Wisconsin Lawyer: How can I ethically disengage from representing problem clients, and better yet, how do I identify and avoid problem clients in the first place?:

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August 05, 2008

How can I ethically disengage from representing problem clients, and better yet, how do I identify and avoid problem clients in the first place?

Respond to our next question:

How can I ethically disengage from representing problem clients, and better yet, how do I identify and avoid problem clients in the first place?

I've heard horror stories about clients who don't pay bills, return phone calls, provide information, or timely follow through on actions needed to advance their legal matter. Still other stories recount clients making pests of themselves by too frequent phone calls, or worse, intimidating lawyers or their employees, or disrespecting the court. I'm a new lawyer and just opening a solo office. How can I tell if a client has the potential to become a problem?

How to respond: Email your brief response (about 200 words) by September 1 to wislawyer@wisbar.org, subject line: Problem Client. Include your name, affiliation, and city. The editors will select several responses for publication and will notify you in advance of publication if your response has been selected.