Here’s another video in my series on how to talk to your clients about billing and fees. I’ve talked in previous videos about what to cover with clients during the initial consultation, but even if you’ve done a great job of covering the basics of your billing practices and how you set your fees during the initial consultation, your job doesn’t end there. Clients will not remember or retain everything you told them at the initial consultation. They need to be reminded. In other words, communication about how and why you bill needs to be repeated throughout the engagement.
Watch the video below or scroll down to read more about two tools that can help.
I recommend that lawyers provide their clients with timelines or flowcharts that explain the stages the client’s matter is likely to go through, and how and when the client should expect to be billed at each stage. These resources can be provided to the client at the time of the initial consultation or given later as a follow up.
It is a good idea to point the client back to the timeline or flow chart with your status reports or your invoices so the client knows exactly where they are in the lifecycle of their matter. The more resources that you can provide for your clients that they can access themselves when they have questions, the fewer questions you’ll receive, and the easier it will be for clients to follow along with their matter.
See more articles and videos on billing and fees:
- How Much Should Lawyers Charge?
- Are Your Invoices Hurting Your Law Practice?
- Get Paid Faster: Proactively Communicate with Clients [video]
- Tools to Communicate with Clients About Fees [video]
- How to Avoid Surprise Bills [video]
- How to Talk to Clients About Fees [video]
- What To Do If A Client Questions Your Bill [video]
- 5 Ways to Improve Cash Flow
- Are Free Consultations a Waste of Time?
- What Should Your Engagement Agreement Include?
