Attorneys: You’re not Fortune-Tellers

Attorneys can’t predict the future. Even the most experienced of us cannot provide assurances about the outcome of our client’s claims and defenses. Sure, we’ll provide some suggestions and list the possibilities but it is the attorney who sets unreasonable expectations that may end up in trouble. Just ask the attorneys in Dallas who fell victim to a malpractice claim for allegedly over-promising a particular result to their former client.

In Doores v. Crutcher, a plaintiff claims that his former attorneys billed $400,000 in …

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Managing Client Expectations – A Must for Professionals

Managing client expectations is a critical risk management skill necessary to ensure a healthy professional relationship. Every communication provides an opportunity to revisit and redefine expectations.  A professional who sets and fails to deliver upon lofty expectations is in an uncomfortable and potentially litigious situation.  There are several tools available to the professional to help curb expectations and limit the damage when (inevitably) the result doesn’t go as planned.

Various studies, most of which arise in the medical malpractice context, prove how important it is …

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