Family lawyers learn, early in their careers, to ask clients to respond to communications and provide documents several days sooner than the lawyers need the responses. Clients in the midst of divorce feel overwhelmed. Opening an email and clicking “attach” and then “browse,” finding the right document to attach, and then clicking “send” feels like a herculean task. Their mothers will be quick to remind them that the process takes less than a minute from beginning to end, but this is the last thing you need to hear when you are coping with your mother’s disapproval on top of moving to another apartment, the constant reminders that your spouse left you for someone better looking and more successful, and the fact that, even if your children do not blame you for the divorce, they take out their negative emotions on you.
The lesson that lawyers are slower to learn is that they do not have to do everything themselves. This is a difficult lesson for family law attorneys, especially since many of us work in small firms, or even in solo practices where they are the only lawyer, but no matter the size of your practice, team collaboration is essential for the success of your cases.
You are the Boss of the Circle of Confidentiality
Being a party to a lawsuit, especially a family law matter, is an unpleasant experience whether you are the petitioner or the respondent. Despite this, many clients find that it is a relief to talk to their divorce lawyers, because they can speak with them more frankly than they can with their families or coworkers. Confidentiality within the context of attorney-client privilege sometimes extends beyond just the two of you. If the lawyers in your firm defend the workload of big cases among several lawyers, then your client should understand that you freely share information about the client’s case with the other lawyers who are working on the same case. The same applies to paralegals who are also working on the case.
The more people are inside the circle of confidentiality, the more room there is for miscommunications to arise. You can avoid misunderstanding by requiring all team members who are working on the case to copy everyone inside the circle of confidentiality on the emails related to the case.
Adopting a High Responsibility, Low Control Management Approach
Yes, you are the boss, but the key to successfully managing a team is to let the team members do their jobs. By micromanaging, you only alienate your team members, reduce their morale, and make them less efficient in their work. How can you make sure all the work gets done without being excessively bossy or meddlesome?
To do this, you need a high responsibility, low control approach to management. Communicate your expectations clearly, in detail, and in writing. Set deadlines earlier than you need the work completed; do this for everyone, not just for clients. Then, back off unless the team members have already missed the original deadline. Remind them of their lateness individually, preferably in person or by phone, instead of through a group email; public humiliation only leads to resentment.
What is the Client’s Role in Team Collaboration?
Both clients and lawyers play a role in team collaboration. You should show your clients early and often that you know how the case is supposed to go. Walk your client through a timeline of the divorce process during your first consultation. At subsequent meetings, show your client which stage in the process you have reached. Be clear to your client from the beginning what his or her role should be.
You may find that the client gets along better with some members of the team than with others. If your client complains to you about one or more of the lawyers or paralegals working on the case, listen without judgment. Unless the team member has made an egregious mistake or breached the standards of professional etiquette, there is no need to remove the team member from the case. Instead, a more diplomatic solution is to let the team member that the client has the easiest time getting along with be the first point of contact, or at least, the one to deliver bad news in the most agreeable way possible.
Clients should know that you have their best interests as your goal, but that you and your team members cannot be at their beck and call around the clock. Let clients know, at the beginning of the case, how they should contact your team outside business hours and how soon they should expect a response.
Sources
https://thenationaltriallawyers.org/article/effective-communication-family-law/
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