It’s never a good thing when a client leaves your firm. They may fire you from an active case (and send you the dreaded substitution of attorney) or if you have a corporate or institutional client, they may decide to switch to a different firm going forward. This can leave you a bit devastated and wondering what happened that caused them to leave.

But the good news is that there are several common reasons why clients leave and some easy to implement solutions to to prevent that from happening in the future. Here they are.

1. Bad Communication

Just about the most common reason for ethics complaints against lawyers is poor communication. They will complain that “I have no idea what’s going on with my case,” or “my lawyer won’t call me or return my calls.” But this goes beyond unreturned calls and a lack of updating clients. Miscommunication is also bad communication. This can lead to a client asking one thing and you not answering them by telling them something else.

The solution? Set up a system in your office to have you or your staff reach out to your clients at least every 30 days, even if there’s nothing to report, and even if the client didn’t reach out to you. This turns “my lawyer didn’t return my call” into “my attorney called me to update me without my having to ask.” To make this even better, during client onboarding, find out what their preferred form of communication is (phone call, email, text) and make sure to use that in your 30 day reports.

2. Not Meeting Expectations

Most people have never hired a lawyer before or worked with one. Their knowledge of them and the legal process is often derived from media, such as television shows and movies. Not the best, or credible, sources. This can lead them to be disappointed if they’re expectations are not met, whether it has to do with case outcomes, the timeline of its handling, or how much it will cost them in legal fees. Their expectations may be unrealistic, but they won’t know that.

This problem only stresses the importance of proper onboarding of new clients and the setting of expectations. You need to take the time to talk to your clients about realistic, possible outcomes of their case, how long it will take, and, as best you can estimate, the cost. If you get pushback from any of this that you cannot resolve, that is a red flag that this may be a problem client. If you are able to reset their expectations, then you have dodged a bullet. This will increase the likelihood that your client will be satisfied (or better yet thrilled) with your services. This will also improve retention and referral rates.

3. Failure to Make (or Maintain) a Connection

When you come right down to it, people hire lawyers that they like. At some point during the initial consultation you made a connection with that person. They felt that you understood their problem, how they felt, and what solutions they needed. But even though you may have “clicked” at the initial meeting and encouraged the client to retain you, you will lose that connection if you do not maintain a personal touch. Clients leave when they feel their lawyer is treating them just like everyone else. They don’t feel special in any way.

The solution goes back to the communication issue. Every time you give a client an update on their matter you have an opportunity to maintain or enhance the connection you initially established with them. Remembering birthdays, anniversaries, or other special life events can go a long way to doing this as well. Send them a greeting card or a small gift. Do something to make them feel appreciated.

4. Poor or Inefficient Service

Clients may have unrealistic expectations at times, but that doesn’t mean they won’t recognize, and be frustrated by, unnecessary delays, stupid errors in your work product, or a perceived lack of progress in their case. Remember, clients come to lawyers because they have problems in their lives that are often causing stress and worry, and this can aggravate their reaction if you don’t handle things properly.

You should leverage technology to create efficiencies and consistency in the rendering of your legal services. This can include automation software that lets you schedule and track tasks, meet deadlines, and render services in a timely manner. This can include case management software, document generation software, and client portals to improve confidential communication.

5. Lack of (or Loss of) Trust

I’ve written before about how important it is to build trust and authority with potential clients. It’s one of the key factors in getting someone to retain you. However, even if you have successfully built that authority and trust at the time they retained you, they might later get buyers remorse if you do something to breach that trust or lose that authority. The problem is, once it’s lost, it is very difficult to get back.

The good news is that by addressing issues one through four you go a long way towards maintaining the initial trust that you established.

• • Regular communication keeps the client informed
  • Managing expectations shows that you are delivering on what you promised them, and by maintaining that trust that you will continue to do so.
  • When you make them feel special and appreciated, they know that they put their trust in someone that values them
  • Consistently rendering timely and efficient quality legal services without unnecessary errors or delays shows them that their trust was well placed.
  • Regular communication gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your authority and knowledge, again showing that their trust was well placed

Address these five issues, thoroughly and consistently, and you’ll be far less likely to have a client leave or not refer business to you. As a result, your practice will continue to thrive and grow.

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