Small Law Firms

Pick Up The Phone!

Sometimes, it's much more efficient to get on the phone instead of spending 15 to 20 minutes writing an email.

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When exactly did we stop getting on the phone with each other? Over the past few years, I’ve noticed that I have weaned myself off casual telephone conversations, and instead, I text or write emails to people. As a child of the ’80s and ’90s, I spent hours on the phone with friends. I remember, with fondness, getting on three-way calls and chatting with girlfriends all night. Over the years, that desire to have long conversations has waned. I am not sure how this change occurred, but I blame this on the fact that I have four children. Additionally, the pandemic has me at home and rarely in the car, and it’s just really hard to find time to speak to people during the day due to my unusual working schedule and the fact that many of my friends are at work when I’m free. Late afternoons and weekends are spent with family, and it is almost impossible to speak to friends with the intense activity in my house. I save those calls for my mom, who doesn’t mind the hubbub of a busy household — and her grandkids can do no wrong!

What’s true in my personal life is also true in my practice. Prospective and current clients contact the office by the website and email more than by phone, and my office replies by email or text rather than pick up the phone. I am OK with getting on a Zoom call after a scheduled meeting, but other than that, I default to email or text. For example, I recently had a prospective client ask me some questions about the nature of my flat fee structure of providing legal services. I’ve drafted a long explanatory email about how the flat fee worked, and I explained it all in great detail. When I asked a group of colleagues whether they thought the email was written in the perfect tone, a few recommended that I reply by phone call. I was shocked that the idea of picking up the phone to answer her query didn’t come to me at all. Instead, my default was to spend time crafting a well thought out, lawyerly, explanatory email. It would be much more efficient to get on the phone instead of spending 15 to 20 minutes writing the email and worrying if my tone was appropriate. I know that I am not the only attorney who can relate.

I also struggle with picking up the phone to initially network with other lawyers, financial planners, and professionals. Rather than calling people first, I will craft emails and reach out via Facebook messages. The phone is my absolute last resort. I hate to admit that I get incredibly nervous about reaching out and networking in this way. I love to hide behind written words rather than to connect with a stranger on a call.

(OK, I know that a bunch of lawyers are reading this and thinking, not me! As with every opinion I share, exceptions exist. Some lawyers are great at using the phone. I am not talking to you. I want to be more like you. I’m talking to those who have grown up in a generation where we have moved away from face-to-face communication and just decided that it is the norm to email, text, or communicate in ways that don’t involve speaking directly to one another.)

I wonder if we’ve made this shift in our lives because we spend so much time being voyeurs on social media, looking at articles online (here’s looking at you), and passively watching entertainment. The pandemic certainly has not helped our ability to communicate, whether on the phone or even face-to-face. Let’s move back to not having everything answered over the internet and making more room for phone communication. I know my inbox will thank you for not sending an unnecessary email. What are your thoughts? Have you noticed a shift away from phone calls? Let me know at iffywrites@ibekwelaw.com. Or call me at (512) 505-2753!

Iffy Ibekwe is the principal attorney and founder of Ibekwe Law, PLLC. She is an estate planning attorney evangelist for intergenerational wealth transfer with effective wills and trusts. Iffy is writing her first book on culturally competent estate planning, available in 2022 (prayers up!). She graduated from The University of Texas School of Law and has practiced law for over 14 years. Iffy can be reached by email at iffywrites@ibekwelaw.com, on her website, and on Instagram @thejustincaselawyer.

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