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LEGAL EASE
Respond Quickly: Don’t spend days or weeks stewing over it. It’s Look, I know all appointments are private anyway, but this just
important that your reply be made as rapidly as possible. Prompt makes it seem extra special. Remember, the object here is also to
responses suggest spontaneity and honesty. The longer it takes, the make people who read this stuff think you’re a good guy and not
more it looks like a measured, politically-correct and perhaps insin- the malevolent creature the person suggests.
cere reply.
Take the discussion off line: Your posts should make it clear that
Be Brief: This paragraph is sure to get me in serious trouble, but you’re asking the disgruntled person to communicate with you and
I’m old enough now that I’m hoping you’ll forgive me for my dated your office directly. Notice how the suggested replies outlined above
sense of humor. A law professor once told me that, in drafting legal require that the person deal with you privately rather than continu-
briefs to the court, they should be like a Scotsman’s kilt; long enough ing the discussion in a public forum. You want to steer unhappy
to cover the subject but short enough to keep it interesting (true people into venting privately rather than to a national, regional or
story, it was in my property class in 1975 by perhaps the smarted local audience.
profs I ever met). Anyway, the point is don’t be like a lawyer who
gets paid by the minute. Keep it short, precise and limited to no Listen and be honest: You need to objectively assess what others
more than a few sentences. Remember Shakespeare’s line in Hamlet are saying about you. Don’t blow it off. You really need to investigate
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” Too much of a reply it. God forbid, but there may actually be a germ of truth to some of
screams defensiveness. those negative comments, and, if there’s enough of them, that “germ
of truth” is now septicemia. If your practice has got a problem, own
Consider making an offer: By that I mean reaching out to the pa- it and fix it. Drop your defensive shields and use it as a marketing
tient and offering something that addresses the issue. In most cir- opportunity by which you correct your blind spots so you evolve
cumstances, you can look good by saying “I’d like to offer a private into a better and more profitable practice.
appointment where we can sit down one on one and discuss each
of your concerns so I can make sure they’re recognized and handled.” Nobody likes negative commentary, but it isn’t going away anytime
soon. Follow these steps and you’ll keep the impact to a minimum.
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