Legal Commentary

Rules of Attachments: How not to use email

By Patrick J. Lamb

As National Litigation Counsel for a number of clients, I receive emails from local counsel around the country.  A few, but enough that I have noticed, send me emails that contain nothing other than an attachment of their status letter.  So I have to click through the attachment, wait and then read a report on something that is typically inconsequential.  Time to read email--significantly higher than if the substance of the letter was put in the initial email.

But it's worse.

It should come as no surprise that may lawyers, myself included, travel from time to time.  And that we rely on our blackberries.  Those with any blackberry (or similar device) experience know the time to open attachments is not insignificant, and then the type size is microscopic.  The amount of time spent on any one email grows exponentially.  When i waste this time on reports that it was Tuesday on Tuesday or some other such nonsense, my blood boils.

In this regard, I figure it's a safe bet that most clients are like me.  So here is my message to everyone who sends emails to clients that contain attachments you prepared:  STOP IT! There is no value--zero, none nada, to having a piece of paper that you prepare and then scan and email.  It is a waste of resources and a waste of your client's time.

People need to stop focusing on what they do from their perspective and start considering it from your customer's perspective.

Full post as published by In Search of Perfect Client Service on November 25, 2009 (boomark / email).