14. Keeping Clients Motivated

It is easy for lawyers to forget that while they live in the legal environment all year, clients do not. It would be an error to assume that client motivation is a steady state.

It is easy for lawyers to forget that while they live in the legal environment all year, clients do not. A client, including an in-house lawyer, gives a project to a law firm out of necessity, with a commercial motive. But it would be an error to assume that motivation is a steady state. Your client’s motivation levels are not fixed, and neither are those of the counter-party.

Whether the motive is to acquire a business, defend a product or teach a lesson to an infringer, the corporate appetite for any legal project can vary as time passes and events unfold. And guess which way this usually trends. Correct, this variance is usually negative; client motivation tends to wane. It’s a phenomenon that I call ‘motivation melt.’ I don’t care how adrenalized the client is on Day One of the project, I guarantee that six months later the enthusiasm level will have faded. Maybe not in criminal work or divorce, neither of which I have ever done, but in commercial legal work, motivation melts with the passage of time.

This premium content is locked for
Lean Adviser Legal subscribers only.

  • Subscribe now to receive:

  • 100+ Think Lean Daily Messages
  • 100+ Lean Lessons
  • 27 Lean Routine Checklists
  • 15 Lean Adviser Videos
  • Conference Calls for Q&A with Lean Adviser Editors including
    what’s coming next from Lean Adviser
  • Quarterly Training Sessions

Already have an account?
Interested in customizing your subscription with Law.com access?
Contact our Sales Professionals at 1-855-808-4530 or send an email
to [email protected] to learn more.

NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.

Lean Adviser Legal

 
Reprints & Licensing
Mentioned in a Law.com story?

License our industry-leading legal content to extend your thought leadership and build your brand.

LEARN MORE

Recommended Stories

More from ALM

 

ALM Legal Publication Newsletters

Sign Up Today and Never Miss Another Story.

As part of your digital membership, you can sign up for an unlimited number of a wide range of complimentary newsletters. Visit your My Account page to make your selections. Get the timely legal news and critical analysis you cannot afford to miss. Tailored just for you. In your inbox. Every day.

Privacy Policy

About Us / Contact Us / Site Map / Advertise With Us/ Customer Service / Terms of Service/ FAQ / Privacy Policy

Publications

Law Topics

Rankings

More

Law.com

Copyright © 2024 ALM Global, LLC. All Rights Reserved.