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By Todd M. Smayda - Deputy General Counsel for Professional Development

You’ve graduated from law school, passed the bar, and now you’re a full-fledged, bar-cardcarrying lawyer. Congratulations. Now, use the skills you learned from working your way through college waiting tables. You have lots of training and a fancy degree, but to be successful you still need that server mindset: Timely greet your table, share your knowledge, anticipate their needs, and take care of them. Most importantly, thank them for coming.

If you think you escaped the slog of retail work or the frustrating demands of “customer service,” you’re going to be very unhappy with what I have to say next: It’s the same job, just no nametag. Those same skills that earned you big tips are the ones that will earn you repeat work or earning a new book of business.

Hi, My Name’s Todd and I’ll be your Attorney Today

On the defense side, our assignments usually come from insurance company adjusters and usually by call or email. Just as you would with a new table, timely respond to the adjuster or new client to acknowledge the new case and confirm the terms. Are you super busy because the host has triple-sat your section and you have too much to do? Just as you would in a restaurant, introduce yourself, advise you’ll be right with them, and circle back. But remember to circle back. Late acknowledgements — or worse, no acknowledgment — will get that assignment sent to the next attorney on the list. Responsiveness is cited as the top client complaint. With the amount of technology we have at our fingertips, you can give a quick “got your message, I’ll follow up tomorrow morning” from desk, car, or couch. Make sure to thank them for thinking of you.

Anticipate Your Client’s Needs

If your customer ordered soup, bring a soup spoon. If they ordered a steak, how about suggesting a nice Cabernet? The same concept is true with what we do. “I see you have a negligent security case, might I suggest some affirmative defenses that will pair nicely with that?” While the adjuster has seen it all, your new client may be very uninitiated in the ways of litigation. Recognize that and provide them comfort, guidance, and always let them know the next steps in the process. Just like when the kitchen is taking forever, good communication with your customers sets expectations, keeps them informed, and lets them know you’re on top of things. Just like a waiter taking care of a table, you want to reduce your clients’ stress, build confidence, and make them feel cared for.

You Are the Face of Your Firm

Just like a bad experience with one waiter at one dinner can spoil you on that restaurant, you can spoil more work for your firm. It’s easier for an adjuster to just skip your firm on the list rather than phone a managing partner to complain. While everyone has an opinion on the phrase “the customer is always right,” pretend that’s true if you must to make the person with the ability to send you work happy. And remember, you are not alone. You have supervising partners and managing partners who can step in to offer a client “perspective” if the client is, let’s say, less than right. The idea is to maintain the relationship even in times of disagreement, and sometimes your demeanor in doing so can speak very positively about you and your firm. Just like a waiter, you are working for a tip. That tip is more business. You want that adjuster to come back to the restaurant and ask to sit in your section.

Our Jobs Are Not So Different, Are They?

A great waiter juggles a hundred different things, fights with the kitchen, and explains to you why there’s bacon in a BLT, all with a smile. With our many cases, multitude of deadlines, a hundred questions, reports, responses, and incoming files, we’re not so different. Call upon your inner server to plaster on that smile, load up on the patience, and be your best self. In an industry where all insurance defense firms provide knowledge and advocacy, distinguish yourself with service. Adjusters may not remember the case they sent you, but they will remember you.

Make your interactions count.

Originally published in The Trial Advocate, Volume 44, No 2 (Oct 2025). Used with permission.

About QPWB

Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A. is one of the fastest growing law firms in the United States providing a different focus on what it means to provide responsive service to clients and team members. With a national presence of 55 offices and a comprehensive scope of over 130 practice areas, QPWB delivers legal representation in litigation, regulatory, and corporate matters to a diverse range of industries. This scope and rapid expansion has attracted unique legal talent from all different backgrounds and experiences which has made them the largest minority-owned law firm in the country.