Communicating With Your Clients

Being a lawyer, communicating with your client's is key in the success of your firm. In order to build a large, stable clientele, it is important to cater to each and every client effectively and professionally. There are many situations where it is of the utmost importance to maintain a professional, yet friendly relationship with your client, and helping them clearly understand their matter is one of them.


One of the main duties of a lawyer is to provide service to his or her clients. With that being said, a lawyer should possess a certain set of skills and techniques when communicating with a client. There are different situations throughout the lawyer/client relationship where the lawyer has to know a certain way to communicate to the client what is taking place so the client understands what is going on with the case such as if they need to appear in court, sign a document, or provide information for exhibits for the case.


When communicating to the client either orally or through a letter, it is important to remember that you are speaking to a civilian who may not necessarily know the legal terminilogy used in the courtroom, as well as in the law firm. With that being said, as a lawyer, you need to determine an effective way to communicate to your clients in a professional manner, yet a way they can understand. You wouldn't speak to them as if you were addressing a Judge or a fellow attorney who understands the legal terminology legal counsel and Justices speak in. Use the following guidelines when developing a strong communication bond between you and your client.

• Use clear simple words and phrases
• Speak in a professional manner
• Ensure your concise when talking about the issue
• Make sure the client fully understands what you are trying to make clear

Having the client understand clearly what they need to do is key in the attorney/client relationship. Having a strong understanding and communication bond will ensure the success of the case. The client needs to fully understand what is taking place and what they need to do, and it is the job of the lawyer to make sure they know. After all, that is why people hire attorneys.

When writing a letter to your clients it is just as important to make sure you are communicating the vital areas of the case effectively. If a signature or appearance is required of the client, compose a letter with such information clearly stated. Following these guidelines will assist you in drafting letters to your clients.

• Be sure documentation is enclosed for signing
• Make sure you reference the enclosure in your letter
• Clearly state what the client needs to do with the letter
• Use simple yet concrete language in your letter

As a lawyer, there are many different aspects to your job, communicating and maintaining a respectable yet friendly relationship with your client is one of the major ones. Of course there are many other ways a lawyer can maintain effective service to his or her clients, but understanding an effective way to communicate with them first is key. Without a clear, strong communication bond between the lawyer and the client, the odds of the case turning out in their favor could be cut in half. With that being said, be sure to determine an effective way to communicate and use the guidelines listed above to ensure the success of the case in the end.