Communication is a key to all relationships - between spouses, with children, family members, friends, co-workers and hired professionals. This includes the relationship between lawyers and clients.
We don't always understand what someone else is saying, or trying to say, or feeling. We can misinterpret their words and actions when we hear them through our own filters. We make assumptions about silences when we haven't heard from the other person.
When clients become unhappy with their lawyers (and vice versa), so often the problem simply comes down to communication.
Clients are often overwhelmed by a first meeting with a lawyer, trying to understand legal concepts and lingo, all while dealing with their own emotions from the end of a relationship. They sometimes miss, or misunderstand much of what the lawyer tells them.
On the other hand, lawyers are very busy and have a huge caseload of files that may have similar facts to them. It can be hard to completely focus on what the client is saying when the appointment is running long, we have other people waiting, looming deadlines and a full email inbox. We may hear the client agreeing to the next step in the case without understanding that they are not understanding what that step is.
This International Bar Association article is a good read on the topic:
https://www.ibanet.org/lawyers-importance-communication
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