Vermont Bar Journal, Vol. 40, No. 2 Vermont Bar Journal, Winter 2017, Vol. 43, No. 4 | Page 30

It... 30 standing “good clients.” More often than not, this is due to a level of comfort that has developed with longstanding clients. Be careful because too much comfort can cloud one’s perception of what needs to be doc- umented. Understand that problem clients are not the only clients who sue. Take what- ever time is necessary to thoroughly docu- ment all files throughout the course of rep- resentation. The peace of mind that follows will be much better than the feeling of regret for not having done so should a claim ever arise, particularly one brought by a long- term good client. This comfort trap also arises in another situation you should keep in mind. Put sim- ply, never forget that you don’t get a pass when doing a legal favor for a friend or fam- ily member. Treat this matter the same as you would if you were going to charge a paying client for the same work. Deadlines need to be calendared, conflict checks need to occur, phone calls need to be documented, etc. Friends and family do sue when things don’t turn out the way they expected; and when they do, if you happen to have no documen- tation of the advice given and the decision- making process, you’re about to learn a hard lesson just like the lawyer in our story above did. ____________________ ALPS Risk Manager Mark Bassingth- waighte, Esq. has conducted over 1,000 law firm risk management assessment visits, pre- THE VERMONT BAR JOURNAL • WINTER 2017 sented numerous continuing legal education seminars throughout the United States, and written extensively on risk management and technology. Check out Mark’s recent semi- nars to assist you with your solo practice by visiting our on-demand CLE library at alps. inreachce.com. Mark can be contacted at: [email protected]. Disclaimer: ALPS presents this publication or document as general information only. While ALPS strives to provide accurate information, ALPS ex- pressly disclaims any guarantee or assurance that this publication or document is complete or ac- curate. Therefore, in providing this publication or document, ALPS expressly disclaims any warran- ty of any kind, whether express or implied, includ- ing, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. Further, by making this publication or document available, ALPS is not rendering legal or other pro- fessional advice or services and this publication or document should not be relied upon as a substi- tute for such legal or other professional advice or services. ALPS warns that this publication or docu- ment should not be used or relied upon as a ba- sis for any decision or action that may affect your professional practice, business or personal affairs. Instead, ALPS highly recommends that you consult an attorney or other professional before making any decisions regarding the subject matter of this publication or document. ALPS Corporation and its subsidiaries, affiliates and related entities shall not be responsible for any loss or damage sus- tained by any person who uses or relies upon the publication or document presented herein. www.vtbar.org