Sometimes winning $16.8 million for your clients is not enough. It's how you win it that matters. That's the lesson from this story in the Buffalo News about a family's displeasure with their lawyers, despite the firm obtaining a $16.8 million personal injury verdict on their behalf.
Disbursement issues, the right-to-control-settlement, and dissatisfaction on other matters caused the father to file a disciplinary complaint against the attorneys, and he is threatening to file a malpractice claim.
The complaint played a part in the recent decision by the New York Appellate Division of the State Supreme Court to discipline the lawyers.
The case highlights the importance of superior client service even in the face of exceptional legal service. Today's clients want to be involved in the resolution of their legal matters. Most are unfamiliar with legal matters, but do understand client service. Clients who feel left out of the process or pushed beyond their comfort zone will lose faith and trust in their legal advocates. A lawyer's foremost asset is intellectual objectivity, but it must be balanced against the client's expectations. If these are out of sync, client dissatisfaction follows. It is important for lawyers and firms to continually gauge client satisfaction throughout and after the legal representation to make sure attorney and client expectations are being met, or problems will result.
No matter how good the results in court, the final verdict is really in the hands of the client. Firms that make client service their highest priority will reap the benefits and avoid the pitfalls, even when the legal results are measured in millions of dollars.
