Risk Management & Claims Prevention
Communications breakdown: When a lawyer uses jargon
“We’re [McLeish , Orlando LLP] in the process of retaining an ad agency for some of our marketing,” says Dale Orlando. “And it’s really frustrating when they use acronyms we don’t understand. You don’t want to ask because it seems like everybody else in the room knows what that means, so maybe I should. “One… Read More »
Categories: Communication ErrorsNeed something to read to avoid doing that other thing?
When tracking the causes of claims, we at LAWPRO classify certain claims as relating to problems with “time management”. These claims include losses caused by lawyer procrastination: a specific cause of loss at the root of four percent of claims (by both count and cost) over the past ten years. Would you like to be… Read More »
Categories: Law Practice Management, Wellness and BalanceParadoxically, pessimism leads to happiness
Can pessimism lead to happiness? Conventional wisdom says no: “Research shows that an optimistic outlook is good for your mental health,” said Patricia Spataro, director of the New York State Lawyer Assistance Program, a resource for attorneys with mental health concerns. “But lawyers are trained to always look for the worst-case scenario. They benefit more… Read More »
Categories: Career Management, Law Practice Management, Risk Management Strategies, Wellness and BalanceCommunications breakdowns: When a lawyer has no sense of time
In 2014 the broad category of communications accounted for about almost a third of claims reported and claims costs. We asked some lawyers to give their opinions on the various ways lawyer-client communications can break down, such as when lawyers fail to share information. A few years ago, Judith Huddart, collaborative family lawyer at Dranoff… Read More »
Categories: Communication ErrorsCommunications breakdown: When a lawyer doesn’t listen
In 2014 the broad category of communications accounted for about almost a third of claims reported and claims costs. We asked some lawyers to give their opinions on the various ways lawyer-client communications can break down, such as when lawyers fail to listen. A study for the Law Society of England and Wales by Hilary… Read More »
Categories: Communication ErrorsCommunications breakdowns: When a lawyer doesn’t care
Why, if lawyers are supposed to be good communicators, are the majority of LAWPRO claims related to communication issues? In 2014, for example, the broad category of communications accounted for about almost a third of claims reported and claims costs. We asked some lawyers to give their opinions on how lawyer-client communications can break down…. Read More »
Categories: Communication ErrorsWarning: Beware of changes made to payment instructions in real estate transactions
The North Carolina State Bar sent out a warning to its members to beware of changes in payment instructions in real estate transactions. Scammers there hacked or faked the accounts of realtors and sent altered wiring instructions. They could also try to impersonate clients or other firms. (In a previous post about fake emails from… Read More »
Categories: Fraud Prevention“Resilience: Facing Life’s Challenges With Courage and Conviction” by Homewood Human Solutions
A lawyer that is low on resilience is thin-skinned, defensive, and easily wounded by criticism. Even small things, such as a client or a lawyer not returning his call, will offend him. The quote above is from LAWPRO’s recent post on resilience as a part of the lawyer personality. That post explains that resilience is… Read More »
Categories: Wellness and Balance