The time may come when you will hire a lawyer for a case that you are starting or in which you are involved. An Attorney-Client relationship is critical to successfully navigating litigation, but it can often take years to develop, as any solid and productive relationship professional or personal.
The rules of a personal relationship are particularly applicable in understanding the stages of a mature relationship that set a foundation for a long-term positive relationship:
Introduction phase:
Typically, introductions will be made through mutual friends or business associates within the customer’s network. This is also where the attorney’s reputation is important in building a long-term relationship with the desired client.
First case or contract phase together:
While all may be good in the introduction phase, there is nothing to test the relationship like the first case or contract. This is where the pressures intensify: Office meetings, filing, signing papers, and scheduling schedules to complete procedures require intense and often tense negotiations.
Case Interim:
This is the time when there is a “happy glow” in the relationship but no special work has to be done together.
Serial matters and legal work:
In time, initial success and good relationship maintenance in the interim state of affairs will lead to new work based on the strength of the dating relationship.
Mature Relationship Status:
Most customers who are desirable to keep will have many legal requirements in terms of cases and contracts. In the mature relationship phase, whenever there is mutual benefit, the lawyer and the client are free to call each other without hesitation.
The most important common element is trust. Both the client and the attorney must trust each other and be right for each other. Once an attorney is chosen by a client, trust means that all matters discussed have client-attorney privileges and will be confidential. There can be no breach of this trust and confidentiality.
Reaching the mature relationship platform involves these steps towards any successful personal or professional relationship:
Communications:
It is the duty of the attorney to keep the client updated about the proceedings, ie when the case is filed and the next hearing. The client should be provided with a general overview of the case and the client should feel comfortable asking the attorney questions about the case.
It is always best to communicate in person. However, in cases of minor information and scheduled updates, it is useful to ring, mail, or message based on this system.
Ethical Behavior:
The lawyer must be truthful in informing any problem of the case.
Proper advice or counsel: The lawyer should inform the client if a particular case is not eligible to proceed with an untoward incident.
Decision Making:
Attorneys are required to set boundaries, as you are not expected to micromanage your case. The lawyer will decide what witnesses have to file for trial and what questions to ask. However, you alone will make the final decision on how to settle the case.
Honesty:
It should go without saying. Your lawyer has the right to expect you to be honest. Do not lie. Do not destroy the evidence. Do not hide the facts. Your lawyer can deal with “bad facts” and reduce their impact if they know about them beforehand.
If you have lied about everything you have hidden or tried to destroy surfaces suddenly during litigation, there is not much your lawyers can do to help you and your case will likely be lost.
