Law.com Trendspotter: 'Ghosting' Exposes the Shaky Foundation of Many Law Firm-Client Relationships
Some clients have reportedly taken to dropping outside counsel without saying a word. While this phenomenon itself does not appear to be widespread, it does highlight a widely-held misconception among law firm partners: that if one of their clients is dissatisfied, they'll hear about it before it's too late.
August 18, 2022 at 09:51 PM
6 minute read
(Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM)
The Trend:
Some clients have reportedly taken to "ghosting" their outside counsel—meaning they simply stop sending them work without formally ending the relationship. No bad review. No opportunity to make things right. Not even a goodbye.
While this phenomenon itself does not appear to be widespread, it does highlight a widely-held misconception among law firm partners: that if one of their clients is dissatisfied, they'll hear about it before it's too late.
The Driver:
The pandemic accelerated the trend of corporate legal departments sending more business to fewer law firms as a way to cut costs, drive diversity initiatives and build stronger relationships with outside counsel.
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