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Probate & Trust Law Section Conference Manual ... - Minnesota CLE

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I. Introduction<br />

Building & Managing Client Relationships & Expectations<br />

Jamie F. Held<br />

Held <strong>Law</strong> Office<br />

Edina, <strong>Minnesota</strong><br />

Attorneys are in a client service industry. Like it or not, clients make us or break us. Without<br />

clients we cannot be successful. After all, someone must pay for our time.<br />

Because clients are integral to our success, it is imperative that we understand what our clients are<br />

looking for and what they expect. As their attorney, we play a crucial role in developing these<br />

expectations. We cannot, however, conduct the analysis from our perspective alone. We must<br />

understand the client’s perspective.<br />

Competition in the legal field is tough and constantly increasing. We not only need to be<br />

concerned about other practitioners. We must also consider other alternatives available to potential<br />

clients – Legal Zoom, software programs, downloadable forms, internet lawyering, paralegal assistance<br />

services, and non-lawyer professionals.<br />

We need to acknowledge that our clients, the general public consumer, is not readily able to<br />

assess the quality of our legal work. After sending clients drafts for their review, I hear my clients’<br />

remark about the amount of “legalese” within a Will or <strong>Trust</strong>. The common comment is, “All the names<br />

look correct but some of this is just too legal to understand.” Consequently, instead of judging us on our<br />

legal abilities, the client assesses us based on the level of customer service they receive. Customer<br />

service is something they can understand. Therefore, when building and managing relationships knowing<br />

the law is not enough. In addition to meeting their legal needs, we must meet their expectations.<br />

As a result of this, you must “WOW” your clients. You must leave them feeling well served and taken<br />

care of. If you do not, you are missing out:<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

II.<br />

You are missing out on giving clients a great experience with your firm<br />

You are not creating fans who will spread the word about your service<br />

You are not building long-term relationships<br />

You are not making as much money as you could<br />

Who is Your Client<br />

a. Take time to assess who is your client<br />

Who is your client? Who is your ideal client? Are you serving the clients you want to be<br />

serving? Do you offer a wide variety of estate planning and probate services? Do you go beyond estate<br />

planning and probate? Do you specialize in a specific area of law within the estate planning field?<br />

1

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