Understanding and Measuring Client Satisfaction

• In Event: Legal Services for the Indigent: Client Experiences

Abstract

In the last several years, there has been growing interest in measuring client satisfaction with attorneys as a metric to evaluate public defense. However, what factors lead to client satisfaction, and the best ways accurately collect this data, remain a subject of ongoing research.

Since 2001, The Bronx Defenders has sought to measure client satisfaction as part of its commitment to holistic, client-centered representation. In the last year, The Bronx Defenders has partnered with a team of graduate students to develop a new survey instrument and a practical, sustainable methodology for collecting this data. We have also been conducting a series of one-on-one interviews with incarcerated clients to understand how their perception of their attorneys compares to that of non-incarcerated clients. The results of these two parallel efforts will be discussed, as well as recommendations for further research and how other organizations could collect similar data.

Author

• Amalea Smirniotopoulos, The Bronx Defenders