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Prioritising client relationships with ethical billing key for post-COVID
A new law firm on the NSW Central Coast was launched in the middle of the pandemic, and although that provided a set of challenges in itself, the sole practitioner’s main aim was to ensure that the care of her family law clients was prioritised.
Naomi Neilson
With the family law arena’s approach to legal costs and delays heavily criticised, Bilson Law on the Central Coast has come into the system with a commitment to billing clients ethically throughout the entire process. This means clients coming into struggles within their personal lives are not further burdened by hidden fees and a lack of transparency.
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Sole practitioner Jacqui Bilson said that while there were some difficulties in the launch of her firm during the COVID-19 pandemic — including the limits on meeting clients and local businesses face-to-face — the priority was her approach to clients.
“Opening a legal practice during COVID-19 has been all about understanding — and really listening. So many people are struggling with job losses and the relationship breakdowns that it is essential to take the time to listen to clients,” Ms Bilson said.
Ms Bilson told Lawyers Weekly that ethical billing is core to her practice so as to ensure clients are informed about legal costs not only from the outset but also along the way, as opposed to the usual practice being a “broad brush disclosure” at the beginning.
Ethical billing informs clients along the way how much each task completed by the firm is going to cost, Ms Bilson said. For example, clients are usually “shocked” to see how much it costs them to have their lawyer keep up correspondence with the other parties. Pricing is typically based on the complexity and seriousness of the issue.
“Dealing with unexpected fees is the same as dealing with expected fees,” she added. “It is about being upfront and honest with the client about the types of issues that could arise. Ethical billing is a mechanism of empowering the client and enabling them to be an active part of the process, every step of the way.”
Ms Bilson said she feels all family lawyers have a role to play in contributing to an area of law that has been criticised for its approach to billing, particularly when working with vulnerable and struggling clients. She added that families deserve a “safe place where issues can be resolved” and where they are empowered to be the decision makers.
