What You Think About Twitter Doesn’t Matter
In 3500BC when the Mesopotamians first started using the wheel to move heavy objects there was probably some resistance to making it a commonplace tool.
And when Henry Ford was motoring around Dearborn, Michigan in his car people probably thought it would never catch on.
The same is probably true of the television, and it was definitely true of the Internet.
Marketing for lawyers is no different. Something new comes along and people are naturally resistant. People are resistant to things they don’t understand.
That’s the reason why I smile when I hear people say that Twitter is useless.
Here is a newsflash:
Twitter is here to stay.
You may not be using Twitter, you may not see a need for it, but many attorneys are using it as a marketing tool and it works.
What is Twitter?
Twitter is a service that allows you to communicate directly with a group of people who have an interest in your thoughts and ideas. This communication is in sound bites – specifically 140 character sentences – like text messaging.
People must “subscribe” to your Twitter updates (called “tweets”) in order to receive them. Subscribing is called “following” in Twitter language. If you are following someone and they are following you, you can have a conversation via Twitter. If you want other people to “overhear” your conversation, you can direct your comment to one person specifically and let everyone see it. This is like being in a public chat room. Twitter also allows you to send private messages to another user who is following you.
Why is Twitter powerful?
Twitter is a powerful tool because it allows you to have an ongoing conversation with a specific group of people. Conversations are how relationships begin. This is the essence of good marketing.
Here is an example:
If you are a plaintiff attorney in a personal injury practice and you receive most of your matters through attorney referrals, you can easily identify other attorneys on Twitter and communicate with them regularly.
This communication will eventually lead to the development of a relationship and possibly some referred clients. If you want to develop the relationship quickly, you can send your Twitter friends links to articles you have published. You can point them to case records that are relevant to something that they are working on and you can update them on relevant news in a related filed. All of this can be done from your personal computer or from your mobile phone. It takes a few seconds.
Isn’t Twitter a Waste of Time?
I have heard this question from many people. They usually say it as a statement and not as a question that they expect to be answered.
This comment comes mostly from people who do not understand how to use this tool.
You will consider Twitter a waste of time if:
- You think going to a charity dinner to meet influential people from your local area is a waste of time.
- If you think sending out a thank you letter to a prospective corporate client is a waste of time.
- If you think running writing a magazine or newspaper article is a waste of time.
- If you think being on a television show is a waste of time.
- Twitter is just as powerful and in many cases more powerful than all of these “traditional” aspects of attorney marketing.
In the end, it doesn’t matter what you think about Twitter. It is a technological application that allows you to build relationships. And relationships lead to more business for your law firm. If you are not using it, someone else is probably attracting clients that could be coming to your firm.
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EmailAttorneys Need Goals Too
If you are marketing for lawyers, how will you know if you’ve reached your destination if you don’t know where you are going?
Goals are an essential part of the success of any attorney or law firm.
And you can’t just set goals on New Year’s Day and the come back and look at them a year later.
Well, that’s not exactly true.
You can do it that way—set your goals once and then check back a year later—but you may not achieve the results you’d like.
Here is the three step goal setting process I take my clients through when we first begin working together. This process has been the foundation upon which million-dollar firms are built.
Ignore it and you ignore your full potential.
Step One: List five things will accomplish in the next twelve months
Writing down your goals for the upcoming year is critical.
Something amazing happens when you commit your goals to paper…They become embedded in your subconscious mind.
This imprint will help keep you on course during your daily activities.
When you commit your goals to paper you should state them in the present tense (as if they are happening right now).
For example: “My client billings exceed $100,000 per month.”
Goals should also be stated in a positive tone of voice.
If your goal was to stop smoking, for example, you would write: “I will breathe clean fresh air every second of every day”.
Step two: Review these goals and REWRITE them every day.
You must review and rewrite your goals every single day.
Write them by hand on a sheet of paper.
This is an incredibly powerful commitment technique that will accelerate your progress toward achieving your goals. Writing forces concentration and you become what you think about most often.
Step three: Focus on one goal exclusively for maximum impact.
If you have one particular goal that will help enable you to achieve some of the other goals you can boost your progress by focusing on that goal almost exclusively. This is like becoming obsessed with success.
The key here is to take massive action toward the achievement of your goal. Do everything and anything you can think of to make it a reality.
This simple three step process has more people rich than you can possibly imagine.
What is preventing you from setting your goals today?
How Successful Attorneys Face Down Fear When Starting a Solo Law Firm
Do you want to go out on your own but you are waiting for the “right time”?
Perhaps you feel you need just a little more experience.
Maybe you want to save up a little more money.
You might be thinking that you need one more year.
Well, that’s just not true.
