Clients rarely choose a lawyer based on legal expertise alone. What keeps them coming back is how consistently they feel understood, supported, and advised with confidence. That’s where the Know–Like–Trust approach becomes so valuable — not as a marketing concept, but as a simple, everyday client-care habit.
Here are a few practical behaviours that help lawyers build stronger client relationships:
- KNOW: Make clients aware of you and what you stand for
This stage is about visibility and clarity in a crowded market.
✔ Show up where your clients are
- Attend industry events your clients value
- Share short, practical insights on LinkedIn
- Contribute to client newsletters or sector groups
Visibility doesn’t require being loud — just consistent.
✔ Position yourself clearly
Clients need to know:
- What you specialise in
- Who you help
- How you solve their problems
A clear, simple positioning statement beats a long biography every time.
✔ Demonstrate understanding of their world
Share content or comments that show you understand their sector’s commercial, regulatory, and operational challenges.
This makes you recognisable as someone who “gets it”.
- LIKE: Build rapport and genuine connection
Clients choose lawyers they feel comfortable with — not just the most technically skilled.
✔ Be human first, lawyer second
Warmth, approachability and empathy go a long way. Small behavioural cues matter:
- Active listening
- Using the client’s language
- Remembering details about their business
- Being calm under pressure
✔ Add value in every interaction
Send something useful without being asked:
- A quick update
- A relevant article
- A heads-up about a risk or opportunity
This shows you are proactive and paying attention.
✔ Adapt your communication style
Some clients want brief summaries; others need detailed explanations.
Matching their preference creates ease, and ease creates likability.
✔ Respect their time
Short emails, clear recommendations, and well-structured calls build goodwill and demonstrate professionalism.
- TRUST: Become their first call, not their last resort
Trust is built when clients feel you deliver consistently and think in their best interests.
✔ Follow through… every time
Reliability is a competitive advantage.
Respond when you say you will. Deliver early where possible.
✔ Make recommendations, not presentations
Clients trust lawyers who confidently say: “Based on everything you’ve told me, here’s what I recommend.”
Not: “Here are three options — let me know what you think.”
✔ Understand their commercial context
Clients trust lawyers who balance legal risk with commercial reality.
Show you understand:
- Cost pressures
- Risk appetite
- Business goals
- Time constraints
✔ Be transparent and honest
If something goes wrong, own it quickly.
If something is unclear, say so.
Transparency increases trust faster than perfection.
✔ Protect their reputation as fiercely as your own
Make decisions as if you’re sitting in the client’s chair.
This is the hallmark of a trusted advisor.
⭐ KLT is not a marketing theory — it’s a client-care habit
Every email, meeting, call and follow up is a chance to move a client from:
“I know who they are” → “I enjoy working with them” → “I trust them with what matters most.”
If you want to embed these behaviours into your lawyers’ daily practice, not just understand them in theory, our course, Being the lawyer your clients know, like and trust course goes deeper.
We break down the habits, conversations and micro-behaviours that turn technical experts into trusted advisors, with practical tools you can apply immediately with clients.
👉 If you’d like to strengthen client loyalty, increase repeat work and build the reputation that wins instructions in your firm, email info@professional-training.co.uk