Her client is a cold, calculating, brilliant sociopath.

He seemed pleasant enough when he hired her; paid her substantial, initial, fixed fee; and provided the necessary documents and other material.

Time passed, and the case progressed. He paid more fees. At some point, she realized that he was intense on a level she couldn’t really relate to. Settlement opportunities came and went, and he wasn’t interested. The case kept moving forward, and then one day…

He turned on her. She’s not sure how it happened. A careful review of the file doesn’t explain it either.

But there’s no question: he turned. He’s openly hostile now. He’s angry with her, and he wants relief. He’s asked her for the return of his file and his money.

What Should She Do?

She’s angry now. She’s defensive. She’s upset with him. She’s also scared. She’s not sleeping right. He’s really under her skin.

This guy isn’t some goofball. He’s successful, articulate, and relatively affluent. He knows people. He likes to trash his enemies. She’d rather not be on his hate list.

She can fight with him and maybe she’ll win. She’ll end up in a fee dispute process with a lawsuit likely to follow. She’ll probably face allegations at her state bar. She’ll be defending herself to some of her referral sources when he starts trash talking her around town. This episode will cost her over the short term and long term as well. Ugh.

There’s more than reputation at stake. There’s money at stake too. But it’s not so much that it’ll break her. We’re talking $35,000 in fees that he has paid. He wants it all. He’d probably take less.

Should she fight? Should she settle? She’s so angry right now that she’d like to fight. She’s also filled with anxiety about what it’ll cost her in time, money, and reputation damage. She’s torn.

My Recommendation

Personally, I’ve fought and won, but I’ve also fought and lost. Mostly I’ve ended up with mixed outcomes. What would I do now, having been in these situations over and over for a long time?

I’d make a deal. I’d get it resolved. Settle it. You won’t likely be happy with the terms, but make the deal anyway. Get it resolved even if it means paying far more than you’d like.

If you do this long enough, what you’ll find is that you can do better financially by focusing on the clients you can make happy and with whom you can engage in a profitable relationship. You make them happy, and they pay your bills. That’s what makes a business thrive.

Fighting with your former clients won’t move you forward. It’s distracting, plus it has the potential to damage your reputation. It takes far more energy to engage with an unhappy client than it does to help someone who welcomes your advice and assistance. Plus, the unhappy client has already sucked away the value you can deliver. You’re paying twice or more when you try to fix the unhappy client.

What do you do with the cold, calculating, brilliant sociopath who wants a refund? Make the deal. Get it done, and put it behind you so you’ll live to fight another day. Don’t get sucked in. Let it go. Be done. Move on. There’s a new sociopath ringing on line two.