The right time is now. But for some people it just won’t matter. They will never go out on their own and start their own law firm.
Why?
Because they are paralyzed by fear.
As human beings, we all experience fear. Fear is an emotion that evolved as a form of protection from painful or possibly fatal situations. Rational fears protect us. Healthy fear keeps us from acting in ways that would put our lives in danger. It keeps us from walking into a lion’s den or placing our hands in a roaring fire. On the other hand, we develop irrational fears as the result of painful past experiences and conjure them up when we anticipate a similar negative experience. Irrational fears can hold us back and steal our dreams.
To help overcome irrational fear, many people use a great acronym that places it in the proper context. FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real.
Below are the five irrational fears that often prevent attorneys from venturing out and starting their own law firm.
The Fear of the Unknown
You don’t know what the future will bring. You may know that greater possibilities exist, but what you have now is familiar. It’s difficult to give up the certainty of the familiar for the uncertain rewards of the unfamiliar.
This major hurdle is usually associated with income, and is the fear that prevents most attorneys from going out on their own.
The best way to face down this fear is to familiarize yourself with all aspects of your future life. If you are thinking about starting your own law firm, start by talking to people who have done it. Ask them every possible question.
Once you have seen the future through the eyes of someone else, you may feel better about making the move.
The Fear of Commitment
It is human nature to want to do what you say you are going to do. In fact, it is a strong psychological force. The need for your actions to match your words drives you to follow through on whatever commitments you make. That type of commitment implies hard work, and you’d rather not commit than compromise your integrity by failing to keep your word. This is especially true when you make a commitment to yourself.
The psychology of commitment is a mental Catch-22. Your impulse to keep your word – make your commitment come true - is so great that it causes you to avoid making commitments. This includes making the commitment to yourself to live the dream of striking out on your own.
There are two ways to overcome this fear of commitment. The first is to contrast possibility with probability. If it is probable that you will accomplish the task at hand, then you should be able to make the commitment. If you have successfully managed a law practice within a large firm, it is probable that you could be successful going out on your own.
The second way to tackle this fear is to view a large commitment as a series of smaller commitments. This is the one-day-at-a-time philosophy that has proved so successful in helping people break addictions. Your short-term concern is meeting your goal today. Before you know it, your days turn into months and your months turn into years. Each day of success becomes positive reinforcing behavior. In the process, the basis of your fear becomes familiar and is no longer a threat.
The Fear of Failure
What if the change you make isn’t for the better? What will people think of you? People will laugh at you if you fail, and you’ll be embarrassed.
A great way to approach this fear is to reflect upon successful people who have had very public failures and still managed to recover. One of my favorite examples concerns the repeated public failures of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln lost his job as a clerk in a general store in 1831. He ran for the Illinois state legislature in 1832 and lost. In 1943 he failed to win his party’s nomination for a congressional seat. He tried running for the Illinois Senate in 1854. He lost. In 1858 he unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate again. After each of those defeats, people laughed at Lincoln, yet in 1860, he was elected the 16th President of the United States. He has become one of history’s most respected figures. Most people do not know about his previous failures or that people laughed at him each time. Somehow, I do not think people were laughing at him when he gave the Gettysburg address.
The lesson to be learned is that history will be the ultimate judge of your success. You should not fear failure; each time you fail you are taking another step closer toward success.
The Fear of Disapproval
Other people may not like the change you’ve made, even if that change improves your life. When it comes to making a change, gaining approval can be the wind in your sails. When people who are important to you are skeptical or disagree with you, you feel like you are running up hill.
When we were kids, we all craved the approval of our parents and the elders in our social environment. People who grow up never gaining the approval of their parents (or other influential individuals) can often have a fear of disapproval that will limit their career progression.
Successful solo attorneys are confident in their ideas and don’t require outside validation. In fact, they are motivated to prove others wrong. Because these people are unique, it is no surprise to them when others do not approve of their actions or their ideas.
At the end of the day the only person you have to answer to is yourself. You owe yourself every opportunity to succeed. If you let an opportunity pass you by because you are concerned about the disapproval of another person, you are robbing yourself. You can’t let someone else determine your fate.
The Fear of Success
As much as you want to be the best, you’re afraid that if you actually achieve more, others will dislike you, shun you, and think you’re arrogant. You may also feel that the pressure of being successful may be too great a load to bear or that you will never live up to the expectations of others.
It is true that it is easier to get to the top than it is to stay on top. This is partially due to increased competition and increased expectations that come along with success. However, the rewards of high achievement far outweigh the burden of the duty and responsibility associated with staying there.
