Legal Commentary

The Truth: You Get What You Pay For

By Patrick J. Lamb

This message is directed solely to in-house lawyers and any business people who might happen along.  If you're an outside lawyer, press the back arrow on your browser.

I've said many, many times that real change on legal fees, on the economic relationship between lawyers and clients will come only when clients insist on it and lead with their feet (taking their wallets with them) when they don't like the way a firm is treating them.  But don't take my word for it.  Take a look at Seth Godin's post, You Get What You Pay For. 

If you don't like bait and switch marketing, where promises don't match the product, don't buy it.

If you don't like snarky, angry blogs, don't read them.

If you deplore the lousy service at big chains or certain airlines, don't shop there, even if it's cheaper.

There's a new asymmetry, with loud consumers able to connect and actually have an impact.

We're all hypocrites, and we get what we pay for. The market is astonishingly quick at responding to what consumers do (and incredibly slow at reacting to what we say).

Of course, we can always ignore the rest of the world and use the lawyer's old standby excuse that "the legal world is different."  To quote my wife, "of course it is, dear."  (She utters this when a look that reflects and incredulity that I could be as dumb as I just sounded to her--I only wish there was a way I could capture that look and insert it here. )

Full post as published by In Search of Perfect Client Service on August 28, 2008 (boomark / email).