From Amy Campbell’s Web Log comes a comment by Emily Dickinson, a lawyer with Hannaford Bros. Co.: “When I hire a new firm, I take them on store tours and show them our business.” What a fine idea, to help counsel – presumably on their dime – become more familiar with the business and culture of a new client. As to who drops the dime, I believe that law firms ought to invest non-chargeable time in getting to know a client (See my post of June 19, 2006.).
Another instance of a similar intention comes from one of my clients, which prepares brief bios of each lawyer and paralegal and give them to new counsel. The summaries describe the person’s background and key responsibilities. Both tours and summaries help and humanize a fledgling lawyer-client relationship.