As lawyers, we know how important it is to have effective and productive client meetings. They are the foundation of our client relationships, and they can make or break our reputation and success. But how can we improve our client meeting techniques and deliver more value to our clients?
I have three tips that I have learned from my own experience and from other lawyers who have inspired me.
While these are particularly useful as tips for junior lawyers, starting to delve into the legal world and begin honing their skills, these tips can also serve to assist those who are feeling like their meetings aren’t running that smoothly or perhaps feel they are “missing something”.
These tips might just be that little bit of inspo that you’re looking for to try something new and see how it works for your clients.
These tips are not meant to be prescriptive or exhaustive, but rather to spark some ideas and reflections on how you can approach your client meetings with more confidence, clarity, and connection.
Tip 1: Listen to understand, not to respond
The first tip is to listen to understand, not to respond. This means that instead of focusing on what you want to say or how you want to solve the client’s problem, you focus on what the client is saying and what they need from you.
Active listening is a skill that requires practice and attention. It involves maintaining eye contact, asking open-ended questions, paraphrasing, and reflecting back what you hear. It also involves being present and attentive, without being distracted by your own thoughts, assumptions, or judgments. In fact, these are interestingly similar skills taught in negotiation, mediation and collaborative practice training!
When you listen to understand, you show the client that you care about them and their situation. You also gain a deeper insight into their needs, goals, expectations, and concerns. This will help you tailor your advice and solutions to their specific circumstances and preferences.
Tip 2: Set expectations and address the elephant in the room
The second tip is to set expectations and address the elephant in the room. This means that you have a direct and honest conversation with the client about the scope, timeline, costs, and risks of their matter.
This can be a huge barrier and concern for your client! You also address any pain points or misunderstandings that they might have about the legal process or your role as their lawyer.
Setting expectations is crucial for building trust and rapport with your client. It helps you avoid surprises, conflicts, and disappointments later on. It also helps you manage your client’s expectations and educate them about the realities and limitations of the law.
There is so much misinformation or incomplete information available on the internet that sometimes you might spend a fair bit of time simply correcting this misinformation from the get-go; but that’s ok, this is all part of the process of educating your client, informing them of options, strategies and advice that is critical to helping them solve their legal issue.
Addressing the elephant in the room, i.e. the costs, is also important for establishing a positive and collaborative relationship with your client. It shows that you are not afraid to talk about the difficult or uncomfortable topics, such as costs, time, or potential outcomes. It also shows that you are transparent, respectful, and empathetic to your client’s concerns.
Tip 3: Summarize and agree on next steps
The third tip is to summarize and agree on next steps to bring your meeting to a clear close. This means that you wrap up your client meeting with a clear and concise summary of what you have discussed, what you have agreed on, and what you and the client need to do next.
Summarizing and agreeing on next steps is essential for ensuring that you and your client are on the same page and that you have a clear action plan, and it also helps you reinforce the value that you have provided and the benefits that the client can expect from working with you.
One way to do this is to send a follow-up email to your client after the meeting, thanking them for their time, recapping the main points, and listing the items that you need from them or that you will do for them.
This can also assist in making sure you document your discussions, serve as a starting point of your file note (or a compliment to your file note already written) and a reminder for both of you.
Believe me, these types of summary emails are a win for you both!
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