HIRE A LAWYER AND GET ONE FOR FREE?
Law firms differ from shoe selling businesses
There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to shoes. There is also no one-size-fits-all lawyer as a solution for all your legal matters. In many cases and for many clients, the size of a law firm is not of much importance. What is important may differ from client to client, however the following more or less general concepts will undoubtedly play a role: the attitude of the professional, the quality of the services provided, timely response, personal attention, the ability to stand in the client’s shoes, creativity and pricing. The job of a lawyer is to add value.
Law is a people’s issue. Clients prefer people to buildings. They are seeking assistance from an expert they can trust. An expert who is able to listen and who adds value to their case. For law firms it is important to have a clear picture of the kind of clients they wish to serve and they should focus on fulfilling the needs of those clients instead of offering a broad range of services.
A lawyer should attempt to speak your language. Communication skills are particularly important for lawyers. On the one hand lawyers have to accurately debate legal issues with like-skilled/trained people and on the other hand they have to explain all this to people who have no legal training, many of whom are in a vulnerable position. That is not as easy as it sounds: legalese vs plain language. Does your lawyer speak your language? And does he really care about you and your problem? You may certainly expect him to!
Money should always be an issue to talk about, simply because it almost always is an issue. In the very first meeting with a new client, I bring up the topic of money myself. No one likes surprise invoices. Clients can never be warned too soon about any high costs involved. They should therefore be properly informed upfront, so that they can make an informed decision as to whether to hire you or not, what they want you to do and what not.
And although you will get nothing for free, we will make sure you will get value for money.
Karel Frielink
Attorney (Lawyer) / Partner
(26 July 2016)
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