Collaborative Working – Improving Client And Law Firm Relationships

Matthew Knowles, partner in the International Arbitration department, writes about how collaborative working is the key to strong and sustainable relationships between law firms and clients.

The first file I picked up after qualifying shocked me. This was not two leading law firms vigorously protecting their respective clients' interests. It was two individuals fighting over minutiae, spending time, money, energy and creative thought (or at least the potential for creative thought) doing down the other person rather than advancing their client's position.

Since then, I have spent 10 years in private practice, been a senior in-house disputes counsel with a major corporate, and worked in third party funding, before recently returning to private practice. Sadly, it is no surprise that there remains a disconnect between many disputes counsel and their clients. The former often see themselves as hired guns, the latter bemoan the time and expense of dispute resolution