The Client Communication Blueprint: Building Trust That Survives Your Exit

Client-Communication-Article-Image--2025-01-14

Law firms live and die by client relationships. When you’re ready to sell, those relationships—and the systems that maintain them—become one of your most valuable assets.

Unfortunately, many lawyers inadvertently build those relationships in ways that make their firms nearly impossible to sell. If every important client communication must flow through the lawyer, what happens when she’s gone? Her firm’s value plummets because no buyer wants to purchase a practice where client loyalty walks out the door with the selling lawyer.

The good news? You can build a client communication system that creates loyalty to the firm as a whole rather than its lawyer-owner. And these systems will make your practice more enjoyable today while increasing its value for tomorrow. Plus, as it frees you from communicating, you’ll have more time to do high value things that only you can do.

Let’s look at how to create client communications that survive your exit.

Start with the Client Journey

First, map out every touchpoint between your firm and your clients, from initial contact through closing the matter, and post-matter communications. Include both routine communications (e.g., matter updates, invoicing) as well as personal interactions (e.g., print newsletters, birthday cards, and referral thank-you notes).

Now, analyze which of these communications actually require your personal attention. You’ll likely find that many (or even most) don’t require your direct involvement at all.

Do you really need to personally send every routine status update? Or can your team send them using templated messages or call scripts that you’ve pre-approved?

In my law firm brokerage practice, we use a standard email for prospective buyers inquiring about one of our listed firms. It describes the process of buying and what the buyer must do to take the next step and is sent by a team member. I’m not involved because I don’t need to be at that stage.

Create Communication Templates, Scripts, and Standards.

Next, develop clear templates, scripts, and response time standards for each type of communication that will be used by your team, including:

  • ‘What to Expect’ for initial consultations,
  • Initial consultation follow-up,
  • Sending a representation agreement,
  • Matter status updates,
  • Document receipt confirmations,
  • Invoice transmittals,
  • Matter closing letters, and
  • Holiday and birthday greetings.

The goal isn’t to make communications impersonal, but rather to ensure consistency and efficiency while reducing dependency on you.

Also, don’t try to do every one of them at once. Pick one, get it completed, then move on to the next.

Train Your Team to Be Your Voice and Document

Implementing a communications blueprint will take an investment of hands-on time by you describing your communications and explaining what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. Use Loom or another screen recording tool to record you doing this. Then have your team create the written processes and submit them to you for your review and approval.

This documentation will be a valuable asset when selling your practice, demonstrating to buyers that client relationships won’t disappear when you do.

Start Now, Even if Sale Isn’t Imminent

The time to build these systems is long before you’re ready to sell. Though they create measurable value for your firm, they’ll immediately enhance your practice’s efficiency, reduce your stress to make your work more enjoyable, and enhance client relationships. Plus, when clients interact with the entire team rather than one individual, such as a lawyer, their loyalty to the firm becomes less dependent on specific personnel, reducing the risk of losing clients if a team member leaves.

The best part? These improvements will likely cost nothing but time and thought.

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