People who dislike you when you attempt to control your own career destiny are not your friends. They might say things like, “You have a perfectly good job now” or “Why are you wasting your time with a book or learning program?” The best approach to take with a naysayer is to understand her motivations. First, mediocrity loves company. Deep down, insecure people resent the success of others in their peer group. Your success only highlights their mediocrity. Second, as you move toward your career goals, you may have less in common with those who do not take control of their own destiny. They may sense this and push you away. Third, your focus on self-improvement may temporarily shift your focus away from the attention you have previously given to other people, which causes them to resent you.
How you handle these individuals is entirely up to you. I prefer to thank my friends and relatives for their concern and then continue on with my aggressive pursuit of success. Once the people who really care about me gain a sense of how success has changed my life, they become supportive.
The Importance of Finding a Niche for Your Law Firm
More and more people are becoming lawyers every day. As a matter of fact, it is one of the most common careers paths for college students today. What does this mean for your firm? It means that, going forward, competition will continue to intensify.
If you are looking for a way to make your law firm stand out from the crowd, the answer may be that you need to create a niche for your firm. Let’s face it, new law firms are springing up all the time. If you don’t want your firm to get lost in the mix, you have to do something to stand out.
There are several benefits to niche marketing.
- Firms that develop a niche work more efficiently because it easier for them to keep up with changes in the law.
- Attorneys who have a niche market are often able to charge higher fees and are often in high demand.
- Firms who have a niche also have less competition.
Decide on what area of law you would like to focus.
Developing a niche is not about choosing more of one type of case. To truly create a niche for your firm you need to have a laser like focus on one are of law. Think about what areas of law bring in the most revenue for your firm, this may be where you should establish your niche. Or think about what area of law most intrigues you. Determine if there is a decent market for a niche law firm in that area. If you think the answer is yes, then go for it.
When you decide on a niche, make sure that it is very specific. If you don’t, then you may not be making enough of a change within your firm to truly be distinctive in the marketplace.
For example, a small law firm in Chicago has created a niche in “digital trespassing” for consumers who feel that their rights have been violated by unwanted text messages and unwanted emails. While this may be a risky niche to pursue, you at least get the idea about being very specific.
First learn and then promote.
Before launching into an ad campaign to tell the world that you have a new area of focus, you first need to make sure that you are equipped to handle legal cases in your new niche. In other words, do your research. Learn as much as you can about the area that you have chosen as your specialty.
Once you have decided on a niche and your have read up on it, you will need to promote it. Think about how your marketing plan may need to change given the new direction of your firm. Let your referral sources and past clients know about your new niche. Update your website and printed materials to reflect your firm’s new direction.
Position yourself as an expert.
You now need people to start seeing you as the “go to” attorney for your niche. A few ways to do that are to:
- Use email marketing to let potential clients and referral sources see your expertise. Add a blog to your website that talks in detail about your niche area. Write articles for the Internet about your niche. There are several websites that accept articles, like http://www.ezinearticles.com. You can include links to the articles on your website.
- Make yourself and your top attorneys available for speaking engagements. Add the details and audio and/or clips of the event to your website.
- yourself available to the media for questions concerning your area of law. Send out press releases to inform the media about your firm’s niche and to keep them abreast of changes in the law. When they have a legal question that pertains to your legal focus, they will contact you and will most likely quote you in a news article. This article can be posted to your website to further the idea that you are an expert in this field.
Now for the hard part, you will need to start turning away clients who don’t fit into your niche. While this may feel like a gamble, it is the most effective way to build a niche practice. There will always be clients who need you to do something outside of your niche. But for every client you take outside of your niche, you may have been able to charge much more to a different client down the road whose case falls within your niche. In addition, every client you take within in your niche deepens your experience and your expertise.
Niche marketing is a wonderful way to increase your firm’s earning potential. Remember that some states have laws that don’t allow attorneys to use the phrase “specialize” or “expert” without going through special certifications. Don’t let that hinder you. Most firms that have developed a niche just choose not to use those phrases to describe their firms.
How do I Feed My Family When I First Start My Law Firm?
A reader named Ben sent in a good question that is probably on the minds of many people who are thinking about starting their own law firm.
Ben said:
“I am an associate in a firm with a great client base. I have gained valuable experience during the past few years, but I would rather be the captain of the ship and I have no interest in partnering with my current employer.
Where will I get enough money to (1) start a firm; and (2) make sure my family still has a house and food?”
Many people ask this question and many more do not start their own law firm because they worry about money during the law firm start-up process.
There are a couple of things to keep in mind when you are thinking about starting a solo law practice.
