6.8
Some Types of Challenging Clients and How to Deal With Them

There are many types of challenging persons. Carol Curtis identifies categories of challenging clients:

 Type

 Issues and Strategies

 The client who is angry or hostile

 They were angry before they retained you and likely will stay angry. Be careful not to let them mistreat you or your staff. If you tolerate abusive behaviour from them, it will likely continue and increase.

 The client who is out for vengeance, or on a mission which has little to do with the legal issue

 If you are unable to achieve their goal, they will be unhappy and there could be trouble. Be careful the client does not take inappropriate, improper, or illegal actions to achieve their goal.

 The over-involved or obsessive client

 The client may act like a pseudo-lawyer. They may focus all their energy on the legal matter, to the exclusion of other parts of their lives. They will need a lot of attention and are obsessed with their case, often presenting binders or boxes full of documents or materials on their case. They will expect you to read all of it. Try to get them to narrow down the materials needing your attention and bill them regularly so they understand the costs associated with your time and work. Ensure that they receive copies of all of your work for their records. Consider if you can assign the client a task related to the file to give them a way to contribute in a more constructive way and focus their attention.

 The dependent client who is unable or unwilling to take responsibility for their own life

 This client may try and convince you to make decisions for them or simply be unwilling to make a decision. Do not do it! It is unethical for lawyers to make decisions for clients. When the result is not to their liking, they will blame you. Encourage them to find an advisor to accompany them to your meetings and help them consider your advice. You cannot be this advisor!

 The secretive/deceitful/dishonest client

 This person may not understand the importance of openness and honesty in the lawyer-client relationship. However, if the client is deceitful or dishonest with you, consider whether to end the relationship, and whether you even can continue to act.

 The challenging client who has a difficult case

 The person may have unrealistic expectations about the outcome of their case, including cost, time and result. Be clear at the outset about your advice on these matters.

 The client who is not willing or prepared to accept, believe, or follow your advice

 As above, be sure to document the relationship, including advice, outcomes, cost and time frames, all in writing.

Chart obtained from Dealing with the Difficult Client by Carole Curtis

This list is not exhaustive. A challenging client might manifest multiple characteristics, and you might encounter a client who is challenging in a unique way.

It is also worth considering the warning signs of a high-conflict personality. As you would expect, these types of people represent a disproportionate share of those involved in high-conflict litigation. Many high-conflict personality types do not accept their lawyer’s assessment of their case and legal strategies. 

Although rare, there are instances in which clients become violent with the parties or lawyers involved in a dispute. It is difficult to identify a potentially violent client in advance, but a person’s words and behaviour can point to this potential.

If you practice in an area that tends to attract high-conflict matters, you may wish to consult resources on how to identify and manage the different types of high-conflict personality. Many additional resources are available if you are seeking further information, strategies, and training with respect to dealing with high-conflict individuals.

What remains constant in challenging client scenarios is:

  • identifying the problem or potential problem;
  • establishing parameters that allow you to appropriately manage the relationship; and
  • documenting all the steps you take in dealing with them.

Proper documentation is the best practice in dealing with all clients but is of paramount importance when dealing with challenging clients.

Last modified: Wednesday, 16 August 2023, 2:24 PM