We all think we know the stereotype of the difficult client. They can hold very strong opinions; tend to interrupt rather than listen; want to debate their view rather than take advice; make unreasonable demands on time and turnaround of documents – and so the list goes on. Although the stereotype rarely extends to all of these elements at the same time, aspects of it can emerge in any situation or with any particular individual client.
So, what can you do about it? In my experience, what they don’t teach you at law school is that rarely are things so clear cut. It is in our power as client advisers to influence situations that seem difficult and change the outcome. At Herbert Smith Freehills we try to build our thinking and our behaviour around some key principles:
