You already know who it is. The client who emails at 11pm. Who questions every line item. Who makes your best associate consider a career change.
The math you're avoiding
Add up the hours your team spends on this client — including the venting, the internal discussions about how to handle them, the extra review cycles, and the write-downs you do at billing time. Now calculate the effective hourly rate.
For most firms, the worst client has an EHR that's 40–60% below the firm average. You're subsidizing their work with profit from your good clients.
The cost you can't measure
Beyond the financials, bad clients corrode culture. They teach your team that boundaries don't matter. They signal that the firm will tolerate anything for revenue.
The clients you keep define the firm you become.
How to do it
- Review the engagement agreement for termination provisions
- Give reasonable notice — 30 to 60 days for most practice areas
- Offer a referral to another firm (genuinely — don't dump them in the cold)
- Document the transition thoroughly
You will not miss the revenue. Within three months, the freed capacity will fill with better work. Every firm that's done this reports the same thing: they only wish they'd done it sooner.