First, realize that you don’t need an overwhelming amount of capital to start up a law practice. There are no set rules for infrastructure. You simply need a computer and a quiet place to work. In the beginning, you can travel to your client’s location to meet him/her so an office is not a necessity. You can use the local library or a university law library or some of the on-line sites (if you can afford the subscription fees) for research purposes. So in reality, you don’t necessarily need a lot of start-up capital.
I always recommend that attorneys who are going out on their own have at least three to six months of living expenses saved before hanging their shingle. If your spouse works, you can probably get by with less money in the bank. Having a small amount of money stashed away will give you some piece of mind as you strike out looking for your first few clients.
When it comes to clients, if you can legally, morally and ethically move some of your existing relationships to your new solo law practice, you will be off to a fast (and more comfortable) start. This is a sensitive subject and it must be handled carefully. You should thoroughly examine the situation before you approach your client about this possibility. But if they do go with you, right from the start you will have some comfort that your business will have some solid initial cash flow.
Next, you need to embrace the fact that you are in a marketing business first and foremost. Your firm exists to help people solve their legal problems but you can’t do that if they don’t know you are there.
Here are a few cost-effective tips to get you off to a fast start from a marketing perspective:
Focus on a specific niche and develop a compelling value proposition to present to prospective clients.
It is difficult for a solo attorney or a small law firm to compete with the large multinational law firms (or even a medium size local law firm) as a generalist. It is important, especially when you first go out on your own, to pick a segment of the law and “own” it—from a marketing perspective. This will help you differentiate yourself from other firms in the marketplace.You can certainly handle all transactional issues and you can work on matters in other areas— but most of your marketing should be focused on the area of the law where your expertise lies.
Call everybody you know and tell them what value you bring to the market.
Most of us have deeper natural networks than we initially realize. Our friends, family and business associates know people who are good potential clients. Word of mouth is the best possible form of advertising. The minute you decide to go out on your own, get on the telephone and let people know about the value you are bringing to the market in your new role.
Follow your phone calls with an email. Many people will save your new business information with their electronic contacts so that they can search for it later. Providing them with an email that has your contact information will allow them to do this easily.
Make sure you follow up with these people by sending them something in writing. The trusty method of putting a pen to paper and sending a note or a letter in the mail still works well. A handwritten note with a business card can be particularly effective as this helps your friends and family make a physical connection with you in your new role.
Get a sponsor—or three.
Reach out to some of the people who are influential in your community and ask them to make some introductions for you. For example: You will need at least one business checking account. Go to several local banks and meet with the branch managers. Once you get a feeling for their skills in banking ask about their level of involvement in the local community. The ones who are most involved can be helpful to you in starting your law practice. Leverage your business relationship with your banker and even your relationship with your accountant, to help generate leads for your new business.
Practice the “arm’s length” rule.
This is the toughest guidance for most people to handle. Whenever you come within an arm’s length of someone, ask them what they do for a living. When they tell you, ask them for a business card. If they don’t have one, give them yours and ask them to email you their contact information (believe it or not, many people will). Showing interest in them and in what they do will allow you to add them to your mailing list. This will keep your name and contact information in front of them and they’ll call you when they need someone with your expertise.
Starting a new business is tough. A law firm is no exception. The most difficult aspect of any start-up is landing that first client. Follow the same formula you used when you learned to walk—simply put one foot in front of the other until you are farther down the road. Practice these few promotional tips over and over again and you’ll have a handful of clients in short order.
How to Compete with Large Law Firms
Starting a solo law practice or managing a small law firm can be intimidating, especially if you have to compete with large, well established law firms. However, being in a solo practice or a small law firm can mean more freedom, flexibility, and less internal red tape. On the other hand, it can also mean having to compete with firms that have a long list of talented attorneys, well known clients, and expensive advertising campaigns.
In spite of the challenges, there will always be a portion of the market that will prefer working with smaller law firms and solo practices. It is your job to use your firm’s size to your advantage. Instead of focusing on what a small firm or a solo practice can’t do compared to big firms, think about what you can do. Small firms can offer speed, flexibility, and a level of value that is often lost in large law firms. Many attorneys claim that “clients don’t hire firms, they hire lawyers.” Believe this, and use marketing and common sense to compete with large law firms.
Don’t leave image building to the big guys. Whether it is online, in your printed materials, or the way you answer the phone. Potential clients want to make sure that your small firm can handle their big problem. One of the most important hurdles for you to overcome is the idea that you may not be competent or resourceful enough to handle a client’s problem. Don’t let potential clients believe this about your firm.
One of the most common mistakes made by small law firms and solo practices is not having a website or having one that is thrown together by a cousin. Unless your cousin is Steve Jobs, then this plan will not do. Your firm’s presence online and in printed materials needs to rival that of larger firms. Don’t sacrifice professionalism to save money.
