Watching out for Clients

Reader Frank Kautz forwarded this great article, Small Firm Life:  Friendly Fire (Raymond Dowd New York Lawyer 11/4/05) which begins with this advice to lawyers:  “Quit worrying about your adversary coming after you; it’s your client you need to worry about.”  Sadly, that’s true.  Though there are some pretty bad lawyers (as we’ve just posted here), many clients aren’t perfect either.  And sometimes, you need to practice defensively to protect yourself.   Among Dowd’s tips for watching your back with clients are entering into written retainer agreements, informing clients of their rights and responsibilities, and respond to client complaints in writing.  Read the full article for more ideas.