Client code of conduct

The text that appears on this page forms part of and is incorporated by reference into each of this firm’s engagement letters. All clients are required to abide by the terms of this code of conduct; any violation of these terms is grounds for termination of our engagement.

A.P.Strom and Associates, its lawyers, and its staff, expects clients to —

1. Review and understand all documents provided to them by the firm, its lawyers, and its staff. If a client requires explanation of any thing in any document provided to them, the firm expects and welcomes the client to ask for explanation.
2. Review all invoices delivered to the client in a prompt and thorough manner.
3. Raise any questions relating to invoices delivered to the client without delay and in a clear and constructive manner.
4. Provide written instructions to the firm, its lawyers, and its staff upon request.
5. Provide all information relating to a client’s matter to the firm, its lawyers, and its staff upon request and without delay, even if that information hurts a client’s case or otherwise embarasses a client. This obligation does not extend to confessing to or admitting guilt in a criminal proceeding.
6. Provide legible scans or electronic copies of documents in PDF or such other format as the firm may request to the firm, its lawyers, and its staff.
7. Respond to the firm’s, its lawyers’, and its staff’s requests and correspondence within a reasonable period of time, given the circumstances in which a request or correspondence is made and the nature of the matter.
8. Treat the firm, its lawyers, and its staff with respect and courtesy.
9. Respect the firm’s lawyers and its staff’s right to not work at all reasonable and customary times or at times when a leave is planned or authorized by the firm.
10. Respect the firm’s lawyers and its staff’s need to work on matters other than the client’s own matter(s) and allow the firm’s lawyers and its staff to prioritize matters in their discretion.
11. Treat opposing counsel and opposing parties with respect and courtesy.
12. Refrain from making intemperate or unplanned written and oral statements, whether in public or private, about a matter for which the firm has assumed carriage.
13. Consult with the firm’s lawyers responsible for a matter regarding any step that the client plans to take with respect to the matter.