One of the main reasons why clients do not pay their bills on time is that no one asks them to. Perhaps this is because, for many lawyers, a transaction ends with the bill. All client contact ends, cold turkey. Memory banks are wiped to make room for the next job. Forward progress must be maintained, or they will fall off the treadmill.
Going back in search of lost fees can be an uncomfortable experience. The best hours of the day are taken up with chargeable work. The thread of client contact has been broken. The personal relationship painstakingly developed to tolerate robust advice and round-the-clock exposure, now seems too fragile to withstand a meek request for payment.
