by Traverse Legal, reviewed by Enrico Schaefer - February 21, 2011 - The Billable Hour, The Perfect Client
Oftentimes, attorneys are so focused on minimum billables and hourly billing that they forget that their clients can’t pay them if their clients don’t do well. There’s a big difference between responding to a client’s phone call for help, and actively helping a client protect and grow their business. Providing value to a client means much more than simply putting out a fire which grew so hot that it started to burn.
Of course, there’s good reason why lawyers oftentimes fail to focus on client success. It’s because clients don’t want to pay for a lawyer’s time in learning about the client’s business or keeping up with the latest challenges a client may face. Here’s the shocking truth. Lawyers need to be proactive with clients for FREE. That’s right. Lawyers need to proactively engage their clients to understand how and where they might be able to help for free. No charge to the client. No billing for phone calls or sit-down meetings.
If, in fact, the client is able to sell a value proposition on a new project, that project gets to be billed (preferably on a flat fee basis). What lawyers lose in six-minute increments, they make up in client relations. By teaching our clients that we, as lawyers, are integral to their business success, we help them understand the value we provide. We create good habits of lawyer contact in order to solve problems which fall short of the extreme.
As a founding partner of Traverse Legal, PLC, he has more than thirty years of experience as an attorney for both established companies and emerging start-ups. His extensive experience includes navigating technology law matters and complex litigation throughout the United States.
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by attorney Enrico Schaefer, who has more than 20 years of legal experience as a practicing Business, IP, and Technology Law litigation attorney.
