E ditorial
“
It pays to be honest
when dealing with
clients
”
What is charm? Opinions differ, but the American author
Kathleen Winsor summed it up as well as anyone when
she said: “Charm is the ability to make someone else
think that both of you are pretty wonderful.” For some,
this ability comes naturally, while for others it takes work
in order to develop it.
The fact is that the ability to attract clients, and in
particular build strong and long-lasting relationships with
them, has never been more important. To put it another
way, in an increasingly competitive legal market, law
firms have to do their best to ensure clients like them
more than their rivals.
So, in an effort to find out what clients look for in their
dream lawyer, we asked in-house lawyers at leading
companies in Spain and Portugal to recount their best,
and worst, experiences of using external counsel. The
result? As you can see in our News Focus on page 18,
what turns clients off is fee-obsessed lawyers who lack
the necessary expertise, take little interest in the client,
and who fail to show remorse when they’ve treated
their customer badly. And the way to a client’s heart? Be
proactive, responsive, and quick, but, above all, be honest,
as that is the trait that will ensure they keep on coming
back for more.
Ben Cook
Editor
Iberian Lawyer
[email protected]
Twitter: @BenCook_Iberian
www.iberianlawyer.com
July / August 2017 • IBERIAN LAWYER •
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