Life skills and career tips for Canada's lawyers in training
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/50715
BY MIKE NIENHUIS What clients M ore than a few times as I've wandered the halls of the University of Brit- ish Columbia and the University of Victoria during my fi rst two years of law school, my grey hair has caused otherwise intelligent (I'm sure) people to mistake me for a pro- fessor. Of course, they rarely make that mistake aſt er I open my mouth during class, when it quickly becomes apparent that I'm like every other student trying to make sense out of this mystifying thing called "the law." As a second-career student, one thing that's surprised me is how little attention is paid, relatively speaking, in and out of class, to equipping students to deal with clients. Th ere seems to be a lot of em- phasis on communicating with judges and senior partners, but clients — cor- porate clients in particular — aren't talked about much, even though many of us will get to know them really well at some point in actual practice. So having spent a number of years in executive management roles in the technology sector, and having had the opportunity to work with many law- yers, both corporate and external coun- sel, I want to make a few observations A former software company executive who's now in law school gives his take on the expectations you need to meet as a legal service provider. want on what I think business people expect from a lawyer. Personal qualities Senior managers and even entrepreneurs, like the rest of us, have people they're ac- countable to and serious goals to meet, so they need people on their teams who are committed to their (and their organiza- tions') success. To become trusted busi- ness advisers to such clients, lawyers have to demonstrate a willingness to do what- ever it takes to get the job done. Th ey have to be accessible and responsive, delivering the goods when they say they will. Reli- ability is huge. Lawyers are well trained in the art of butt-covering, while business people tend to be equally skilled at sniffi ng out such behaviour, even from a distance. It's not a scent they typically fi nd pleasant. So even though disclaimers and hedging one's advice will be necessary to some degree, coming across like they have no skin in the game is not going to win lawyers the confi dence of their business clients. Competence in the law is a given, but something that can set lawyers apart is knowledge of — and keen appreciation for — the client's business. I have run a number of professional service organ- izations and the biggest reason I've seen for clients becoming upset — apart from soſt ware glitches — is when responsibil- ity for an account is passed from one individual to another in the service or- ganization. Most clients dislike being in a state of relationship limbo, but positively hate having to re-explain their business situation to a new person, especially in the midst of a crisis. At the other end of the spectrum, law- yers, like any service professionals, who really get their clients' goals and busi- ness context, and whose advice refl ects such deep understanding, will come to be viewed as highly valued members of the team. Communication I'm not sure this is particularly fl attering, but many senior-level business people have something in common: very short attention spans. It probably comes from having to deal with a lot of issues with lots of pressure and not enough time. Or maybe those with an inherent dose of impatience for results are more apt to be promoted. It doesn't really matter, be- cause that impatience is just a fact of life, like it or not. It's not surprising, then, that most C ANADIAN Lawyer 4STUDENTS F all 2011 35 *