The business of marketing and communications for law firms can be challenging due to the
unique needs of such firms compared to other businesses. One especially important area is
client communications. If these are not handled properly, then law firms can lose connection
with their clients, and ultimately even lose trust with them, which is particularly disastrous.
Below are some of the best-practice steps that law firms can take to improve their client
communications. These are especially important if a law firm has been experiencing client
losses in recent times.
Clear and Frequent Communication is Key
First of all, law firms have to master the art of clarity when it comes to client communications.
Some law firms communicate with clients in the same way they would with other lawyers, or
with other organisations within their sphere. That means there’s a lot of legalese jargon in there
that ordinary people wouldn’t likely understand, at least not at first glance.
The best practice when communicating with clients is always to use plain language, and to
include plain language “translations” for any legal terms that have to be included for whatever
reason. The tone has to be helpful and instructive and can never veer into the realm of
patronising.
As for frequency, client communications should happen shortly following any meeting that you
have, with follow ups either weekly or monthly with updates on ongoing business, or with
information that you know would be useful to their particular situation, whether they’re engaged
in a specific case or not.
Anticipating Client Questions in Communication is Useful
Clients will always have questions, and you should encourage them to bring those questions
with them to meetings, after which you can write summaries where you answer those clearly
and unambiguously for them to keep as a record. A nice addition to that, however, is actually
trying to anticipate questions that might come up when you’re preparing more regular
communications.
It’s not dissimilar to the “FAQs” section of a website, but of course law firms can add their more
formal twist to it if they feel it’s needed. Based on what you’re communicating to clients, you can
add some answers to anticipated questions as supplementary materials, of course encouraging
clients to arrange a meeting or get back in touch if they have more questions.
Lay Out Parameters Clearly in Communications
In early communications with clients — and often in ongoing communications, too — many law
firms fall into the trap of being too obscure with their expectations. They don’t offer clear
indications on how frequent communication will be, or through which channels that
communication will come. Furthermore, they fail to identify clear times of availability, which
leaves clients unsure of when is the best time to call or otherwise get in touch.
Law firm client communication should spell out all of these things in black and white when
communicating with clients: how often you’ll be in touch, what method(s) of communication will
be used, and when you are available day to day to take calls, answer emails or arrange
meetings.
No Automation for Personal or Important Communications
It can be time consuming for someone in a law firm to have to write emails individually
welcoming new clients to the firm when they sign up as a new client. Therefore, using an
automated email to welcome clients, give instructions for communication and other information
is alright. However, when it comes to communicating important details about a case, then this is
best left to the people in the office, whether it’s good or bad news.
Even hearing about a win in a legal matter from a robot is anti-climactic compared to a proper
well-written note from your lawyer. In the end, then, effective client communication is about
knowing where to draw the line when it comes to automation.