5 Types Of Crazy Clients Lawyers Deal With

What kind of clients do you hate the most as a lawyer?  Have you ever dealt with some clients that gave you so much trouble that you swore never to deal with their type again?

As a young counsel, I may not have practiced long enough to have encountered so many kinds of clients; but nevertheless, I have also practiced long enough to have met certain kinds of clients that if I have my way, I would think twice about having them as clients. 

No doubt, as professionals, our clientele is inseparable from our business development; but some clients can be such a pain in the ass. Here are my five types of clients that are usually a hard nut for me to crack:

1.    Half-Lawyers

These are the type of clients that will give you a brief and would also want to furnish you with judicial authorities and procedures to use in prosecuting their cases; and by the way, they are not lawyers. Well, if you have never met them before, I have. I use to wonder why they have to engage a lawyer since they know too well to be dishing out instructions on how to prosecute their matter.

They never miss court sittings over their cases, and are very quick to observe any flaw on the part of their lawyers while prosecuting their matters. They always go thus- “You should have done it the other way”.

They need no person reminding them of their right of appeal when they lose cases, because they are always ready to appeal to the last court. They are the type that hardly concludes their cases without having changed their lawyers on several occasions.

Dealing with clients like this requires a lot of patience and wisdom; and if you have what it takes to keep them, then why not!

2.    The Brutes

These set of clients see litigation as a war, and not a playground. When they engage you as their counsel, they expect you to put on your whole armor of warfare and proceed to the battlefield with every brutality you can muster. I met one of them in court the other day, and he was complaining to me about his counsel thus- “ Look at how my lawyer is laughing all over the place in court” They don’t want to see you smiling when you are in court to handle their matter; after all no soldier smiles while in the battlefield.

I was shocked the other day while waiting for the court to sit when my phone rang and it was my boss. He said our clients whom I was representing in court that day called him from the court and were complaining bitterly how I was laughing and having a conversation with the opposing counsel (a gentleman on skirt); that they asked him to warn me to desist from that. Can you beat that? Well that’s the brutes for you. They don’t just want you to win cases for them; they want it to be done brutally. They are the type that expects you to oppose and object everything from the opposing side while conducting their cases. How dare you concede to an application from the opposing counsel when you are their lawyer? That can lead to them de-briefing you as their counsel. How do you handle clients like that?

3.    The Sharp Men

For this set of clients, there are many ways to kill a rat. They are so desperate that they can do anything to win their cases. They are the type that goes behind the back of their lawyers to do all manner of shady things without the knowledge of their lawyers, all in a bid to win their case. Most lawyers get shocked when they realise what such clients have been up to while they were conducting their cases.  Have you ever been summoned by a judge, with the accusation that your client made an attempt to bribe him? Have you ever been confronted by the opposing counsel that your client is threatening the life of his client? They are the sharp men. If you are not careful with them, they will get you into a lot of trouble; and might even jeopardise the success of their cases by their actions.

4.    The Parasites

I call them so because once they give you a job to do, be ready for them to always be on your neck 24/7. In fact, the earlier you finish their job for them, the better for you. They don’t give breathing space once their job is with you. They are the ones that call almost every day to find out how their work is going. I mean, you had spoken to them the day before on the position of things. They are the worst of clients to have when things are not working out the way you planned them. For instance, your work is getting unnecessarily delayed at the Corporate Affairs Commission, and there is nothing you can do about it; and they can’t just stop calling. You know that feeling when your phone rings and you are praying that it’s not them, and it eventually turns out to be them. Am sure such clients have led many lawyers into the sin of lying. Already you have told them all the truth there is, the only thing left to be told are lies. You have also given all the explanation in the world to them and they won’t just understand. Yes we understand they are asking for what they paid for, but they also need to understand that we are also trying our best to give that to them. 

5.    Cat Clients

These are the type you have to make sure you collect your fees up front, or else you will be in for a ‘long thing’.  Yes we are lawyers, and we spend most of our days in court, but I don’t think most lawyers would want to be suing a client just to recover their professional fee. These clients can be crafty; that once the job is done, and maybe their money recovered, the story will change. Well, if you've never experienced them, you may not understand what i am talking about. But the point is, make sure you always safeguard yourself from finding yourself in that kind of situation; because it’s not funny at all.

Okay I have to stop here now, though I know there are still some types I haven’t mentioned. Feel free to mention any other type of clients we encounter out there that I've left out. And if you have encountered any of the once I listed, let me hear your experiences.

Source: threelegals.com