Harold Ayodo
Registered lawyers are increasingly receiving instructions on property transactions from investors in social places. Traditionally, many clients booked appointments while others waited at receptions in law firms for legal services.
Fast-forward to today whereby investors meet their attorneys in assorted places away from offices that some find intimidating.
For instance, some wealthy people call lawyers and issue instructions while playing golf in either of the leafy courses in town.
Many others with offices away from the Central Business District are busy during the week making it difficult to consult their attorneys in town.
Therefore, they prefer inviting them at the comfort of their homes for advice and offer instructions on their investments.
Another majority prefer speaking to their legal counsel on phone from wherever, thanks to mobile phones. For the middle class, meeting in cafeterias over tea after work, pubs even at the stadium is the order of the day.
For instance, a fellow advocate recently met and took instructions from a client during a Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards derby at Nyayo National Stadium.
Meet online
Young Information Technology (IT) savvy prospective investors even meet their lawyers on Facebook and Twitter or correspond via electronic mail (email).
Therefore, chatting with lawyers online or via webcam is increasingly becoming popular — as long as you understand each other. Furthermore, lawyers even scan and send legal documents as attachments via email for the clients to sign and send back.
Separately, many others with strict 8am-5pm office jobs prefer calling advocates to their offices for briefs on property transactions.
Some economically empowered women on busy schedules meet their lawyers in boutiques while undergoing manicures and pedicures!
Make binding decisions
From experience, women clients — compared to men — are particular with understanding legal details and making follow up on their transactions.
Lawyers are obliged to act in the best interest of their clients irrespective of where they met and took instructions.
As a result, it is prudent to reconfirm instructions from a tipsy client when sober for clarifications.
Therefore, drunks should not be offended when called to reconfirm their briefs the following day for ratification.
Legally, drunkards, minors and the mentally ill have no capacity to make binding decisions, hence the caution.
According to professional ethics and practice, your lawyer should brief you on developments of transactions.
It is for similar reasons that advocates open client files — mainly to document progress of transactions and reference.
Generally, meeting venues are not a concern so long as both advocate and client understand each other.
The writer is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya.