Market your law firm’s size as an asset not a liability. In our ever changing, digitally based world, many people see large, established law firms as old and set in their ways. It can be perceived that they are too large to change with the times and to shift gears or get creative. Use this to your advantage.
In your printed materials and your website, talk about how your small law firm offers personal service. Let potential clients know that you want a long term relationship with them. One of the areas where large firms tend to fail is in truly understanding the client’s goals and objectives. The client may come to you with a particular problem, but it is your job to get to the heart of what they really want for their business or for their life.
Provide out of this world customer service. Be creative in how you attack their problem. Some large law firms can leave clients feeling like they are going down an assembly line and that they’re getting the same answers that the previous client received. Don’t do this. Always remember to refer to your client’s overall goals when talking about how you are handling their case. This will make the client feel that you truly understand that their legal matter is not the only thing that matters to them.
One of the best ways to overcome some of the challenges inherent in smaller law firms is to create alliances with other small law firms. There are hundreds of law firm networks across the country and the world. They rely on each other for referrals, cases that have requirements in multiple states, and sometimes basic questions. One of the challenges of running a solo practice is that you may need to do a large amount of research if you come across an aspect of a case that is unfamiliar to you. Being part of a network means being able to pick up the phone, call an attorney and ask for some advice, all the while saving you hours of research. Saving time means saving money.
Use technology to expand the area in which your firm provides services. You can market to clients who are across town or even across the state. Today’s technological advances have created a world where you can meet face to face over a computer screen. With email, fax machines, blackberries, and other forms of technology, you can provide an in person level of service, from a distance.
Being in a solo practice or a small firm creates a variety of challenges. Don’t be deterred by them. Use creative strategies to emphasize what your firm can do that a large firm can’t.
The Diary of a Successful Solo Law Firm Start-Up
Recently, I had the opportunity to meet with some attorneys in New York. After I gave my brief talk, one of them came up to me and excitedly told me that I was “100 percent correct” in my approach to law firm business development. As we continued our conversation, I became more and more impressed with his personal story. You see he had developed a successful small law firm from nothing – he started as a solo about five years ago.
As I was leaving, I asked him if I could share his story with my readers – since it is a background that I believe many of us share – one of starting out at a large firm and then going out on our own. He readily agreed saying that it might be helpful for people who were unsure if they could make it on their own.
This transition, leaving a big firm and going out on your own, can be scary. George planned for it and worked toward it while he was at the big law firm he joined right out of law school. He wanted the experience that would enable him to be effective but he also wanted the freedom that came with owning his own business.
I decided that the best way to tell George’s story was to interview him and then post the interview here for all to read. Although he prefers that I don’t use his real name, George had allowed me to reprint his interview word for word.
Some brief background notes: George worked at a large firm for a little over three years when he decided to go out on his own. His first full year, he billed over $100,000. He now has several associates working with him and his billings regularly exceed double that amount in a month.
Here is his story:
“When I got out of law school I set aside six months to study for the bar exam and formulate a plan for what would become my career. As an attorney I would have plenty of lucrative and exciting options available to me. I was looking at two career possibilities and ended up blending both. The first and most practical scenario was to go to work for a well-established law firm and work my way up the ladder. This was appealing but didn’t ‘feel’ right to me as I’d always imagined I’d be the captain of my own ship and operate my own law practice.
But jumping into business straight out of law school wasn’t practical. There were several drawbacks to this plan. The first was that I’d have no experience, no track record of success. Without some actual background as a practicing attorney it would be tough (and ultimately unfair) to look a potential client in the eye and offer him competent service. So I took a job as a junior attorney in a midsize firm in town. My fear in doing so was that I’d grow complacent and end up staying at the firm for my entire career. This is why I devised a plan to lay the foundation for my own practice while I paid my dues as a cub attorney.
The biggest challenge for any new business is obtaining customers. With this in mind I studied various marketing techniques while I enjoyed the security of a corporate job. All the while I was going the extra yard in serving the clients I was assigned. The extra efforts paid off in added experience which would be critical when I branched out. Even with the great experience I gathered during this period, the marketing techniques I learned and developed during this time proved far more valuable over the long term.
There are dozens of ways to market a professional service business. Anyone can throw big bucks at marketing and come out okay. However, it was my intention to get the biggest bang using a rather limited marketing war chest. Here are a few of the very inexpensive strategies I worked on and developed while I prepared to go solo.
Maintain a Website. A Website can act as a calling card, a brochure, a map, and a comprehensive outline of who you are and what you offer. With a Website you can develop and stay in contact with present and potential clients. One of the most important things about marketing a new business operation is to keep yourself visible and a professional, smart-looking Website is an excellent took of doing so.
