"The best way to build a long term relationship is to work on challenging problems together."

Clients hate to be kept in the dark and then blindsided (seeClients Don't Like to Be Blindsided). But they also don't want to be burdened with every trivial detail.

It's not that clients don't want to hear from lawyers, of course they do. Just in the right way. Reports and advice notes, for example, are vital to clients, but the trick is to get the balance right. Certainly, clients don't want to receive and be charged for unsolicited legal essays.