What defines effective communication in an attorney-client relationship?
One of the biggest complaints I hear when companies are looking to switch legal counsel is that their current legal counsel is not responsive. While responsiveness is crucial, effective communication in the M&A process means more than just returning phone calls, it means that the attorney actively listens to the client and understands the client’s goals in pursuing the transaction. If an attorney does not understand why his or her client is pursuing a transaction, that attorney cannot effectively represent and protect his or her client’s interest. Also, the attorney is likely to waste the client’s time and money analyzing issues and negotiating deal points that do not further the client’s goals. What makes an attorney a true adviser in an M&A? When an attorney gets a call from a client about a potential M&A transaction, often the attorney’s first instinct is to focus on the structure of the transaction and analyze the various legal issues that may arise, including tax, transfer, securi
