By Peg James, Risk Management Advisor Helping you build a safe, healthy practice. Although only half of reported claims are serious enough to require a defence or a settlement, every reported claim represents real costs to the lawyer involved costs in time, stress, disaffected clients, and cash. To help members avoid these painful costs, the Law Society created the position of risk management advisor. Since taking up that position, I ve learned that our broad claim patterns and their details repeat in other provinces and in other countries.
Claims don t come just from a group of repeat offenders or bad apples.
So, if you want to see what kind of lawyer faces claims, just look in the mirror. No doubt you already have the skills and habits needed to manage risks in your personal life. Risk management in your legal practice entails a similar set of simple skills and habits things like listening, making file notes, managing your time, and calendaring. A good habit to develop is to screen your clients. All of us have had clients we wish we d never met because they turned out to be demanding, unreasonable, and unwilling to pay for our services.