Obviously if you want to avoid contact with the general public, working the legal sector, especially in private client, is certainly not the way to go. Usually, every day you will be contacted by someone, usually your client, looking an update, advice or generally to query this that or the other.
I have slowly learning three important things to remember before taking a phone call, or even responding to an email from a client. Those being:-
- Take a deep breath, clear your mind, prepare to listen;
- Do not rush to give any advice, or react – take time, think, choose your words and if necessary delay any response in favour of getting as much information as you can;
- Set your own personal feelings, thoughts or reactions aside – take a step back and step outside the situation.
All too often I have been guilty of trying to give advice too quickly, too soon and without thinking it through. Often leading to the client being confused, me being confused or just getting it wrong.
I think the best advice I can ever give when working in private client law is to take it slow, don’t rush and don’t feel pressured to make snap decisions. Think it through and work it out. Write everything down and make notes. Believe it or not, you need to remember so much at any given time, you tend to forget information that is longer than a few hours old. I never anticipated how much I would need to remember at any given time and how often clients expect you to remember what they said to you a few days or even a few weeks ago. Often I hear the phrase, “do you remember when I said…?” More often than not the answer is, “no I have no idea…”