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His final topic was "St a ff and
Service to Clients" and he had
stressed that these are obviously
inter-dependent. He said that the
profession in most jurisdictions
spends a pitiful amount on training
staff and that generally it shows!
Today's solicitor needs not only to
be a good lawyer but to be able to
convey this to the client — training
is a vital part of that. Under
"Service to Clients" he quoted a
very old joke that solicitors used to
tell at Law Society dinners — " I t
would be a super job if it wasn't for
the clients!" He said that many
firms would have that wish fulfilled
unless they took a very close look
at both the quality of their work
and the degree of care they took in
communicating with the clients.
Robert Parsons came on to close
the day and showed us how to
ensure that we never again lost a
telephone quote for costs. In short,
he told us never to quote on the
telephone. If we did, it was
impossible to win — we simply
gave the client a figure which
somebody else would knock five
pounds off! He said that it was
necessary to get the client into the
office and to win the battle on
service. He urged us not to descend
to be merely " j o b b i ng con-
veyancers" but to stress that we
are independent advisers who
actually save people money — far
more than the fifty pounds or so
that they are trying to save by
getting a low quote. He said that
getting the client into the office
was only half the battle — the
other half was actually "clinching
the business". It was a matter of
convincing clients that you were
the very best person to help them.
He urged solicitors to get involved
in negotiating the purchase price,
arranging the mortgage, and
obtaining competitive insurance
quotes — in short, to stand out
from the competition. He said " I t
is difficult to be one hundred per
cent better than the competition —
thank goodness we don't have to
be — we only have to be one per
cent better in a hundred areas!" He
told us that, when he finishes a
quote for costs in the office, he
a lways
gives
clients
the
opportunity of going to a cheaper
ROCHES
LAW SEARCHERS
ST. BRENDANS
13 ARRAN ROAD
DUBL IN 9
Tel. 3 7 2 6 38
Fax. 3 7 2 2 53
Specialist s in Title Enquiries .
solicitor along the road and
promised us that without fail they
say, "No thanks, we'll stay with
you !"
"Wh i ch way did I ought to go
from here?" said Alice.
"That depends a good deal on
where you want to get to," said the
cat.
p I J u r u s Ho t el C o r k
j \
W e s t e rn R o a d , Co r k.
J
Te l: ( 0 2 1 ) 2 7 6 6 2 2 . T l x: 76073.
Set in o n e of the City's most pleasant sites on the banks of the
River Lee, only 5 mi nu t es walk from the main s h o p p i ng
area.
• 200 Ro oms, all w i th bath and shower, multi-channel,
T V., Radio and direct dial telephone.
• The intimate Fastnet Restaurant — offers the finest
international cuisine.
• The all-day Glandore Restaurant provides good food,
from coffee to a full meal — fast service at moderate prices.
• Relax in the Pavilion Bar where the amb i e n ce is warm and
friendly.
• S amp le the 'local' atmosphere of the Co r ks Bar.
• Gu e s ts at Jurys enjoy indoor/outdoor heated pool. Sauna,
G y mn a s i um, Squ a sh Court and g ames rooms.
• Co n f e r e n ce and Banqueting facilities.
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