Even
the
best
lawyers
need
their
clients’
help
to
ensure
that
a
representation
has
the
best
outcome
possible. For
instance,
clients
often
need
to
sign
documents,
review
materials,
provide
discovery
responses,
and
engage
in
other
tasks
associated
with
a
representation. Sometimes,
it
can
be
difficult
to
get
clients
to
complete
such
tasks,
and
it
can
be
frustrating
since
this
can
create
more
work
and
stress
for
lawyers. However,
attorneys
should
recognize
that
clients
are
busy
running
their
businesses
or
otherwise
living
their
lives,
and
clients
have
limited
bandwidth
to
complete
tasks
for
counsel.
Earlier
in
my
career,
I
worked
for
a
client
that
hired
a
few
different
lawyers
to
handle
a
portfolio
of
legal
work. I
was
more
of
the
client’s
outside
general
counsel,
and
other
lawyers
completed
more
specialized
tasks
for
him. One
time,
while
working
for
this
client,
another
attorney
needed
the
client
to
forward
him
discovery
materials
that
would
form
the
basis
for
discovery
responses
that
needed
to
be
sent
out
by
a
given
deadline.
The
client
was
extremely
busy
running
his
business,
and
securing
discovery
responses
was
just
about
the
last
thing
on
his
to-do
list. As
a
result,
the
client
delayed
sending
the
requested
materials
until
the
last
minute.
This
lawyer
ended
up
sending
increasingly
erratic
and
somewhat
rude
messages
to
the
client,
trying
to
get
the
client
to
complete
tasks
on
time.
I
am
not
sure
this
approach
worked,
and
this
only
solidified
my
own
relationship
with
the
client
since
I
did
not
treat
him
that
way.
Lawyers
can
do
only
a
few
things
in
order
to
assist
clients
in
completing
tasks
given
the
low
amount
of
bandwidth
clients
might
have
for
legal
matters. One
strategy
is
to
visit
a
client’s
office
in
person. Clients
are
far
less
likely
to
avoid
a
lawyer
if
the
lawyer
comes
to
the
client’s
office,
and
it
is
usually
easier
for
a
lawyer
and
client
to
work
together
to
complete
a
task
when
they
are
in
the
same
room.
Of
course,
it
can
be
time-intensive
for
lawyers
to
visit
a
client’s
office,
and
this
might
not
be
feasible
in
every
circumstance. I
once
had
a
client
I
visited
every
quarter
since
I
could
not
get
tasks
completed
without
visiting
the
client
in
person. Since
the
client’s
office
was
in
a
hard-to-reach
part
of
the
area,
each
trip
usually
took
half
a
day,
and
it
was
difficult
to
bill
for
all
of
the
time
spent
traveling
to
and
from
the
client’s
office.
However,
this
was
a
solid
way
to
manage
tasks
for
that
particular
client.
If
lawyers
make
it
easier
for
clients
to
complete
tasks,
this
also
ensures
that
they
can
respond
favorably
with
the
limited
bandwidth
they
have
for
such
matters. For
instance,
I
routinely
send
documents
to
clients
to
sign
electronically
since
it
is
far
more
likely
that
a
client
will
execute
a
document
electronically
than
if
they
need
to
print
out
the
document,
sign
it,
and
scan
a
copy
of
the
signed
document
back
to
me.
Also,
one
of
the
jurisdictions
in
which
I
practice
recently
permitted
parties
to
affirm
matters
to
be
true
rather
than
require
notarizations
in
most
circumstances. I
immediately
switch
to
affirmations
to
save
my
clients
trips
to
a
notary
to
have
documents
notarized. However,
I
am
amazed
at
how
many
lawyers
still
ask
that
clients
notarize
court
papers
even
though
the
rules
were
explicitly
changed,
and
it
is
far
more
difficult
to
do
this.
All
told,
lawyers
should
keep
in
mind
that
even
though
we
deal
with
legal
matters
all
day,
clients
usually
have
limited
time
to
handle
legal
matters. However,
lawyers
can
accommodate
clients
so
that
legal
tasks
can
be
completed
notwithstanding
this
limited
bandwidth.
Jordan
Rothman
is
a
partner
of The
Rothman
Law
Firm,
a
full-service
New
York
and
New
Jersey
law
firm.
He
is
also
the
founder
of Student
Debt
Diaries,
a
website
discussing
how
he
paid
off
his
student
loans.
You
can
reach
Jordan
through
email
at jordan@rothman.law.