'Better . . . or Worse?' The Satisfactions and Frustrations of the Lawyer-Client Relationship

• Author: Daphne Dumont
• Pages: 3-11

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“Better . . . or Worse?” The Satisfactions and

Frustrations of the Lawyer-Client Relationship

daPhne dumont

IntroductIon

   have memories of the genial fam ily lawyer of the

1950s would say that the lawyer-client relationship of the pas t was much

better than it is today. Are their memories f‌i ltered through rose-coloured

glasses? Times were dif‌ferent then. Today, we have virtually instant com-

munication, lawyers practice in many new areas of law, and we have a

greatly-expanded court s ystem. Isn’t the client’s experience really better

now? And for all the lawyer’s occasional longing for the pre-fa x days of the

sixties, isn’t her relationship with her client better now?

Deciding whether the lawyer-client relationsh ip has improved or not is

akin to the exper ience of having our eyes tested. Many of us have exper i-

enced those somewhat stressful moments when pair s of corrective lenses

are quickly switched back and fort h in front of our straining eyes. “Is this

one better? Or worse? Better? Or worse?” It is often a struggle to provide

a clear answer.

To answer whether the lawyer-client relationship has improved, we

must f‌irst identify the needs the client is most concerned about, and

assess how we succeed or fail in meeting each one. We must also remem-

ber those interests of the client which are un known to him, and consider

how lawyers, as individua ls and as a profession, succeed or fail in meeting

those as well. I believe there are some areas where clients’ relationships