Many lawyers,
mental health professionals and financial specialists have been trained in
collaborative practice and see the value of offering it to clients as another
option to resolving disputes. An option that can help separating and divorcing
clients to resolve disputes in a potentially less destructive manner.
Collaborative
Practice is not for all clients and it is not the responsibility of
collaborative professional’s to “sell” Collaborative Practice to their clients.
However, many clients and referral sources are unaware of this option and those
that do may not know how Collaborative Practice could benefit them and their
families.
As a result,
professionals who have been trained in Collaborative Practice are frustrated
about the low demand for this service.
In my consultation with lawyers and collaborative professionals, I often
hear, “I want to do more collaborative cases, but my clients are not asking for
it.” or “My clients want Collaborative Practice, but their spouse selected a
lawyer who is not a collaborative professional.”
The less
clients and referral sources understand how Collaborative Practice can help
them solve their problems or reach their goals, the less demand there will be
for Collaborative Practice. This means that collaborative professionals who
want to attract more collaborative clients to their practice will need to
implement new strategies for growing their practice.
In my
experience working with Collaborative professionals in the UK and North
America, I have witnessed the characteristics of successful practitioners and
have consulted with those who went from few or no collaborative cases to a
significant increase in cases in a matter of 6-12 months.
So,
how do you grow a practice that brings value to your clients, fulfillment to
your work and is financially profitable? Our next ten blog posts will include the top ten strategies so sign up for our blog feed so you don't miss any of the tips!
