"Sprezzatura" for Attorneys

I got the idea for this post from the eminent blogger Seth Godin. Godin defines sprezzatura as

"This is an Italian word for being able to do your craft without a lot of visible effort. It's a combination of elan and grace and class, sort of the opposite of loud grunts while you play tennis or a lot of whining and fuss when you help out a customer."

He mentions that people want their lawyers to show "sprezzatura." I understand completely what he means- a lawyer who looks like he's laboring exhibits symptoms of weakness to other attorneys and to clients. However, an attorney who gets his job done without a lot of visible effort sometimes comes with a surprisingly high bill- there may not be a lot of visible effort, but it certainly becomes visible once you see that invoice.

One easy solution to that problem is simply flat or value billing (a concept I have discussed before). In this way it doesn't matter at all whether you are exerting a lot of visible effort or not. Another way is to purposely abandon "sprezzatura" and make it clear to clients how much effort you are going through on their behalf. This works best for high-maintenance clients who want to know the status of their case on a regular basis. If you can show them everything that is happening and keep it updated, they will know you are putting in a lot of effort, and will thank you for it.