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02 October 2008
Issue: 7339 / Categories: Features , Risk management , Profession
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Client phobia

Feeling client phobic? Simon Young has just the remedy

This job would be so much easier if it weren’t for the clients!
Well, possibly, but rather less well remunerated! What’s the matter this time?

They keep changing their minds. They start off by wanting one thing, and then change to ask for something else.
Have you ever thought that that might be your fault, not theirs? Remember that, under rule 2, the first element of the client care requirements is that you must identify what the client’s objectives are in relation to the work to be done. Sometimes, we can have a tendency to see a matter in our terms, not the client’s. We assume, from our day-to-day involvement, that every client in a particular type of work wants the same thing. It may well not be true. How often do you hear people say: “All I really wanted was an apology”, when we’ve been assuming it was the money they were after? Can you always say that you have sat down with the client, right at

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Shakespeare Martineau—David Vaughan

Shakespeare Martineau—David Vaughan

Shakespeare Martineau appoints new London office head as firm continues investment in capital

Browne Jacobson—Kevin Moore

Browne Jacobson—Kevin Moore

Browne Jacobson strengthens All-Island life sciences platform with appointment of leading Galway MedTech lawyer

Clarke Willmott—Latitude Law

Clarke Willmott—Latitude Law

National law firm strengthens commercial offering with acquisition of leading immigration practice

NEWS
Mr Justice Nicklin’s decision to order costs on an indemnity basis may be a ‘significant win’ but it’s still ‘far from game, set and match’ for Associated Newspapers, a former costs judge has said
The Law Society RFC Festival of Sport returns next month, bringing together legal and financial services professionals for one of the sector’s largest annual sporting events
Legal aid deserts leave almost one in four without adequate access to justice
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has warned solicitors and law firms that using artificial intelligence does not alter their professional obligations, amid concerns over inaccurate legal material and client confidentiality
From forgotten interest claims to case-management appeals, a string of procedural developments offers useful—and occasionally cautionary—lessons for practitioners
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