Lawyers
and
clients
often
develop
years-long
relationships
during
which
clients
and
lawyers
cultivate
connections
that
often
transcend
the
traditional
attorney-client
framework. During
this
relationship,
clients
may
ask
for
favors
in
the
form
of
favorable
billing
terms
or
other
advantages
that
the
lawyer
is
uniquely
able
to
provide. Although
it
is
acceptable
to
perform
such
favors
for
clients,
lawyers
should
not
do
so
under
the
assumption
that
it
will
result
in
additional
work.
Perhaps
the
most
common
favor
a
lawyer
will
do
for
a
client
is
to
take
a
given
matter
on
favorable
terms
with
the
expectation
that
additional
work
will
follow. However,
clients
do
not
always
remember
the
lawyer
who
gave
them
favorable
terms
when
there
is
an
additional
matter
that
needs
attention. Earlier
in
my
career,
I
worked
on
a
very
small
matter
for
a
long-term
client. The
matter
was
worth
barely
four
figures,
so
I
was
surprised
that
the
plaintiff
was
able
to
secure
a
lawyer
who
made
it
worth
it
to
pursue
the
claim
in
court.
During
the
course
of
my
relationship
with
plaintiff’s
lawyer,
I
discovered
that
this
attorney
had
taken
the
case
since
the
plaintiff
was
a
somewhat
large
company
in
his
area,
and
the
attorney
felt
that
taking
this
one
matter
on
favorable
terms
could
lead
to
additional
work.
This
lawyer
eventually
told
me
he
saw
the
client
had
another,
much
bigger
lawsuit,
and
this
client
had
decided
to
use
a
different
lawyer
for
that
case. This
adversary
of
mine
expressed
disappointment
at
this
outcome,
and
I
could
relate
to
what
this
attorney
experienced. I
too
had
been
disappointed
before
when
clients
did
not
make
good
on
promises
to
refer
larger
matters
to
me
in
exchange
for
favorable
terms
on
a
smaller
case.
Throughout
my
career,
I
have
seen
lawyers
perform
all
kinds
of
favors
for
clients
that
are
not
readily
connected
to
an
existing
representation. It
is
common,
for
instance,
for
lawyers
to
offer
internships
or
employment,
to
friends
or
relatives
of
people
who
refer
them
work. I
am
aware
of
two
instances
during
my
career
when
this
was
likely
the
case,
and
in
one
instance,
this
resulted
in
the
person
receiving
a
relatively
hard-to-get
summer
position. Usually,
it
is
harmless
for
a
lawyer
to
give
an
unpaid
internship
to
someone
during
the
summer,
but
if
the
firm
needs
to
pay
for
the
employment,
or
if
the
favored
person
takes
the
place
of
a
competent
hire,
this
could
pose
problems.
Sometimes,
clients
may
ask
lawyers
to
perform
work
pro
bono
for
favored
entities. Indeed,
when
I
was
an
associate
in
Biglaw,
one
of
my
colleagues
was
specifically
told
that
a
pro
bono
matter
was
especially
important
because
it
was
being
performed
as
a
favor
for
a
large
client. At
other
times,
client
favors
can
be
rather
small. Several
times
during
my
career,
clients
have
asked
me
to
secure
papers
at
various
courthouses
the
next
time
I
had
a
court
appearance
at
a
given
location. There
was
almost
no
extra
time
I
needed
to
devote
to
these
favors
since
I
was
already
at
the
courthouse,
and
the
fees
needed
to
procure
the
requested
records
were
minimal.
All
told,
it
is
common
for
lawyers
to
complete
favors
for
clients,
and
each
lawyer
needs
to
weigh
the
benefits
and
costs
of
each
favor
before
agreeing
to
perform
a
given
task. However,
lawyers
should
not
expect
to
receive
additional
work
from
clients
simply
by
completing
favors,
since
clients
may
not
factor
this
when
selecting
counsel
for
additional
matters.
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.