Offer Free Information. My specialty is family law. I wrote a series of informative reports around common family law issues. These were instructive reports on many of the more common family law topics. Included were reports on adoption, child custody, divorce, immigration, domestic violence, pre-nuptial agreements, taxes and other topics. These reports were designed as ‘give-aways’ for people answering newspaper ads, Internet queries and other ‘initial contact’ encounters with my new firm. A free report is an excellent item to offer in exchange for a potential client’s contact information.
Write a Newsletter. I began to write a newsletter around family law topics. My plans for the newsletter was to offer it both on my future Website and in print. Why both? Simple. Not everyone is plugged into the Internet nor do they care to be.
Become a Columnist. I became established as a guest columnist in several local publications. One was the local newspaper. Another was the monthly publication published by the local cannery, a business that employs more than 700 local members of my community. I developed a standard ‘pitch’ letter template offering to write for virtually any publication that seemed to be appropriate. Once the template pitch was constructed it was easy to just plug in various target publications and mail out the letter.
Become a Joiner. I joined many of the civic organizations around town and began to take on community improvement projects and duties. I also selectively offered free or deeply-discounted services to influential members of such groups. The first group I joined was the local Chamber of Commerce followed by the Lion’s Club then the Rotary and others. Being a joiner can be an excellent way to network, however, I soon learned to be careful in not committing to too much volunteer work.
Develop A Radio Presence. I began calling in to a couple local radio talk shows and offered useful information on topics relating to family law. It was my intention to become a local authority on such matters. My goal was to have the local talk show hosts recognize me and even seek out my advice. Of course, such a campaign requires an ongoing effort as well as consistency and perseverance.
Develop An Informative Class or Seminar. Since I expect divorce litigation to be a bread and butter component of my practice I began to develop a two-hour class designed to inform people considering divorce what their options might be according to various common situations. When I actually begin to practice on my own I have the option to rent meeting space at a local meeting hall or hotel and offer the class. I can also pitch the adult education branch of the local college to offer the class.
Many of my classmates thought I was crazy as I was always extremely busy developing marketing strategies for my future business while giving 110 percent to my present employer. There were times I felt like chucking the whole plan and just becoming the corporate attorney. But I stuck to the plan and began to see promising results within a short time.
I’m glad I went about establishing an effective marketing plan before I actually needed to because once I actually opened shop I was busy almost immediately. I doubt I would have found the time to write and produce so many reports and other marketing tools if I had to actually work as a practicing attorney. My work paid off and after only two years working for an established firm I was able to open my own practice - and I managed to open with a respectable client list. I would have never been able to do so without carefully laying the marketing groundwork well before hand.”
Local Lawyer Talks His Way to New Clients
My cousin Jeff passed the bar exam last fall and immediately landed a job in a local law firm doing legal grunt work. I had a chance to talk with Jeff at the family picnic earlier this year. I should have known that Jeff had serious career plans because he seemed to have a unique air of confidence about him that day. I found out exactly what it was when we spoke.
Jeff told me he hated schlepping around the courthouse gathering evidence and doing what essentially amounted to legal busywork. But… he knew he’d need that kind of experience to open his own law practice, so that’s what he did. Right now he’s in the middle of opening his office in town. He tells me that most of his law professors have tried discouraging him from starting his own law firm so soon. He just shrugs that stuff off. He tells me that his favorite instructor has cautioned him about the heavy up-front expenses involved in opening a law practice.
This law professor told Jeff that it’s difficult for a new attorney to secure enough billable work in the early going. But that doesn’t seem to be bothering Jeff much. He’s been accumulating paying clients for the past year while working for his present firm.
In fact, it seems that Jeff might actually be more popular than some of the more established attorneys in town. How could that be?
The answer is actually pretty surprising. Jeff has been hosting his own legal advice radio show. And the show has developed a good following.
Here’s how he did it.
In college Jeff had a hobby. He hosted an Internet radio show and talked about the stock market. At first he relied on word of mouth to get the word out about the show. But in time, the show took on a life of its own and listeners began to flock to the Thursday afternoon show titled, Trader’s Wrap-Up. Once he became comfortable with the show’s format Jeff began to give advice on investment and money management. This topic is closely related to his legal specialty which is asset protection and estate planning.
Jeff explained how he took transcripts and recordings of his trading show and shopped them around to local radio stations looking for the opportunity to host a legal advice show. He was certain that such a show would be a great service to people and deliver a lot of clients in the process. He told me he had two offers from local stations. The first was a fairly large station that offered to sell Jeff a half-hour spot every week. He could pretty much do what he liked with the time.
