How to give effective legal advice to your clients

There are times that I am not so sure that just giving my legal advice I will be able to totally help my clients. Life is so complex and I usually have to deal with individuals and their personal feelings, thoughts and concerns, and this makes things even more challenging. As a result, in the beginning of my every single attorney-client communication I start discussing the consequences and the prospects of an action instead of just providing a broad description of the legal problem.

As an attorney, my clients expect from me to give them their legal options and rights, the law as it relates to their legal matters, the risks and the possible defenses, what I can do to assist them, and above all to keep our communications confidential.

The legal issues are rarely resolved with a simple answer. For the most part, I try to convey my perseverance and determination to my clients so that they can be able to stay intact through their most difficult situations and obtain their desirable result. There are other times that I may give an advice and my client may not agree with or like it.

This has shown to me that the key is to try to assist the clients in understanding them and protecting their rights by giving an independent professional judgment but simultaneously by navigating them through their rough and emotional waters. Therefore, I deem that we need to be honest with our clients and advise them about what they want to do and what they need to do. It’s also very important to avoid judging them about their choices and try to be collaborative with them. So, be there for them with kindness instead of words.

In life, we do not always have to have the right words. I always believe that actions speak louder. But if you do have something to say--say it-- as it can make a world of difference in our clients’ lives.