Someone has called and asked you to represent her in a new matter. Perhaps it is litigation, a real estate transaction, estate planning or a matrimonial dispute. You are feeling good about yourself. People are finally recognizing that you are a special attorney, or the new matter will help boost your billings or the cash flow when things are slow. Then, the prospective client reveals that she already has an attorney but she is dissatisfied with her present attorney or she thinks the attorney has made a serious mistake.

What do you do? Do you accept the representation? Get a sizeable retainer? Limit the scope of the representation? Make it clear to your new client that you may not be able to correct your predecessor’s mistakes?