Clients want you to be trustworthy, competent, and effective. Yes, you know that. But there’s something else they want that you might not know. 

It has nothing to do with paperwork, verdicts, or settlements. It’s not work product, billing, or keeping them informed. 

But clients want this almost more than anything else. 

They want to feel good. 

Good about their future. Confident that their problems can and will be resolved or their situation improved. 

They want to have hope. They’re often desperate for it. And it costs you nothing to give it to them.

Mostly, it’s about your attitude. No matter how bad things might be, your attitude and demeanor should be positive. 

Show them you’re working on it. Making progress. Smile when you are around them. Remind them you know what to do and are good at doing it. 

And that you are on their side. 

Your clients might be up shit’s creek without a paddle. Give them that paddle. 

When they know they can count on you, when they feel a sense of relief when they hear from you, they’ll feel better about their future. 

Which means you’ve done your job. 

I don’t know about you but in the last few years, I’ve lost what little remaining trust I had in the medical community. 

I now “DON’T trust AND verify”. 

Which is problematic for me given this statement I recently found online: 

“Medicine works best when the patient has complete confidence in his doctor’s skills. Doubts about the doctor delay recovery.”

I don’t know if this is based on research but it makes sense. If you believe you’ll recover (with a doctor’s advice and treatment), it seems you’ll be more likely to do so.

When I read this statement, I wondered if the same can be said about attorneys. If a client doesn’t trust their attorney, are they less likely to have a successful outcome? 

And I thought the answer to that question would have to be “no”. Because what someone thinks about their attorney doesn’t affect the job that attorney does for them. 

But it does.

If the client doesn’t trust their attorney, they might hold back important details, and exaggerate others. The attorney’s perception of the case clearly depends on what the client tells them, at least initially, and if the client isn’t forthcoming, the case can suffer. 

While an experienced attorney can usually figure out what they need to know, having a client who holds back certainly makes things more difficult. 

In addition, clients who don’t trust their attorney are more likely to question the attorney’s fees or handling of the case, which isn’t good for anyone.

On the other hand, clients who trust the attorney are more likely to hire the attorney in the first place, and bring them repeat businss and more referrals.

Bottom line, you want your clients to have faith in you and it’s up to you to make that happen.

Ugh, bad reviews. You don’t want to think about them, you just wish they would go away. But they don’t go away, you have to do something about them. 

There’s too much at stake if you don’t. 

Don’t do what one lawyer did. When a client accused him of scamming her, sued him, and posted a scathing 1-star review, the lawyer threated to sue her for defamation if she didn’t remove it. 

In response, the client updated her review and noted the threat. That’s when all hell broke loose.  

Her review was repeatedly upvoted and went viral. The lawyer started getting “random 1-star reviews harassing him from everywhere” and, according to the client, the lawyer became “a laughing stock”. 

Note to self: don’t become a laughing stock. It’s bad for business.

So, what is the best way to handle a bad review? 

Right, do your job and do it well so clients write 5-star reviews. 

Still, bad reviews happen, and when they do, you shouldn’t ignore them.

It’s not like someone left a bad review on your book. You have (had) a relationship with the client, and not only is that worth saving, your history with them potentially makes that easier to do. 

You know the case, the client, and what buttons shouldn’t be pushed. 

But you can’t write or email the client, you have to talk to them.  

That might lead to shouting or more unpleasantness, and it might make things worse, but you have to try. 

That means you have to apologize. 

Even if you don’t think you did anything wrong. Even if the client is being unreasonable. Even if you really don’t want them back. 

Find something to apologize for because you’re not going to get anywhere if you don’t.

Maybe you didn’t explain things as well as you could. Maybe you read the wrong signals or made assumptions you shouldn’t have made. Or maybe you allowed your other work or a personal situation to distract you. 

Don’t make excuses. Take the blame, say you’re sorry and fix it. Even if hurts to do that, because losing a client can hurt you more. 

Strange as it might seem, studies show that no matter how much a client is upset with a lawyer, if that lawyer makes amends (apologizing, fixing), that client will often become a lifelong client and one of the lawyer’s biggest fans. 

Maybe because they feel guilty. 

Anyway, once you’ve kissed and made up, you can ask them to upgrade or remove their review. But they might do that on their own.  

No, not every client will accept your apology or your offer to fix things. When you’ve got a stinker and the client won’t talk to you, some review sites allow the reviewee to post a response, explaining their side of the story. Should you? 

No. Either let it go or ask the client (in your response) to contact you to discuss the situation in private. 

Take the conversation “offline”. 

Whether or not the client agrees to do that, at least you’ll be showing others who read the review (and your response) that you’re being reasonable and trying to make things right. 

Which is a lot better than threatening litigation and making things (much) worse. 

Word-of-mouth. Buzz. Reputation. When it’s good, it’s one of the best ways to market any business, but especially a law practice.

Why a law practice? Because so many people have a negative image of lawyers, based on past experience, what they’ve heard from a friend, or what they see on TV, it doesn’t take much to exceed their expectations, and when you do, word gets around.

Even if it’s grossly exaggerated, or completely untrue, people often believe lawyers charge more than they’re worth, use confusing billing practices, are arrogant, fail to explain things, make them wait for 40 minutes after their scheduled appointment time, and never return calls.

Am I right or am I right?

Look at client survey results from your bar association, look at online reviews, and it’s easy to see what clients complain about.

And when you don’t do those things, clients notice.

The bar is so low, you don’t have to do much to develop the reputation for treating your clients well. Avoid the negative things other lawyers do, or are thought to do, and you’ll stand out. And get talked about in a positive way.

But don’t leave it at that.

Call attention to what you do by explaining to new clients, and in your marketing, what you do to keep your clients informed, your transparent fee and billing practices, and your guarantee to see clients no later than 5 minutes beyond the time for their scheduled appointment.

Explain it, put it in writing, and deliver on your promises, and your clients will tell others about their amazing lawyer.

Marketing made simple