How to communicate with your lawyer

If you’ve never practised law and get most of your legal knowledge from trashy courtroom dramas, you might struggle when it comes to communicating with your lawyer. Whether you’ve had an accident, injury, or been a victim of medical malpractice (like the lexicon lawsuit, for example) you’ve probably already got a lawyer and speak to them regularly. Whilst this might come easily to some people, you might feel worried about misunderstanding your lawyer, or having to go home and look things up afterwards. But communicating with your lawyer shouldn’t be difficult – so what can you do to help?

Be clear
Building relationships is important, and it relies on clarity. How can you expect to understand your lawyer, if they don’t understand you? So, when you speak to your lawyer, make sure you have a solid understanding of what you want to communicate. Do you know the order of the events? Can you explain them well? Are you missing any details? Providing all the information in a clear, detailed manner will enable them to understand the facts as well as you do, and this will strengthen your relationship. If you’re worried that you’re not being clear, practice speaking everything through with a friend, relative, or partner.

Be honest
Honesty is another key part of the relationship between a lawyer and a client. If your story is missing key elements or you stretch the truth, your lawyer will have reasons not to trust you. Being open and honest will make the relationship stronger and communication will become much easier.

Ask questions
Most good lawyers will tell you everything you need to know. But if they don’t? Ask questions. This is your case, your life, and you deserve to understand everything that is happening and know all the facts. Asking questions will also help to keep the conversation two-sided and your lawyer will appreciate that you are actively participating. It will encourage him or her to keep you in the loop, whilst also demonstrating that you understand everything they are telling you.

Take notes
You might take notes when you have a lengthy doctor’s appointment, so why not do so in a lawyer’s office? Sometimes, you might feel overwhelmed or bombarded with information when your lawyer is talking, so bringing a notepad and pen and writing notes can prove extremely helpful. You can always read over the notes and, if anything is unclear, ask your lawyer about them later. It’s better to be over-prepared than feel anxious and worried that you don’t have all the relevant information.

Be firm
Whilst you might not want to offend your lawyer, they are doing you a service, and therefore that service needs to be right. If you don’t think your lawyer is communicating effectively with you, you need to tell them. They might not have had this feedback before, and will need to work on their communication skills. Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself and ask for the service you deserve.