June 13, 2005
Quality Service and Fee Expectations
One of our consultants had been talking to an attorney the other day about a new capability for the use of managing attorneys. It provides managing and supervising attorneys with a command and control dashboard view of activity in the area for which they are responsible. Rather than analyzing information after the fact, it provides the manager with information in time to change the outcome. The consultant said something like, “So, if you see that work for a particular matter is exceeding a client’s sensitivity for the current month, you might want to back off and push some work into the next month." The attorney was incredulous and replied that he would never do that!
There are matters or cases where backing off a bit to defer work would be inappropriate, but there are plenty of others where the client would consider it a service. Certainly, you want to pick up the phone and call the client to let them know about the accumulating charges. Consulting with the client, letting them participate in the pace of work and avoiding a surprise when the bill is opened, are the kind of steps that retain clients and result in referrals of new ones. The issue the attorney’s reaction raises is the issue of good lawyering versus good service. They just aren’t the same. I am reminded of the quote by Richard Reed: “Anyone with a law degree can practice law. To succeed, you must offer more than a law degree.”
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