{"id":143465,"date":"2026-02-06T02:09:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T10:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/02\/06\/walking-in-your-clients-shoes-how-client-empathy-makes-you-a-better-lawyer\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T02:09:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T10:09:00","slug":"walking-in-your-clients-shoes-how-client-empathy-makes-you-a-better-lawyer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/02\/06\/walking-in-your-clients-shoes-how-client-empathy-makes-you-a-better-lawyer\/","title":{"rendered":"Walking In Your Client\u2019s Shoes: How Client Empathy Makes You a Better Lawyer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Sally Schmidt | The service you provide is every bit as important as the services you provide.<br \/>\nThe post Walking In Your Client\u2019s Shoes: How Client Empathy Makes You a Better Lawyer appeared first on Articles, Tips and Tech for Law Firms and Lawyers.<\/p>\n<p>I heard a lawyer tell a joke once that went something like this: \u201cIf you\u2019re having trouble with a client, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, you will have a one-mile head start and he won\u2019t have any shoes.\u201d It\u2019s a funny line. And I know there are times when that kind of attitude\u00a0can be tempting. But in reality, client empathy can be the difference between a struggling practice and a successful one.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"770\" height=\"494\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Walk-in-your-clients-shoes.jpg?resize=770%2C494&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"show Client Empathy with your clients, lawyer looking at shoes\" class=\"wp-image-100028258\" title=\"\"><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group cust-audio-set\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/legalbroadcastingcompany.com\/attorney-at-work-today\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Listen on Attorney at Work Today:<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"exemag-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/share.transistor.fm\/e\/105c9a87\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-importance-of-practicing-client-empathy\">The Importance of Practicing Client Empathy<\/h2>\n<p>Clients can be challenging, demanding and frustrating. It can be easy to dismiss their complaints \u2014 and easier yet to stay in your comfort zone doing business as usual.<\/p>\n<p>But when you think about your own experiences as a client or customer, it becomes easier to empathize with a client\u2019s situation.<\/p>\n<p>For most people, hiring a lawyer means anxiety, uncertainty and, no less important, costs. Most clients have come to you via a referral or a vetting process. They think you know what you are doing and trust that you will not be making mistakes on their legal documents or in the legal process. So what they are paying attention to are <em>other<\/em> things \u2014 and small things make big impressions.<\/p>\n<p>As a business owner, I\u2019ve had a lot of experiences as a client or customer. Let me\u00a0share a few examples to make the point:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>I send an email with a question \u2026 and nothing happens.<\/strong> Did you receive it? Are you rounding up the information? Are you on vacation? Inquiries should be acknowledged immediately. You may not have the answer, but you certainly can let me know you received the question and when I might expect a response.<\/li>\n<li><strong>You send an email asking for information \u2026 that I sent to you previously.<\/strong> I\u2019m busy, too; I don\u2019t have time to email what you need more than once. Plus I start to wonder about your organizational skills. Are you missing other information? Are you missing deadlines?<\/li>\n<li><strong>I call \u2026 and your voicemail box is full. <\/strong>Wow. Not only can I not leave my message, but I\u2019m thinking you are either terrible at using even 20th-century technology or terrible at returning calls or terrible at managing your practice \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/show-client-dont-really-care\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">none of which is good<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>I sit down with you \u2026 and you review my file in front of me to bring yourself up to date.<\/strong> I understand you may not remember everything we discussed before, but we had an appointment. If you had taken good notes and five to 10 minutes to look them over before I arrived, you would sound confident \u2014 and build my confidence in you.<\/li>\n<li><strong>I get a bill \u2026 and it doesn\u2019t represent the amount to which we agreed.<\/strong> Did you forget? Did you do more work than expected? If it\u2019s the latter, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/billing-is-marketing-best-invoices\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">you need to tell me<\/a> before sending the invoice. If it\u2019s the former, now I\u2019m suspicious.<\/li>\n<li><strong>You send me an email in the afternoon to set up a meeting<\/strong> <strong>\u2026 the following morning.<\/strong> I have a busy schedule; my time is valuable, like yours. Now I have the impression that you\u2019re just trying to fit me in.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here\u2019s where client empathy comes in. Remember:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Even the best clients are there because they have a problem or issue that needs to be solved.<\/li>\n<li>Even the most sophisticated clients appreciate you explaining things in plain English. That\u2019s client-centered lawyering.<\/li>\n<li>Even the most satisfied clients aren\u2019t thrilled to be spending money on lawyers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-service-you-provide-is-every-bit-as-important-as-the-services-you-provide\">The <em>Service<\/em> You Provide Is Every Bit as Important as the <em>Services<\/em> You Provide<\/h2>\n<p>So take some time to reflect on your own experiences as a buyer \u2014 both good and bad. What was it about the best providers that made you feel that way? What actions brought you disappointment that you want to avoid? Empathy will make you a much better \u2014 and more successful \u2014 lawyer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@widenka?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Martin Widenka<\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/person-wearing-red-running-shoe-n83ma0Wd4eY?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Unsplash<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-center has-background\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/columns\/legal-marketing-play-to-win\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"770\" height=\"495\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Play-to-Win-end-of-year-marketing.jpg?resize=770%2C495&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"end of year marketing plays football and rising arrow\" class=\"wp-image-100045567 size-full\" title=\"\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-play-to-win\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/columns\/legal-marketing-play-to-win\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Play to Win<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>In \u201cPlay to Win,\u201d you\u2019ll get smart, executable <strong>business development and marketing tips<\/strong> from Sally Schmidt, the authority on winning new clients and holding on to them. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-50 is-style-fill\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-vivid-red-background-color has-background has-small-font-size has-custom-font-size wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/columns\/legal-marketing-play-to-win\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">READ PLAY TO WIN \u2026<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sally Schmidt | The service you provide is every bit as important as the services you provide. The post Walking In Your Client\u2019s Shoes: How Client Empathy Makes You a Better Lawyer appeared first on Articles, Tips and Tech for Law Firms and Lawyers. I heard a lawyer tell a joke once that went something [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-143465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-legal_matters"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143465","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143465"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143465\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=143465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=143465"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=143465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}