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Yes, Virginia, there is such a thing as responsible litigation risk management
By Lauren | August 13, 2009
Last week, I had the pleasure of appearing on Good Morning, Maryland to talk about using my book, The Art of the Apology, to make effective apologies. (If you’d like to see the clip, go to YouTube and check out Lauren Bloom TV.) While waiting in the green room to go on, one of my fellow guests asked what I do. When I told him that I teach people how to responsibly manage their litigation risk, he practically snorted. “Responsible litigation risk management? No such thing,” he chortled.
Not true, my friend.
He’s right that some people try to avoid being sued by lying, stonewalling, hiding bad facts, and refusing to own up to their honest mistakes. That, clearly, is anything but a responsible way to manage litigation risk. Thankfully, there’s a better way. Businesses and professionals can plan ahead, identify the situations when mistakes and failures of judgment are likely to occur, then find ways to reduce the risk that mistakes will happen. They can warn their clients and customers in advance that things won’t always go perfectly. Perhaps most importantly, when they make mistakes they can admit it, apologize, and make amends.
Nobody’s perfect. But if you act responsibly when managing your litigation risk, you can keep unwelcome lawsuits to a minimum and be able to look in the mirror at the same time.
Topics: Apologies, Business Ethics, Professional Ethics, business communications, corporate responsibility, customer relations, ethics |