Comparing Commercial and Private Client Dependency upon Relationships with Lawyers

This paper presents findings from a qualitative study which sought to identify antecedents of dependency upon relationship partners. The study was set within the context of legal service provision and compares the impact that the antecedent factors might have on the development of client dependency within commercial and private client relationships. The findings provide insight into differences between the way in which lawyers currently manage commercial and private client relationships which may directly influence the development of differential levels of client dependency the study concludes that, as a consequence of environmental and lawyer-based antecedents, commercial clients are more likely to be dependent upon lawyers than private clients are. Potential strategies to increase dependency among commercial clients as well as private clients are mooted and propositions to guide a future empirical study are provided. [