by Tim Lemieux

No matter what the area of practice, the number one source of claims at LAWPRO is a breakdown in communication between the lawyer and client.

Between 2008 and 2013, nearly 4,600 communications claims – an average of 762 a year – have been reported to LAWPRO. The total cost of these claims to date is about $158 million – and likely to rise as more recent years’ claims are resolved.

In the Fall 2011 issue of LAWPRO Magazine we asked LAWPRO claims counsel with expertise in the various areas of law to provide insights into the communications mistakes they see in their daily handling of claims files. We hope this approach makes it easier for you to implement risk management steps in your own practice.

Yvonne Bernstein, litigation director and counsel (PPL) with extensive experience in family law claims, talks about the potential for misunderstandings and communication breakdowns in family law.

Email communication must be very clear

The increased use of emails to replace face-to-face meetings has significant implications in family law where emotions (and tensions) often are high; clients can be difficult, emotional and prone to misunderstanding (and for these reasons some lawyers find the lack of face-to-face contact a good thing).

While email is a faster form of communication, the in-person conversation provides visual cues and the discussion is more interactive. The lawyer can judge reactions, and make sure everyone understands. Email promotes a more stilted, incomplete communication, says Bernstein.

In a recent claim a client was informed by email about what was being negotiated, and agreed to the settlement; but the client had not been given enough information on a certain part of the settlement. He later sued the lawyer on the grounds that if he’d known how valuable this concession was, he never would have agreed. “The client could have asked,” says Bernstein, “but the on the other hand the lawyer should have been clearer.”

Take the time to explain implications of legal processes

Often, clients don’t understand that a settlement is a final settlement. They may have thought maybe they could settle today and re-open the agreement later.

Misunderstandings such as this can stem from the fact that lawyers operate within a framework where certain concepts or rules are understood: “We all know that when you sign a release, that’s it,” says Bernstein. “Lawyers don’t always appreciate that clients don’t have that same frame of reference.” When a claim arises, it is then found that there is no letter from the lawyer to the client confirming the things they discussed, such as the fact that the settlement was final.

Limited retainers and possible unbundling of legal services will bring more challenges for lawyers to communicate as clearly as possible about what they are retained to do and not retained to do, as well as the potential consequences of what they’re not being retained to do.

“There will be more of a burden on lawyers to hone their communication skills if they want to accept limited scope retainers and hope to get out of that process unscathed,” says Bernstein. “This risk is not confined to family law, but family law has a high proportion of litigants who are self-represented and only want to retain a lawyer to do X, but not Y and Z.”

Another way in which clients feel they can save money is by negotiating with the other side themselves. At the same time, the lawyers for each side are in communication as well. In these situations, things can get overlooked, or a lawyer can be left out of the loop.