Evaluating Lawyer Service Quality in Chapter 7 Bankruptcies: The Case of Small Professional Businesses

Authors

  • Todd Starr Palmer St. Bonaventure University image/svg+xml
  • Syed Saad Andaleeb Penn State Erie
  • Brenda E. Joyner Loyola University New Orleans image/svg+xml

Abstract

The increasingly competitive nature of the American legal environment is causing small law firms and solo practitioners to adopt many of the tools and attitudes of business. There is a potential conflict between lawyers' wishes to maximize revenue and fulfilling their professional values in interacting with their clients. This exploratory study examines how clients evaluate their lawyers. Utilizing a "procedural justice" framework, it is hypothesized that the greater the degree of trust, interpersonal respect, and competence exhibited by the lawyer, the greater will be the level of client satisfaction. All three hypotheses are supported.

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Published

2005-05-20

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 2 (2005)

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Articles

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