Legal Lightbulbs: Why can’t partners say no to clients?

Welcome to the newest show from the Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network: Legal Lightbulbs. This show sees host Jerome Doraisamy and Bowd chief executive Fionn Bowd discuss and debate the questions that lawyers have always wanted the answers to but have perhaps not felt comfortable asking out loud.

In this inaugural episode, Jerome asks Fionn why partners in law firms are seemingly unable to refuse work from clients when presented with it, even if the taking on of said work adds to already-onerous workloads for the lawyers in their teams.

Fionn responds with a discussion of the mindset that partners have when it comes to the onboarding and retention of clients, how and why client expectations and demands have evolved over time, the extent to which discounting one’s legal fees reinforces the need to take on any and all clients, the potential consequences for taking on such work, how partners can better communicate the mindset around clientele (particularly in the post-pandemic environment), and how those coming through the ranks can reasonably seek guidance from their superiors as to the practice workload.

To learn more about Fionn Bowd, click here. If you have any questions you want to see answered on this show, reach out to Jerome at editor@lawyersweekly.com.au.