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GAZETTE

MAY 1 988

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,

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• Co n f e r e n ce and Banqueting facilities.

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