Client Counseling Coaching
Table of Contents
THE BASIC STRUCTURE OF CLIENT COUNSELING
o Small Talk
"Did you find the office okay?"
"Did you catch the game last night?"
"Are you enjoying our nice weather?"
o Overview
"Our secretary didn't have much time to talk to you on the phone. The only information we have is that you are having a problem with ________, is that correct?"
"Can you tell us more about why you felt you needed to see an attorney?"
"We received a message that you were concerned about _________; can you tell us more about that?"
o Confidentiality
"Have you ever seen an attorney before?"
Note-taking
o Fees (see sheet included in this packet)
Contingency option
Flat-fee option
Hourly rate option
o Blocking (see sheet included in this packet)
o Summation
This occurs at the end of every block, before you move into the next blocking area. It should consist of a SHORT statement (you are not trying to repeat everything back to them.this lets them know you are listening and also gives them an opportunity to correct any errors in your perception of the facts).
o Needs, Wants, Fears
"What you feel you need is."
"What you want to see happen is."
"The hear of the whole problem is."
"If everything could be perfect, what would you like to have happen?"
o Counseling
Plan of Action
List of Attorney Activities
List of Client Activities
o End of Counseling Session
After you have escorted your client out of the counseling session, you will have 5 minutes to participate in a wrap-up session with your partner.
o Summation of facts
o Summation of law
o Client's strengths and weaknesses
o Plan of action
Legal
Non-Legal
o Final Comments and Conclusions
- The initial half-hour interview with both attorneys will be billed at $50.00. Any additional work will be billed at $100.00 per attorney per hour.
- Fees will be suitable reduced in cases of financial hardship. A client will be considered to have financial hardship if the client has low income or is facing large fees.
- Payment plans or other fee arrangements may be made in appropriate cases. Contingency fees may be an option depending on the client and the case.
- All fee arrangements and other matters related to the charging of a fee by the attorneys must be in conformity with the Model Rules of Professional Conduct.
BLOCKING
o Once you have an overview of the client's problem, you can use blocking to fill in the details.
o Blocking allows you to figure out what information about the situation that you are lacking. Blocking also makes it easier for you and your partner to see all the parts to the client's problem in an organized manner.
o While you are getting an overview of the problem you and your partner can start determining what facts need to be blocked.
o Once you know what blocks you will be using, you should start asking open-ended questions that will allow you to find out the WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, HOW, and WHY for each block.
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