Maybe, in the old days, making clients think that you – as the august and brilliant lawyer – were too busy to deliver high-touch customer service was a good strategy. But in 2016, with a marketplace over-full of lawyers in most specialties, being responsive to clients isn’t just ‘nice’ – it’s also good business.

There’s a good article about this in this week’s Lawyers’ Weekly – and our own Timothy Sullivan shares his advice.

When it comes to running a law practice, providing solid legal advice is, without doubt, an essential ingredient for success. After all, clients these days expect nothing less from their lawyers.

However, legal skills will only take you so far. To keep clients happy, lawyers must also incorporate some sort of palatable bedside manner and beef up their customer service skills.

Those who’ve started their own legal businesses or law practices maintain that, in addition to doing good work, lawyers need to develop a personal connection with clients, be honest and respectful, provide timely communications and ensure expectations are clear.

“I think people are looking for somebody that they can communicate well with,” says Julie Stanchieri, founder of Stanchieri Family Law in Toronto. “They don’t want to be talked down to and they want somebody to not be abrupt with them but answer their questions.

“Our job is to generally tell people what we think they should do. But in doing that, you have to be as respectful as possible. Nobody wants to be talked down to or yelled at so we always try to be respectful and polite in whatever communications that we’re having.”

Read more here.