Career Clinic: The client is NOT always right!

Will the client pay for your cirrhosis treatment ?

Regional solicitor -31 Jan 2008 | 16:12

You are being a big girl's blouse about this,and the solution is to ask a girl how to get out of the blouse.... Volunteer to get the next round in, and when you go to the bar, make sure yours is a tonic with no gin, a low-alcohol lager or something like that. Female friends with children will have plenty of advice on how to conceal the fact you're not drinking booze from their experience of the early days of pregnancy.

wimmins' lib -31 Jan 2008 | 16:13

If all that's bothering you is that you don't want to drink so much, my advice is fake it - talk the talk but don't walk the walk. Be first to the bar and get the first round in with enthusiasm. Be the person who sets up the tab, so the you control the ordering process. Get some snacks in as soon as you can and ruthlessly substitute alcoholic for non-alcoholic drinks. Obviously it's a different question entirely if you're uncomfortable for any other reason, or if there's an element of harassment involved.

Ex-MC Lawyer -31 Jan 2008 | 16:15

Swallow you pride and everyhting else these guys/galls have to throw in your direction and join the lawyers' den of iniquity. You never know what position you may get yourself into and your prospects may change very much for the better.

Anonymous -31 Jan 2008 | 16:30

The mere fact that this question needs to be asked demonstrates the peculiar relationsip that solicitors have with alcohol.If you didn't smoke and your client liked to smoke, would you feel uncomfortable not smoking while your client puffed away? If he wanted to go to a bordello and you didn't care to indulge, would you feel strange at the idea of taking him to one but sitting downstairs during his session?Why is it that people who don't want to drink (or don't want to drink too much) always feel that they have to provide an excuse for not drinking as much as someone else? Take your life in your hands and just say 'Thanks, I'll get the next round but I think I'll have a soft drink'?Oh, OK, if you absolutely just can't bear the thought of not appearing to be as macho a drinker as your client, just tell him that you are currently training for (depending on your build) the Ironman Triathlon or a heavyweight wrestling match, and your coach advised you to lay off the booze.

Teetotaler -31 Jan 2008 | 17:01

Agree 100% with Tetotaller (although not one myself). Drink what you want and stop when you want. You may get some stick for it initially from your client, but brave it out. Ultimately you will earn respect from the client, who will be impressed by your resilience and naturally assume that you will be equally as resolute the next time youhave to fight a battle or enter a tough negiotiation on their behalf. It may not make you "one of the lads" but a reputation for integrity will endure and take you far.

City lawyer -31 Jan 2008 | 17:26

I largely agree with what has been said above, but I'm not entirely convinced that sitting out of a round or two will earn you, "a reputation for integrity will endure and take you far."

Incredulous, of Chancery Lane -31 Jan 2008 | 18:54

Here goes with the brain dump:How often can this really happen with the same client. Once every three months at most? I would be surprised if it is even as regular as that. Also, how much are they worth to you in terms of fees and your career development? If not much, cancel one time and then don't be as much fun on the next one. Soon you will then find that you are a year down the line and he or you have moved jobs or they will have found someone else to pretend to be mates with. In the meantime, stop being a wuss and suck it up. It is an evening, that is all. Also, as above, be ruthless on food and having just a tonic on your round. It might be a good idea to bring along a capable trainee who can handle their drink as well to take the flak off you. If your firm's expense policy allows it, why not enjoy the night and try somewhere you haven't been before like a cool new bar, nice restaurant or recommended strip bar (whatever is your thing).I do accept that there are saddos in the City who have no mates and do look for corporate entertainment as their social life. But deep down they know you despise them. But remember part of your job is to prostitute yourself as a corporate whore.Rant ends.

Corporate Slave -01 Feb 2008 | 10:46

Get a spine! If you don't want to drink large quantities of alcohol, don't!

Associate, City firm -01 Feb 2008 | 13:54

You would not feel it was OK to be pushed by a peer a friend or a colleague into drinking more than you wanted. So why does the fact that someone is a client change your view? When I go for any kind of entertainment with clients (and we do do it in the provinces) I say politely and firmly that I am not drinking. I have never been pressed to have one against my will. I've even been to pubs and lunches and been the only person not drinking. It's not a big deal. I make a joke about it and say I need to stay sharp so I can do the client's business in the afternoon. I am a woman but I would never let someone force me to do something that made me feel uncomfortable. Actually, I'm very aware that women become very vulnerable when drunk to the wrong kind of attention. I am not interested in "approval" of my drinking patterns by my clients. I want them to respect me for my skill as a solicitor. I also want to keep my health, my self - respect and my driving licence. Stick to your guns and do what you want is what I say.

High Street Solicitor Solihull -01 Feb 2008 | 14:13

Pipe down. I'm on the wagon.

Veteran -01 Feb 2008 | 14:55

I agree with whoever suggested you fake it! One tip: If you are drinking tequila shots, keep a bottle of beer in your hand and spit the shot back into the beer bottle. I have done this several times and it work. Then just use their vibe to keep yourself going. Good luck.

Mrglobetrotter -06 Feb 2008 | 16:46

Drink slowly and have soft drinks if you prefer. Once the client has had a few, if your glass isn't actually empty they won't notice that you aren't keeping pace.

Jane -07 Feb 2008 | 14:48

Is our profession so tied to alcohol that we really feel the need to "fake it" when a client wants us to drink more than we want? I really cannot think of a single other activity, legal or illicit, regarding which we would feel absolutely compelled to engage in the same sort of subterfuge. If your client asked you to go hunting with him and you were not fond of hunting, you might accompany him if that's what he wanted, but would you pull the trigger? Have we become a profession of wimps?

Teetotaler (again) -07 Feb 2008 | 16:17

Clearly Teetotaller (again) does not hunt. One hunts with hounds, not a gun.

Corporate Slave -08 Feb 2008 | 17:14

Can you all pipe down? I have a vile hangover.

Dipsomaniac -13 Feb 2009 | 17:14