The client is the Universe
When Paradigm Family Law attended the recent York Business Conference we were inspired. The overwhelming vision and passion of the attendees for their businesses and their drive for achieving excellence in customer care and service was fantastic.
It was echoed by Lord Stuart Rose in his keynote address to the conference. What he said has left a lasting impression on us and the other delegates no doubt. Lord Rose said that the customer is no longer King, they are the Universe.
It is something we at Paradigm Family Law had in mind when we set up our niche family law practice last year, and what lay behind our pioneering decision to offer fixed fees for divorce and financial cases. Fixed fees from start to end is something no other family lawyer we know offers.
Spotlight
The approach has recently been in the spotlight. In a recent blogpost, we reported on how senior members of the judiciary are now openly endorsing an approach towards fixed fees for financial cases.
There have been increasing levels of criticism towards the traditional hourly rate approach which does not serve clients interests and effectively penalises the experienced lawyers who are able to give prompt advice and assess the merits of a case succinctly and expediently.
Some legal commentators and practitioners have derided fixed fees as unworkable in the family law sphere or worse still that they could lead to increased cases of negligence due to cutting corners. Not so, in fact exactly the opposite is true of family law.
Change is good
At Paradigm Family Law we say don’t be scared of change. Change is good. Especially where the old system has become counter productive and at odds with what the consumer, for it is that name by which all clients must now be addressed, wants and expects.
Fixed fees do not lead to compromises in service, far from it. Customers want to know from the outset what they are going to pay for a service. An experienced family lawyer knows what the issues are in a case, and can assess the value of those issues and the work needed to achieve the end result for a client. It is inexperienced lawyers that are perhaps going to struggle to make such an assessment, and take longer to perform the tasks in hand as the case progresses. The hourly rate method of charging helps inexperienced and ponderous lawyers which only creates more expense for clients in the long run.
Gandhi
We are reminded of the wise words of Mahatma Gandhi when he said:
“A customer is the most important visitor on our premises, he is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us an opportunity to do so.”
How true. And how prescient Gandhi was. The client is the universe.
We are in the business of providing services for customers at what is one of the most stressful times in their lives, a relationship breakdown, and all that entails. The last thing a client should have to face is the uncertainty of not knowing how much their case is going to cost.
Fixed fees from the outset
At Paradigm Family Law we do things differently. We offer fixed fees from the outset, and have the expertise and experience to enable us to do so. We share a common goal with our clients and work in their interests.
If you like the sound of our approach, please do get in touch. James and Frank have over 30 years experience in family law between them. Call us on 0845 6020422 or email [email protected] to arrange a free initial consultation and ask for a fixed fee quote tailored to your particular circumstances.
