and research have all shown that there is less than a 20 percent overlap between what lawyers and clients want from the lawyer-client relationship.Īs you begin the first conversation with the potential client, show that you really care. Nonetheless, most lawyers’ priorities for delivery of legal services differ from those of clients. ![]() Thus, a lawyer who places the strongest emphasis upon efficiency fails to understand the client’s perspective. Surveys have shown that clients want the following, in order of priority: These activities include the initial client intake, the first discussion of fees, the fee estimate, the fee agreement, and sustained client communications. ![]() The activities in which the lawyer engages before and during the course of legal services help set the stage for bills clients rush to pay. What are the highlights and some of the tips that warrant the reader’s continuing with this article? Building a Relationship From the Start The book focuses upon drafting bills that clients will understand, find justified, and hence be more likely to pay promptly than the typical lawyer’s bill. If the client feels that the bill is unfair or unjustified, the client will refuse to pay it, in whole or in part or the client may pay the bill but not recommend you to others, so you risk losing that client and potential referrals-a lose-lose situation. Consider the bill the climax of the lawyer-client relationship-its power to build or destroy that relationship should not be underestimated. The bill must reflect the full scope of the effort made by all members of the legal services delivery team on the client’s behalf. As lawyers who wish to be paid for our hard work, we need to draft client-oriented fee statements that clients will want to pay. The client wants to know what work the lawyer has done. The bill is a powerful vehicle for projecting the lawyer’s efforts. However, none of the advice given lawyers has had such a dramatic and immediate impact upon successful client relationships as the approach to drafting bills outlined in the book and touched upon in this article. Each have been partners in smaller “Main Street” practices and have had the opportunity over those years to use all the tips they have offered to other lawyers. A bill should be understandable and show the value you are providing them and why it is worth paying you to handle it.įor more than 50 years, the authors of the book How to Draft Bills Clients Rush to Pay have written about and lectured on the topics of fees, billing, and client relations. Your bill should tell a story for the client on what is happening with their matter and how you are helping them with it. Some say that the most important piece of paper that a lawyer sends to his client is the bill! Why? Yes, it is the thing that helps us get paid, but it should be a lot more. ![]()
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