Why Is Trust Important Between An Attorney and Client?
Below, Ocean City criminal attorney Kush Arora discusses what makes trust such an important part of the attorney client relationship. To schedule a free consultation with a criminal attorney in Maryland call today.
Importance of Trust
Trust is one of the most important aspects of the relationship between a client and their Ocean City criminal lawyer because a client has to be able to trust the advice an attorney is giving them.
A lot of times you might get to a point where you have to say something to the client that you know is not what they want to hear. Sometimes the hardest part is that you have to be the bearer of bad news to the client. You may be in the position of having to tell the client that they are facing time in jail or that they should accept a plea to a certain charge.
If that client trusts you and that trust has been developed through the relationship then they are going to be more likely to listen to that advice.
Being Honest With Clients
One of the best ways to develop trust with clients is by being upfront and honest about their case. I think that’s also why it’s so important not to make ridiculous promises. It’s so frustrating when I hear that other attorneys have said things like, “I guarantee I can get you off of this charge,” or “you’re going to be found not guilty of everything.” Unless you have taken the time to review the police reports and consider all potential defenses and so many other factors, you cannot make a statement like that to a client in an initial consult. I think it’s horrible to do that to somebody.
And then if later that attorney has to say I think you should take a plea, well, why would the client believe him or her because initially ridiculous promises were made. And so for this reason, I think it’s just very important to be straightforward with people say to them “you will know everything that I know and when the time comes to make a decision, I promise you that you will be making an informed educated decision and then we will go from there, whatever that decision is.” If the client tells me, I hear what you’re saying, but I would like to have a trial, then that’s fine, that’s what we will do.
However, because I know that I told the client what all the options are and they made an informed choice I’ve done my job. Ultimately the decision is the client’s choice, but I will know that I reviewed everything with them so that they could make that decision knowingly, informed of everything that should be considered when making a decision.