There’s a singer I like and I watch a lot of reaction videos of her. On one video, a reactor who is his himself a singer, instantly fell in love with her and not just because of her voice and performance.
Among other traits, her humility impressed him. Even though she did her own version of a classic song, she showed respect for the original and the person who sang it.
“It’s not about her,” he said. “It’s about the song.”
Which made me think about the practice of law. Most lawyers see a new client in terms of the legal work—the case, the problem, the risks, and the solution. They focus on the work. Instead, they should focus on the client.
Of course, the work is important. But the client is more important. They are a person (or an entity composed of people) who need us to comfort them and guide them, to make them feel good about what we’re doing for them, and thus, good about themselves.
We can build a relationship with the client, which allows us to do a better job for them. And the client may have other work for us, either now or in the future, and a lifetime of business or personal contacts they can introduce to us, and will because of that relationship.
Think clients, not cases.
