In my 10 years as a business owner, I have my share of bad clients. Although some may say bad clients are those who are bad paymasters and do not know how to settle their bill on time, as lawyers, we usually gave a very different grace period for our clients to settle their bill. They can open a file for RM1000-00 for certain type of cases and we will only bill them later. Sometimes, that is the only amount they pay until we manage to settle their files.
When I was a criminal lawyer in a small town down south, the payment may be arranged to be made at each time I did a court appearance. Each appearance, the client will pay a sum enough to cover the expenses for me to come to court. Practising criminal litigation, there are chances you might have to answer to court if your client jump bail or may not turn up that day. These are the type of clients whom you never want to deal with.
As for a corporate and a conveyancing lawyer, there are those who would like to appoint you as their personal lawyers who will act for them at every twist and turn of their business. I have had my experience to deal with these type of people who is building their company into a conglomerate through connections and experience they have gained while working with someone else.
Most of these corporate personality have very convincing ways of talking but very rare can any one of them really deliver what they claim they can deliver. I have a foreigner from the middle east who treated me like a son, an ex-investment banker who loves to count his chicken before the eggs are hatched and there were a few politicians along the way. My partner and I call these guys the million, million Ringgit club.
Thanks to them, each time we hear someone whom we suspect is a snake oil seller, we just smile and taking everything with a pinch of salt. Or more like a handful...
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