1839 S. Alma School Road
Suite 264
Mesa, Arizona 85210
(480) 374-8747
(602) 357-8606 (espanol)
177 N. Church Ave
Suite 312
Tucson, AZ 85701
(520) 468-6668
(602) 357-8606(espanol)

How Much Time Do You Spend With A Client?

(The content below was transcribed from an interview done with Acacia Law. We think you'll find it much easier
and more enjoyable to read this way.)

Interviewer: Once you start working with somebody, how much interaction do you have?

Acacia Law: It depends on the client. Some clients are needier than others. There is a fair amount of hand holding. I can understand especially if the stakes are high. I try to make myself accessible but not too accessible. This is because I have situations where, literally, people will text me every day, multiple times a day. It is impossible to handle a case load and spend time texting a single client on a single issue.

A lot of times, when I do not respond to people, it is two-fold. One, I do not have any new information. I normally tell them the timeframes. I may say I am not going to get an answer for six weeks; and they call me after two weeks. If they call up every day for an answer, there is no point in taking the call. I can just have my paralegal say, "There is no answer yet. As he told you, you will not get one for six weeks." It depends on the urgency.

I have cases where clients are falling apart. I might spend more time with them. They are feeling suicidal or they want to run. I will give them extra time because I understand the undue stress; especially if they are a mother with three kids, or a single father who is trying to raise kids.

Those people I give a little extra time to. However, you can find yourself, if you are not careful, spending all your time and energy trying to make people feel better as opposed to doing the work that actually will make their lives better.

Interviewer: If clients do not respect you and your time, are they going to hurt your ability to help them and everyone else as well?

Acacia Law: Yes; I can see how things are going to play out. However, explaining that to somebody is near impossible because they do not understand the system. I found the easiest way to do it is basically give them a thumbnail sketch of what I envision. Then I ask them if they will just comply with things I ask. After that, if they do those things, they are in good shape.

There are not too many clients I have had to terminate representation of. This is because most of them who come in here have already been railroaded by the system. I am a ray of hope. I am a ray of light for them, and a breath of fresh air.

This is because I am actually working the case. I am doing things that were never done in the first place. A lot of them know enough to go if I tell them, "Hey, look, you really need to see a therapist.”