I am coaching lawyers today and tomorrow. At lunch today, we will be talking about attracting clients without coming across as a salesman. How can you build that trust based relationship?

As a lawyer, you likely are striving to become your clients’ “trusted advisor.”

Advisor

How do you know when you have become a trusted advisor?

For me, it was primarily two things.

  1. I thought I was a trusted advisor when I got the call for the most important matters. A few years ago, my construction company client was involved in the most important dispute in the company’s history. It was important because the amount of money in dispute was the largest in company history. It was also important because of the delicate relationship with the other entity in the dispute. The company did not want the matter resolved by litigation. I got the call. Over the next two years we got the matter resolved to the great satisfaction of the company CEO and General Counsel. I have never felt as trusted as I did taking care of that matter.
  2. I thought I was a trusted advisor when I was asked for business advice, or asked to make a presentation that was more business focused than legal. One of my clients frequently called asking my thoughts on business matters. I felt like a sounding board for him. He once told me that he greatly valued my judgment. I knew he trusted me and I was a trusted advisor.