The Art of Dealing with Difficult Clients and Difficult Lawyers
Founder and CEO of The Mediation Experts, Farley S. Tolpen was delighted to give an invited presentation last night titled “How to Recognise and Deal with Difficult Clients and Difficult Lawyers”. Farley is well known for his inspiring and enthusiastic talks and he was very well received by the group of early career lawyers in attendance.
So what does happen when lawyers are faced with extremely difficult people and/or incredibly complex cases?
Even the most prepared and experienced professional can struggle to achieve a successful outcome when working in these circumstances.
With over 30 years of experience in dealing with such situations Farley advises the following key points can help achieve the desired results:
- Recognition
- Preparation
- Resilience
Using Farley’s expertise we expand on the key points made above to help ensure your future Mediations go smoothly and the desired result is obtained:
- 1. Recognition
- Determine who is difficult.
- Identify where this difficulty comes from.
- Ensure that clients and your own safety is always maintained.
- Whoever is the source of the difficulty, Farley has developed useful tools to deploy.
- By working strategically with difficult clients and/or lawyers can make it a smoother and more effective process.
- 2. Preparation
- One can never prepare enough for mediation.
- Plan as much as possible before the mediation date.
- Remember the work before and after a mediation is as important as during the mediation.
- Remember to also prepare yourself: Believe in yourself and don’t take harsh words personally.
- 3. Resilience
- Farley is confident that mindfulness, clear communication and supportive, non-threatening body language are vital for professsionals to reach a successful outcome.
- When in the crossfire being resilient is not always easy, but it is essential to survive!
- Remember, even after several hours, one may have to dig deeper to achieve the best possible result.
Written by
Bernadette Fryer, Executive Assistant to Farley S.Tolpen
Farley S.Tolpen and The Mediation Experts can be contacted on
1800 803 903 or Farley.Tolpen@mediationexperts.com.au
Website: www.TheMediationExperts.com.au