Responsiveness is damned important
I have a new matter on which I inherited local counsel. I send emails asking simple questions, like "did you do a choice of law analysis before saying State A's law applies." Days later, I'm still waiting for a response. I am waiting for, literally, a one word response. The fact that I haven't gotten an answer is interfering with my ability to plan what I want to do on this case.
Will I survive. Absolutely. Will I hire this law firm again? Never.
Think about the last question. I sent my email query to 3 lawyers, all partners. And because of the poor service of those 3 lawyers, I have now ruled out the entire law firm.
Do you think clients think about their lawyers the way I do? Ask yourself this question: are you prepared to wager everything that all clients don't?
Client service may not be the reason you get a new client, but it certainly is a critical factor in whether you get new matters from a client.