M1 - Learner Manual

When you are meeting with a client it is very important to ensure that the client feels comfortable and that they are in a safe environment. Often when meeting to discuss legal issues with a client they may be nervous. These nerves could be due to a lack of familiarity with the type of legal issues they are encountering, a lack of trust of authority (often in the context of criminal legal proceedings) or it may be due to the sensitive nature of the problems they are encountering. In any event, part of your role when providing services to a client will be to ensure you gain the client’s trust. This may take a little longer for some clients than others. This is why the first interaction with a client is extremely important. It is this initial meeting where the client will form their first impressions of your service and decide whether they can confide in you fully when discussing their problems. Building rapport by making a client feel safe, comfortable and like they are not only being heard but understood, is a good way of getting the client professional relationship off to a good start.

Once you have established a positive rapport with the client you can begin extracting the relevant information that you need in order to provide them an effective service. The best way to begin this process is often with open ended questions that allow the client to tell their story. You should not continually interrupt the client to clarify information. Rather take appropriate notes, engage in active listening and clarify any relevant information after you have given the client an opportunity to tell you everything they feel is important.

To enhance your client’s ability to fully explore all issues relevant to their problem/s, it is also important that you maintain continuing and open communication. Some clients may be overly demanding, wanting to speak with you everyday 2-3 times a day. Obviously this will not be possible and it is not fair to spend all of this time over-servicing one client if it is to the detriment of the service you are providing your remaining clients. Yet it will often be possible to maintain a sufficient level of communication with clients using a combination of phone conversations, letters and face-to-face meetings. This will often leave the client feeling that they are receiving an effective service and are able to discuss any important issues with you.