What would you do if you were me?

This question (or the thought of hearing this question from a client) brought fear to my heart early in my career. Today, it is by far my FAVORITE question! I tell every client and potential client to ask me that question at the end of all of our meetings. Lawyers are inherently (maybe even genetically) afraid to give an answer that isn’t qualified or hedged or wishy-washy. They are terrified to ever be wrong. But we can’t live with this fear. Hindsight is always 20/20. Our clients want and need real advice from someone they trust and believe in. Never be afraid to end a meeting a call with “Now, you haven’t asked me what I would do if I were you, so here it is ….”. Embrace your strengths and experience. Have confidence in your experience and judgment. If asked, never be afraid to put yourself in your clients’ shoes and give an honest opinion about what you would do if you were them and why. In do so, you will build real relationships – relationships with strong foundations and strong roots that are built on trust.