To improve client interaction, Neely suggests lawyers maintain automated systems for communications, employ an effective assistant that is trained to answer phones and respond to client needs appropriately and establish client expectations early in the relationship so misunderstandings do not occur.

A common mistake lawyers often make is not communicating with clients when nothing is happening with their case, says Wendy Witt, an estate planning attorney in Pittsburgh who has mentored more than 500 lawyers on how to improve their communication techniques.

Not Just the Same-old, Same old

Chere Estrin, president and co-founder of the Organization of Legal Professionals, urges lawyers to go beyond the norm when it comes to communicating with clients. It’s paramount that attorneys do not denigrate clients when communicating with them so that people can maintain their self-respect, she says.

“Show respect. Come out of every conversation with dignity for yourself and your client,” she says.

Estrin also suggests lawyers ask each client how they wish to communicate with their counsel. While it seems electronic messages have usurped the old-fashioned letter transmitted via U.S. mail, not every client even has an e-mail address. Or, for example, if the client doesn’t own a computer or their typing skills are poor, communicating via e-mail isn’t an appropriate option for that person.

“Don’t make an assumption or error on the side of saving fees, if, in the end, it will cost you the client. The more you meet the client’s mindset, the more loyalty you’ll have, particularly in this age of 15 minute client steadfastness,” she says.

Meanwhile, the public’s perception that lawyers don’t generally return phone calls is not without merit, and that usually spells bad news for the attorney. “Ignoring client communications causes anger and resentment. When you are respectful, you stand out and your clients will like you,” says Witt. Often, those positive impressions lead to additional work, another benefit of keeping in touch with clients.

Advice From the Experts

Certainly the practice of law is a demanding, often exhausting profession, but that does not excuse ineffective client communications. Besides, without them, what work would an attorney have, anyway?

Witt offers several suggestions to attorneys on how they can establish and maintain effective communication with their clients. Among them are:

• Save the legalese for conversations with other lawyers. Use layman’s terms when speaking with clients

• Follow up oral communications with a written message. That way, clients can refer to a written document to supplement their understanding of matters at hand

• Send updates on a regular basis, even when there is nothing to report. That way, clients will know you haven’t forgotten about them

• Flat fee bill so clients are not charged for asking a question. The fastest way to ruin a relationship is to charge $75 to answer a two-minute question.

“Being an effective communicator is more than avoiding malpractice claims. It’s about creative relationships, which help your client, give you a sense of fulfillment, and propel your law business forward,” concludes Witt.

Tami Kamin Meyer is a writer and attorney who is licensed to practice law in Ohio – both the Southern and Northern Districts of Ohio and the U.S. Supreme Court. She serves as Of Counsel for the Consumer Attorneys of America, a national law firm based in Florida. Her byline has appeared in publications such as Ohio Lawyer, Ohio Lawyers Weekly, Ohio Super Lawyer, Legal Newsline and the ABA Small and Solo Practitioners newsletter.