When everyone was at the golf outing, I was in court on a continuing trial. In my opening statement I asked the judge a seemingly rhetorical question, “Why are we here?” While not said out loud, but implied in that question, was that this should have been an easy case to settle. There were no minor children involved, the income earner spouse was a W-2 wage earner and all the parties’ assets been identified and quantified.

So why are we in the middle of what has been a lengthy trial continuing over several months?  If I was asked to answer the question out loud my response would have been that my adversary failed to properly manage his client’s expectations, making a reasonable settlement almost impossible to achieve.

As in all professions, managing  our customers’/clients’ expectations is sometimes the most important—and most challenging—part of our jobs. People come to us with certain expectations and, sometimes, do not want to hear an honest assessments of what we can, and cannot, do. The use of AI, by potential clients has only compounded the problem.

For myself, I try to be very honest upfront about what I believe I can, and cannot, achieve. Often, however,  it is very difficult to  overcome someone’s perception of what they are entitled to. 

How do you manage expectations in your profession?