Law Firm Marketing

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.”

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