The station would provide all the resources he would need. This included a producer, a studio and an engineer. He’d be able to talk about estate planning, asset protection, take live calls, and give advice. And of course, he could mention his own law practice as much as he saw fit. The only wrinkle was he’d have to pay the station $2000 a week for the privilege.
The second deal at another station was much more to his liking. He was offered his own show which would be used in part to attract sponsors for the station. The show’s format was designed to give Jeff a forum to talk about asset protection and estate planning. He would also take calls on those topics and give advice to the callers. Here he could mention his practice on this show but he really couldn’t over do it. What he found attractive about this arrangement was the value the station placed on his expertise. The station wanted him because they felt he would attract new listeners.
Jeff opted for this arrangement. He doesn’t earn any pay but he doesn’t have to pay for the air time either.
I was impressed and began to make a fuss about having a radio celebrity in the family. I asked if the college stock trading show opened the door for him. He said it helped but it wasn’t what sealed the deal. Jeff explained that it’s fairly easy to get on the radio, especially for credible professionals. Obviously you need to have something to offer listeners and he certainly has that. But he told me there are many radio stations with significant ‘dead air’ time. This is time that isn’t scheduled for anything in particular. During this unassigned time radio stations often re-run some of their more popular talk shows.
There are plenty of radio stations that would entertain good show ideas to attract listeners. Jeff told me he was surprised that there were no other attorneys in town who were hosting advice shows. But even if there were, chances are good that they wouldn’t be in his specialty.
He went on to say that on his second asset protection show he received a call from a gentleman who had some excellent questions about corporations and trusts and Jeff fielded the questions more like a seasoned pro than a rookie. The caller was impressed and later called the station looking for Jeff.
The two men met and Jeff walked away with a sizable piece of business re-engineering some of the man’s trusts and partnerships. Jeff told me that the financial commitment from the new client allowed him the foothold he needed to secure a lease on some nice office space. He claims he’s gotten several decent clients from the show and he’s not even in full swing yet.
Look out when he is!
Do You Have What it Takes to Succeed in a Solo Law Firm?
In our attorney coaching practice we generally see three types of lawyers who go out on their own and start up a solo practice.
We are often retained by attorneys who work in large firms and have their sights set on going out on their own. These are some of my favorite clients because they are full of energy and enthusiasm. There is a sense of electricity in the air as they prepare to take a big step toward financial independence. They can’t wait to control their own destiny. It is almost as if they have been kept locked away in a dark room somewhere and they know they are about to see a beautiful spring morning for the first time.
The second type of new solo attorney is the one who was reluctantly thrust into a solo opportunity because he/she was laid off or fired from their last firm. Or maybe they quit because they couldn’t handle the politics of it. Or maybe they worked in a government role and they can’t take the high stress and low pay. These folks are more tentative about venturing out into the great unknown but they are motivated because they are anxious about the future.
Both types of solo start ups can be successful. The enthusiastic attorney will succeed because he/she is fired up and willing to do almost anything to make it work. The reluctant attorney will succeed because he/she has to feed his family and desperation is a great motivator.
The big questions come from folks who are “in the middle”. These are attorneys who are most likely doing well in a larger practice but feel that they could be doing better (financially) on their own. Often we find that they are billing upwards of $600,000 per year yet making only about one third of that. At some point their sense of fairness and greed (Gordon Gekko, the character played by Michael Douglas in Wall Street was right greed is good) motivates them to consider going out on their own.
All of these attorneys come to us with questions about the future. Since we can’t predict what will happen, we ask them a number of questions to see how they feel about themselves and about going out on their own. Self awareness is a huge component of business success.
So how do you know if you have what it takes to be successful in your own solo law practice?
There are ten personality traits that successful solo attorneys (and business owners) possess – at least to some degree. Here is the list. See how many of these questions you can answer “Yes” to:
Willingness to Sacrifice — Are you willing to accept the fact that you will be the last one to be paid? Are you willing to sacrifice your free time to your firm? Are you willing to give up vacations, holidays, time with the kids, ball games and birthday parties?
Service Orientation — Do you have what it takes to deal with suppliers, clients, employees, other lawyers, accountants, government officials, and everybody who calls on the phone and walks in the door? Are you willing to ask your clients for feedback and then adjust your practice based upon what they say? Are you willing to spend time with the last client of the day even if it means working after hours? Can you come to win-win agreements with everyone mentioned above?
Leadership Ability — Are you willing to be the “go to” person for your firm? Can you be the person who will lead a team to the promised land? Can you come up with the answers when others ask tough questions?
