Signing new clients is the beast of the law practice’s burden. It’s feast or famine. It’s … tough. It’s easy to want to fudge a little bit here and there, to really lock down that client so you can pay the bills. But at what true cost? I’ve found that business generates business, and the clients that send me referrals do so because I was honest with them, and because they know I won’t razzle dazzle their friends. When I’m consulting with a new client, I stick to these three tenets and let the chips fall where they may.
I tell them what they need to hear, not what they want to hear.
I’m willing to sacrifice my comfort of having a pleasant conversation to give a potential client accurate and truthful information about what they’re facing, and what we can do about it. Attorneys can be tempted to give a show about how they’ll get through the case in two appearances and get it dismissed no sweat, or on the other hand, they may paint a picture that without them, the client is completely screwed. But these are often sales pitches. There are so many lawyers who can help, and a potential client doesn’t need to buy into a story that this or that attorney is the only one that can help them, and if we don’t feel like a good fit, a client has every right to find an attorney that feels better to them.
I am honest and upfront about my pricing and what I can do for their case.
No two cases are alike, and no two clients are the same - so pricing is going to change considerably from person to person. If a client has criminal history, I’m likely going to have to work harder to get the best result. More work means I have to charge more. I can’t avoid that. It’s the same thing if they’re in a county that is difficult to negotiate with or is further away. It means I have to devote more time and attention to their case, and my fee will have to be higher. Clients don’t always like this at first, but when they go with me, and they see I’m candid and I don’t sugarcoat the facts, they see that my prices are fair.
I let them test my information.
I encourage potential clients to get a second opinion. Or even a third. I'm not concerned about them to testing what I say. If they come back with different information, I tell them to work with the attorney they trust. I don’t want to drag them into my office - they need to choose an attorney that feels right for them, and that’s not always me. But I believe that by telling the truth and how I would handle their case, I get to be the most authentic version of myself, and that allows me to be an even better advocate for my clients.
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