New lawyers, established lawyers, and lawyers on the verge of retirement have something in common: they don’t want legal malpractice lawsuits. No lawyer wants to deal with the costs, hassles, and reputation damage of a lawsuit.

We’ve covered ways to avoid malpractice claims before, but we cannot stress enough how important it is to communicate clearly with your clients. Thorough communication can make all the difference in your ability to deliver results, keep clients satisfied, and avoid malpractice claims.

Start With a Good Engagement Letter

It is crucial to gear everything you do toward achieving your client’s goals and protecting their interests. This begins with identifying their goals and explaining – in writing – the benefits and drawbacks to the various legal options they have. Not only does writing a letter create a record in the event of later disagreement or accusations, the exercise of writing it can help you identify issues you need to address.

Maintain Open Communication

Communication is one area where a client’s perception can be more important than reality. If you are regularly available to answer questions and provide updates, your client is less likely to feel ignored or that you were not adequately committed to their case. A typical sports phrase is “the best ability is availability.”