Customer Service in Divorce, Custody and Visitation Cases

Should a family-law attorney give clients his or her cell-phone number?  I believe so.  My clients, by trusting me with their divorce, custody, paternity, child-support, visitation or other family-law case, are really placing their lives in my hands.  I don't want them guessing what to do when a situation arises -- they need to be able to reach me when they have questions.  I give them my cell-phone number and encourage them to call anytime.

This means that I can't hide from clients, that I must keep clients informed and somewhat happy, or they will be ringing my phone day and night.

I call my customer-service policy 'direct contact.'  My clients can reach me 7 days/week.  I even answer my phone when I'm on the phone with someone else (very briefly, with apologies to the present caller -- just to say that I'm tied up and will have to talk later.)

I don't put up a 'voicemail wall'  (I'm sorry, Mr. Johnson is in a meeting right now, would you like his voicemail?).  I do have voicemail (for when I absolutely can't answer a call, like when I'm standing in court in front of a judge), but I estimate that I answer calls about 99% of the time.

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