Message from the Chair

By Peter Brewer, Esq.

If you are reading this, I suppose you are a member of the Law Practice Management & Technology section, and that leads to the further supposition that you are interested in the management of a law practice. Step one: attract some clients!! Step two: give those clients competent, careful, and caring service, and do everything reasonably within your power to achieve the goals they came to you seeking.

As the owner of a six-attorney firm, a.k.a. a small business, I am ever attentive to how well or how poorly the businesses that I patronize each day are run. Recently I determined that I wanted to rent an exciting car when I return to my home town this summer for a high-school reunion. Avis has Corvettes on its website (at a rather commanding price, that I was willing to pay), but it said, “Corvette (or similar car).” I don’t want a “similar car”, so I wrote to the manager of the facility. He was totally unhelpful, said they don’t have them in inventory at his station, and could not be bothered to suggest what Avis outlet does have them (unwilling to look it up or call around).

Then I contacted an off-brand exotic car rental. They too wanted a substantial price, but wanted half up-front and had a “no refund” policy. I wrote and explained that my travel is not planned until mid-September, and at the time of writing it was June. I said that if something were to happen that would prevent my travel, my cancellation months in advance would not cause them to lose a rental. Might we agree that my deposit would become non-refundable a month before the rental? The response: “No, we will not be able to accommodate your request and adjust our policy.” What?