Ending a (client) relationship

I’ve spent the last few minutes staring in front of a blank page on Microsoft Word, I’ve got a file spread in front of me and I know what I have to do. There is nothing worse than the awkward silence that falls over you because you just don’t like being the bearer of bad news. Baby….we need to talk…

I’m not a person that likes to hear about these things but I’m also not one that will tell a client that they are wasting my time. I have to care. This particular case is one where the client calls all of the time to detail the pain, the suffering and overall misery that she is going through. It’s a sob story. Really it is. You are such an amazing woman…you deserve the best.

But, I can’t and my firm can’t retain clients that don’t have a case. If we were charging two-hundred fifty dollars an hour to act as counselors therapists maybe we could keep her on board. But, we’ve concluded our due diligence and there is no liability for anyone. It’s not you, it’s me.

It’s an accident where she is at fault. Working on contingency says that this is a no brainer. I don’t want to hold you back from the great things that you can accomplish in your life…

Thus, I stare at the screen, realizing that I must fire this client. My firm has a form letter for this, but that just feels cold. Sweetie, you have been an inspiration to me…

But I only have so many free minutes in the day and my prose for this letter will not assist the bottom line. Thus, I open the form letter. I love you, but I’m not in love with you…