Be Brave - Turn Away a Client

It is one of the Laws of Cost Disputes that any client coming to you from another firm should be treated with care. The greater the number of previous law firms, the greater your wariness should be.

Find out why the client is changing firms. Is it due a lack of performance on the part of the previous firm - and is that lack of performance genuine or due to unrealistic client expectations?
Is the client moving because they didn't like the advice the previous firm was giving?
Was cost the issue - and if so, are you capable of delivering to meet the client's expectations?

If the client is moving for genuine reasons and you can meet their expectations, you still need to realize the client may be coming with a history of unhappy experience of lawyers. This gives you a great opportunity to prove you can do better than your predecessors, and if you achieve the difficult task of changing the client's attitude to lawyers, you will have won a loyal new client.

However, there are times when you should turn the potential client away

• if client expectations are unrealistic and can't be met
• if you for whatever reason, cannot meet the client's expectations, maybe because you don't have sufficient expertise in the field, or don't have the time to properly devote to the matter
• if the client has had such a bad history with previous lawyers that they are unlikely to ever be satisfied, no matter what the result
• if, when you discuss costs with the client, they indicate concern about the ability to pay at the level you are discussing.

So - be brave. Think about whether the client merits the time and effort.