logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2024
25m 58s

Breaking bad news to clients

MOMENTUM MEDIA
About this episode

Local Court solicitors often do not have enough time to communicate with clients in ways that might assuage fears. If those practitioners can better adapt their approaches, there will be positive flow-on consequences – not just for those clients, but for the community at large.

In this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Legal Aid NSW Local Court criminal lawyer Matthew Wade and lived experience expert Jody Letts about why it is so important for lawyers to be better at delivering bad news, whether bedside manner is lacking for lawyers, whether lawyers have the capacity and bandwidth to learn how to be more empathetic in their news delivery, and the consequences of not delivering bad news in the right ways.

The guests also discuss the solutions for lawyers to improve on this front, evolving and adapting one’s approach, questions a lawyer should be prepared to answer, what works and doesn’t work, and how and why the community will be better placed if lawyers can get better at delivering bad news.

If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: FacebookTwitter and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email editor@lawyersweekly.com.au for more insights!

Up next
Today
LawTech Talks: Leveraging tech for the new AML/CTF regime
In this special episode of LawTech Talks, produced in partnership with InfoTrack, we explore the looming changes to the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regime, the practical implications for lawyers, and how best to leverage technology amid such a changing l ... Show More
21m 35s
Aug 22
Going from service provider to decision-maker
Amid myriad professional and technological changes, practitioners need to change how they service clients – for this litigator, there is much to look forward to in being proactive about offering broader, more holistic advice to clients, rather than reacting to traditional needs. ... Show More
24m 50s
Aug 19
The Corporate Counsel Show: Working in-house as a ‘church lawyer’
In this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, recorded at last week’s Australian Law Forum, we explore the day-to-day experience of working as a general counsel in a faith-based institution and what other law department leaders can learn from lawyers in such roles. Host Jerome D ... Show More
14m 54s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2018
138: Call NOW! [Rebroadcast]
When things go bad all you need to do is pick up the phone and CALL. Since the US Supreme Court allowed lawyers to advertise in the 1970s, practices like these have skyrocketed, with often shoddily-produced results. Are tacky lawyer ads trashing the profession or simply making it ... Show More
24m 40s
Jan 2024
Clinical Negligence, Forced Marriages & Social Justice - Sabeena Pirooz - S7E37
Send us a text How one individual's journey can make a profound impact on the lives of others? This week we're super excited to be chatting with Sabeena Pirooz, a Senior Clinical Negligence Solicitor at Thomson Solicitors, a leading social justice law firm, to discuss the firm's ... Show More
34m 20s
Nov 2022
Do Lawyers Ever Agree? Tips on "Meet and Confer" Conferences
Many areas of the law require attorneys to meet and confer, meaning lawyers must communicate the basis for their disagreement on a legal issue and make a meaningful attempt to reach a resolution. You may be surprised to learn that lawyers rarely agree on anything, but the law sti ... Show More
47m 2s
Jun 2023
Collaborative Criminal Justice
Is the criminal justice system too focused on punishing non-violent, first-time offenders, or is there room for collaboration aimed at improving outcomes and giving these offenders a chance to change their lives? Can the system move non-violent, first-time offenders from the "cou ... Show More
47m 50s
Jun 2013
16: Call Now!
When things go bad, all you need to do is pick up the phone and CALL. Or so the late-night ads on basic cable tell us. Since the US Supreme Court allowed lawyers to advertise in the 1970s, the practice has skyrocketed, with often shoddily-produced results. Are tacky lawyer ads br ... Show More
25m 20s
May 2023
How to Write a better Advice
Many young lawyers come out of law school with a lot of knowledge and the ability to put together a sound legal opinion on a given topic.But when it comes to communicating that to the client... it all goes to hell in a handbasket. 
9m 57s
May 2023
S4E6: Rebecca Manoti, Tanzanian Attorney
Rebecca is an attorney in the Labour and Litigation Department at ABC Attorneys in Tanzania. Her experience includes reviewing employment contracts for employees, advising on various employee contracts and employment laws, drafting opinions on various employment-related matters, ... Show More
39m 38s
Feb 2015
ABA Midyear Meeting 2015: Avvo for Lawyers with Dan Lear
Legal Talk Network Host Jason Marsh interviews Dan Lear from Avvo at the 2015 ABA Midyear Meeting. Lear explains that Avvo is an online legal marketplace where lawyers can improve their client visibility. Many lawyers can greatly benefit from claiming and improving their Avvo lis ... Show More
19m 57s