Business Intelligence and Creativity — Do you have street smarts and common sense? Can you make lemonade out of lemons? Can you anticipate problems before they arise and take preemptive steps to avoid them? Can you “rearrange” solutions you have discovered in other businesses to meet the demands of your clients?
Management Ability and Organization — Do you have what it takes to manage relationships with your clients, with your employees, with your suppliers, with your accountant and with other lawyers, with your banker, and with your family? Can you manage all of them at once….when you tired and hungry and when you are worried about something else? Can you keep track of everything that’s going on in your practice? Can you set priorities and get things done? Can you develop systems to automate the repetitive tasks in your practice?
Optimism — Can you see the silver lining in each dark cloud? Can you keep your family and employees “pumped up” about your firm and your ideas? Will you start each day looking for the possibility that it could be the best day you’ve ever had?
Persistence – Can you keep coming back for more even after you have had several setbacks? Do you believe that each time you attempt something you learn and grow? Is it in your nature to come back over and over again until you get what you want?
Competitive Nature – Do you have to win? Are you the kind of person who needs to be the best at everything? Does competition bring out the best in your creative ability?
Sales Orientation – Can you sell yourself to others? You are your law firm. Can you convince others to work with you, buy from you and help spread the word about your practice? Nothing happens in business until somebody sells something. As an entrepreneur and a solo law practitioner that somebody is you. Are you comfortable with that?
Confidence – Do you believe that risk is placing your future in the hands of someone else? Can you take on a difficult challenge head-on with the feeling that you will be successful? When the going gets tough do you instinctively feel that you will become stronger from the experience?
If one or more of these traits is not second nature to you, don’t worry. During the next few weeks we will be discussing each of them in detail. We’ll talk about ways to leverage your current skills, knowledge and experience to make up for a lack of strength in one or more of these areas.
The First Three Things To Do When You Go Solo
We work with many attorneys who have made the jump (or are thinking of making the jump) into their own practice. They are happy. They are exited. And many of them are scared to death.
Why?
They are scared because they need to rely on their own initiative in order to survive. There is nobody else to blame if they don’t make enough money. There is no nagging boss to stay on top of them to meet deadlines. And there is no Rainmaker to feed them business.
And they SHOULD be scared.
Most attorneys don’t realize what a huge step it is to go out on their own. In fact, most attorneys who make this leap are either extremely ignorant or extremely confident. Some of them are a combination of both.
But by and large it is not a question of IF a solo attorney will succeed but more a matter of HOW LONG it will take the solo attorney to succeed.
The attorneys we work with make money quickly.
Starting your own practice can and should be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. It is an opportunity to control your own destiny. You will make far more on your own than you could ever make working for someone else.
So how do some attorneys succeed quickly while others take longer?
The folks who work with us share three common characteristics. If you are thinking of going out on your own you’d be wise to follow their lead.
The first three things to do when you start a solo practice are:
Burn Your Ships
In 1519, Capitan Hernando Cortes set out on one of the greatest conquests in the history of the world. With an army of fewer than six hundred men, he set out to conquer the wealthy Aztec Empire – which was over 5 million men strong.
Cortes was going to accomplish this goal no matter the consequences. His men, on the other hand, were fearful of moving inland to take on the massive forces of natives. In order to sufficiently “motivate” his men, Cortes burned his ships so that there could be no retreat.
As you embark on your desire to enter into a solo practice, you must burn your own ships behind you. You need to mentally cut off all possibility of turning back. The minute you embrace this attitude is the minute you are officially in business.
Of course, this is symbolic of accepting responsibility for your business.
Nobody is going to give you anything.
If you want to be successful you have to go out and make it happen.
Accept that fact and let’s get going.
Sell, Sell, Sell
Get this through your thick head: Nothing happens until somebody sells something. Period.
You need to bring in the business.
You should spend as much time as possible obtaining new clients. And when you get a couple of clients you should actually contract out as much of the work as possible.
You read that correctly.
Contract the work out, review it, make adjustments and put your name on it.
This will allow you to spend as much time as possible developing new business.
Once you go into a solo practice you are no longer a “worker” you are the owner. Your job is to bring in the business. You need to be the rainmaker.
Get going.
Get Paid
Cash is king.
You must collect as much money up front as possible. You will need that cash to build your business. Bill in advance. Collect in advance. Provide your clients with incentives to pay early.
Conserve cash.
At first you will need to work from home. Have your meetings at the coffee shop. When you outsource work, have your workers work from home. Stay lean as long as you can.
Use your cash for measurable, effective marketing initiatives.
Remember that you are in this business for one primary reason – to get paid. Everything else is a distant second.
Follow these three tips and you will get your solo practice off to a fast start.
Ignore them and you’ll wish you were on one of Cortes’ ships.
