Divorce can be an emotional and difficult time for your clients and their families. As these distressed clients walk into your door they are going through one of the toughest times in their lives. For the attorney, the initial client interview can be a pivotal point in the attorney client relationship. You have to ask yourself – is this client right for you? And more importantly … are you the right attorney for this client?
In this course, Jennifer M. Riemer discusses the principle points you need to consider before and during the initial interview with a client who seeks representation in a family law matter. The main topics discussed by Mrs. Riemer include the importance of the first meeting, building trust with the client, fees, referrals, confidentiality, the attorneys role with client, deciding whether to take the case, how to get the information & documents that you need and how to present the information to the client. Further issues addressed include the source of new clients, setting client expectations, guaranteeing results for clients, charging for consultations, conflict checks, confidentiality & technology, 7 things to tell clients about technology, listening to the client, what you want to learn at the first meeting, limited scope agreements, the questions you need to ask, domestic violence, checklists, process options and documents. In this excellent course Mrs. Reimer presents numerous practical points that can be deployed in your family law practice.
Jennifer M. Riemer is an associate in the family law firm of Walzer & Melcher LLP. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Vanderbilt University and her Juris Doctor from Boston University Law School. While in law school, she served as the secretary for the Children and Law Society. Mrs. Riemer also served as a law clerk at Children's Legal Services in Boston, Massachusetts, and interned at the Legal Aid Society Juvenile Rights Division in Brooklyn, New York. She is a member of the Southern California Family Law American Inn of Court, the Family Law Section of the State Bar of California, the Family Law Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the Family Law Section of the Beverly Hills Bar Association. She has lectured several times on family law issues for the State Bar and for the Inn of Court and she was also selected to Southern California Rising Stars in 2010 and 2011.
Practice Areas: Family Law
State Accreditations: California (CA)