I don’t know about you but in the last few years, I’ve lost what little remaining trust I had in the medical community.
I now “DON’T trust AND verify”.
Which is problematic for me given this statement I recently found online:
“Medicine works best when the patient has complete confidence in his doctor’s skills. Doubts about the doctor delay recovery.”
I don’t know if this is based on research but it makes sense. If you believe you’ll recover (with a doctor’s advice and treatment), it seems you’ll be more likely to do so.
When I read this statement, I wondered if the same can be said about attorneys. If a client doesn’t trust their attorney, are they less likely to have a successful outcome?
And I thought the answer to that question would have to be “no”. Because what someone thinks about their attorney doesn’t affect the job that attorney does for them.
But it does.
If the client doesn’t trust their attorney, they might hold back important details, and exaggerate others. The attorney’s perception of the case clearly depends on what the client tells them, at least initially, and if the client isn’t forthcoming, the case can suffer.
While an experienced attorney can usually figure out what they need to know, having a client who holds back certainly makes things more difficult.
In addition, clients who don’t trust their attorney are more likely to question the attorney’s fees or handling of the case, which isn’t good for anyone.
On the other hand, clients who trust the attorney are more likely to hire the attorney in the first place, and bring them repeat businss and more referrals.
Bottom line, you want your clients to have faith in you and it’s up to you to make that happen.
