Small Law Firms

Clients Want Their Cases Resolved As Soon As Possible

Putting clients first.

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Some time ago, I met a client who needed something done. I agreed and charged him a modest fee. He didn’t give me a deadline although like most of my clients, the sooner something is done, the better.

As time passed, the client occasionally asked how it was coming along and I told him I was working on it and would get back to him. But I had other, more urgent clients to tend and at times, I had to put his case on the back burner. Also, my office had to deal with an ant infestation which left the room smelling like bug spray and uninhabitable for a few days. And on another day, I got a flat tire which ended up with me having to replace three of my tires. This surprise major expense effectively killed half of my day and my working mood for the rest of the day.

The project was done three weeks later. When I told the client over the phone, he wasn’t happy with how long it took. When I asked him what was the cause of his unhappiness, he claimed that the work could have been done in three days.

I have no idea where he got the three days from but I listened and didn’t question him. I could have told him about my ant infestation, my flat tire, or my other clients who are in more dire situations than he was. But I knew he wasn’t going to care. I just told him that I was sorry I didn’t get him what he wanted. I offered to do something extra for him, but that didn’t seem to diffuse the situation so I quickly rescinded the offer and we went our separate ways once I received payment.

I always consider every unhappy client as a learning experience. The problem here was miscommunication — specifically when he wanted the work done. While his gripe is legitimate, I didn’t think it could have been done in three days. I wondered whether anything could have been done to get the job done faster. Perhaps I could have if I put another client on the back burner, got less sleep, learned to live with the ants or canceled the dinner with friends.

When I first started practicing, I thought that clients like him were being impatient and overly demanding. I don’t think that way anymore. At least most of the time.

There are a number of reasons why the resolution of a client’s case is delayed. Sometimes it is because we take more cases than the attorney can handle. Other times, emergencies come up and they always come at the worst possible time.

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Another reason is procrastination. You see, when you have been practicing for a while and have helped many people along the way, you generally get a sense as to how a client’s case will turn out. If you know that things will eventually be ok, you are likely to put his case on the back burner as I did in my example above. The problem with this is that you have determined that you will resolve the client’s case on your terms.

But the client sees things differently. I have come to realize that clients, when it comes down to it, care only about themselves and their loved ones. And I don’t mean that in a bad way. They might need a case resolved quickly for their own reasons. They might need their case resolved because of their job, their relationships, finances or to maintain their reputation.

And sometimes, lawyers need to spend time dealing with personal issues. Many articles have been written here and elsewhere about lawyers being stressed, depressed and lonely. But clients don’t really care about your personal problems. You might be able to get away with an illness for a few days. But most clients will not care about your long-term depression, especially if their problems are depressing them as well.

And if the cause of your stress is procrastination, the only effective cure is to get back to work instead of getting back to your therapist.

The moral of today’s story is obvious. But lawyers sometimes don’t work quickly enough on a client’s case for a number of reasons. But keep in mind that clients have legitimate reasons for wanting to resolve their issues quickly and we should strive to honor this basic request.

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Shannon Achimalbe was a former solo practitioner for five years before deciding to sell out and get back on the corporate ladder. Shannon can be reached by email at sachimalbe@excite.com and via Twitter: @ShanonAchimalbe.

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