About PBJ Law Project | Affordable Immigration Law Denver

A firm commitment to client communications

A recent nationwide study of legal clients’ most common complaints confirmed a widespread sentiment about the legal profession. The study evaluated 19,324 Google reviews of law firms in the largest U.S. cities in the 10 states with the densest concentration of attorneys and law firms, plus the District of Columbia. They say much about client satisfaction.

Of the one- and two-star reviews (out of five maximum), at least one of a total of ten words below appeared 73.9% of the time – as in “I never got a call back” and “They never returned my emails,” for example. Here, in descending order of frequency, are those ten words.

respond
call
unprofessional
rude
email
speak
contact
talk
professional
clear

The word call appeared in more than one-third (36.2%) of one-star and two-star reviews. Other frequent words point to recurring dissatisfaction with the tone of law firm communications with clients: unprofessional, rude, and professional.

Clearly, respectful communications are what legal clients want most from attorneys – respect as demonstrated by regular updates on client cases delivered in a civilized tone.

A common complaint was that when clients did hear from their law firms, clerical staff were the ones answering emails and phone calls in impatient tones. Additionally, the online reviewers said, staff were frequently uninformed about their cases.

The good news is that legal clients generally rate experiences with attorneys and firms favorably. Approximately four out of five reviewers (79.0%) gave four- and five-stars rating.

How attorneys rate compared to doctors

Interestingly, lawyers tend to draw better online reviews than physicians and nurses, two of the most trusted professions among Americans. In a similar study, only 66% of reviewers awarded four and five stars to hospitals, health systems, and healthcare providers and practices. By comparison, a lawyer is 72% less likely than a doctor to receive a 1-star online review.

Nevertheless, we at PBJ Law Project (Pro Bene Justice for American Dreamers) strive to do much better than average in client satisfaction. Lowering the hurdles to newcomers chasing the American dream demands more than merely lowering client costs. Explaining the law in ways everyone can understand and keeping all clients updated are among our core principles. We plan to stick to them.