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Most people want to go to sleep tonight and wake up in the morning smart, rich and thin. They want the formula for the magic potion they can drink that will make this happen.
Lawyers are no different.
Many lawyers will hire Social Media Gurus, Search Engine Optimization Experts or a Public Relations Flack and expect to have thousands of clients lining up outside their office door by the end of the week.
It doesn’t work that way.
You can’t just plunk down a couple of bucks for the “all the clients you can stand” option at the local buffet.
Sorry.
No matter what anyone says, there is no way to make this happen overnight.
But there is a way to build a client base and establish a reputation as a good lawyer in the process.
Here is the three step formula:
Step One: Do excellent work.
Yeah. It’s true. You have to represent your clients well. You have to get the best result possible for them. You have to do everything legally, morally and ethically possible to help them. There is no avoiding this. You must be a good lawyer.
Step Two: Embrace business ownership.
As a lawyer you have a responsibility to your client (see step one). As a business owner you have an additional responsibility to yourself: To make money. These two things are not mutually exclusive. You can be professional, charge fair fees and run a profitable business. If you cannot come to grips with this concept, go to work for a big law firm.
Step Three: Set up systems that allow you to be the CEO of your law firm.
You will severely limit your income if you spend 100% of your time practicing law. You love the law. I know. You went to school to practice law. I know. You only feel validated when you are doing the work required to resolve an issue for a client. I know.
The big problem arises when you run out of hours in the day. You see, at some point, you will run out of hours in which you can complete the work. This means you need to have systems in place that help you complete at least fifty percent of the work that will flow through your office. These systems will involve other people. There will be delegation and there will need to be accountability.
Yes. You read that correctly. You will need to manage people and processes if you want to grow your law firm.
How do you set up these systems? What do they look like? How do you hire the right people? How do you get them to perform the necessary tasks perfectly and consistently? How do you ethically attract enough clients to support this added infrastructure and make a healthy profit?
These are the questions that can be answered by a true expert.
I’m not talking about someone who can “get you on the first page of Google”. Or someone who can help you get 3,000 ‘friends” on Facebook.
I am talking about an expert who can sit down with you, listen to your goals for your law firm and your life and help you design a plan to make them a reality.
I am talking about someone who can help you put that plan into motion and make adjustments along the way.
You need a business strategist to help you build a business. But you have to take action. You have to admit that you want to build a successful business.
Not everyone does.
If you are one of the few lawyers who have the guts to embrace business ownership, you owe it to yourself to take action.