Your client arrives at your office – he checks in with the reception desk – is offered a drink and is told you will be notified of his arrival. He is seated in the lobby, relaxes to the soft music, pages through a magazine and sips the drink. And waits. And waits. And waits.

Where are you?

Other people stroll through the lobby coming and going. And he waits.

He may be uncomfortable having others know he is waiting to see you about a divorce. Other people in the lobby may be trying to strike up a conversation and ask prying questions.

What are you doing? Where are you? Why are you allowing the client to be kept waiting?

Have you prioritized a phone call over a waiting client? Are you stuck in a hearing?

It really doesn’t matter why you’re late (to the client). You’re just late. And the client is feeling disrespected and unimportant. We all know the feeling. It’s happened to all of us.

Now, no matter how excellent your “legal work”, your client will struggle to feel good about you. Your client will struggle to recommend you to a friend. I hope you had a good reason to make the client wait.

At a minimum, get the client out of the lobby. Move him to a room. Make sure he’s comfortable. Make sure he has a phone and access to wifi. But he still won’t feel respected. He will know that you value your time more than his. He won’t likely be a good referral source for you down the road.