Pro Bono

I Want To Fire My Pro Bono Client. Help?

You are entitled to respect and cooperation.

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sad-upset-young-lawyer-summer-associate-law-student-stress-needs-help-300x199Question: I am struggling with my decision to fire a pro bono client. I’m sure I’m not the only new attorney/solo who takes on pro bono clients because I 1) have the time and 2) want to help. How do I fire a pro bono client who is resisting my best efforts at client control?

I represent a domestic violence survivor pro bono and she’s disrespectful and hard to work with. I’ve gone from feeling really good about what I’ve been able to do for her to dreading her calls. I’ve finally grown a spine and started strongly defining (to her) what I can and cannot help her with, but I’m not getting anywhere. I’m starting to get resentful, and I know this makes me a less effective advocate for her. I know there are many low income DV victims in my community who need my help and who will not be as difficult. But I just plain feel guilty contemplating firing this client because I know she has a very small chance of replacing me, and opposing counsel will take full advantage of her pro se status. I also fully anticipate some very ugly words if I fire her in person or over the phone. She’s started taking her frustration out on me.

Any thoughts?

Answer: Whether this woman is paying you or not doesn’t change your exposure to malpractice, doesn’t change your professional obligations to her OR her obligations to you as a client. You are entitled to respect and cooperation. Whether pro bono or not, I’m sure you have a clause in your retainer agreement which states you have the right to terminate representation pursuant to the Rules of Professional Conduct in your state and/or any local customs of your courts IF the client does not cooperate or makes it difficult for you to represent her. She needs to be reminded that just because she isn’t paying for your services doesn’t mean that your services are not worth paying for. And you need to remember this, too. This type of client, although you sympathize with her plight, is:

● dragging you down professionally;
● eating up your time which you could be using to market your services and educating yourself
on how to get paying clients;
● making you regret your generosity;
● In making you regret your generosity, you may feel disinclined to do pro bono work for “many low income DV victims in my community who need my help.”

Do not turn over your “power” to one bad client regardless their personal situation. Pro bono work poorly handled from a business perspective could very well put you out of business. (It would be interesting to see how many hours you could have billed to see the dollar value of the time you generously donated.) Pro bono work is a gift you give back to the community and it is part of a well-designed business plan. Understand its place in the worklife of a solo practitioner.

If you need to fire her, make sure you do it properly (get advice from a more seasoned lawyer) and for your safety, make sure you have someone present. Let her understand she has created this situation, and while you sympathize with her plight, she has made it impossible for you to work with her. If she is indigent, find out if there are other legal aid services or other attorneys who do similar pro bono work and provide the names of the agencies and the attorneys with telephone numbers so she has some direction.

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Again, just because no money has changed hands does not mean you should treat her any differently than a paying client who is disruptive or uncooperative. If you make a mistake, your license to practice is still on the line.

Susan Cartier Liebel is the Founder and CEO of Solo Practice University®, an online educational and professional networking community for lawyers and law students who want to create and grow their solo/small firm practices. She is a coach and consultant for solos, an entrepreneur mentor for LawWithoutWalls.org, a member of the advisory board for the innovative Suffolk School of Law – Institute on Law Practice Technology and Innovation, an attorney who started her own practice right out of law school, an adjunct professor at Quinnipiac University School of Law for eight years teaching law students how to open their own practices, a frequent speaker, and a columnist for LawyersUSA Weekly, The Connecticut Law Tribune, The Complete Lawyer, and Law.com. She has contributed to numerous legal publications and books offering both practical knowledge and inspiration. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+, and you can email her at [email protected].

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