How To Become A Lawyer

TIP 20 Be Genuine

The most important aspect of lawyering is your ability to contact your clients. Treat them and show your interest. Be genuine. Lawyers who do this are much happier, as are their clients.

TIP 3 Reasonable Expectations

One of the most important mistakes of many lawyers is their inability to establish reasonable expectations for their clients. Telling clients will lead to time and money spending the remainder of the case trying to bring the customer back and wasted. Better to inform the bad news to the customer is likely to make you.

TIP 2 Customers Choose You

A study by Feldman & Wilson, (The Value of Interpersonal Skills in Lawyering, 5(4) Law and Human Behaviour 311-24 (1981)), revealed that customers preferred lawyers that are perceived to have high levels of both legal competence and relational skills. Interestingly, the next group were lawyers who had reduced competence and had relational abilities. The study concludes that "this finding might seem to indicate that maybe an attorney's relational ability, more than his legal competency, guides positive customer perceptions" (ibid pg 320).

TIP 18 Get it Off Your Chest

Customers, especially matrimonial customers, often need a way to tell their story to other people. Think about forums in which a customer can get it. Consider using social workers, psychologists, mediation, Dispute Resolution Officer hearings, Judicial Dispute Resolution conventions and arbitration as ways to permit a fighting customer.

TIP 16 Returning Calls

Teach your customer from the start on what to expect in terms of returned telephone calls. Respond to your clients. Have one of your employees call, if you can not do it. Clients pay a lot of money for lawyers and they deserve attention.