Before I begin let me say that if you have not visited Solo Practice University, you should. I was just hanging out there, and found this inspiration about the wrong priorities of enter into a new law practice.
__________
From what I know, what I have
done, and what I see so many new practice lawyers do wrong is
concentrating on the wrong thing when thinking about or establishing a
new law practice. Most of the communications I receive concern a lot of different
things, such as computer systems (Mac or PC), should they use a cell
phone, ViOP, or a land line. Should they pay for a live answering
service. Where should they office. There are a lot of questions about
how to get a handle on a practice area, or whether they really need to
niche their practice going in. It is not that all of these are not good
questions, but the problem in trying to work out all of the details
going in is impossible and represents a barrier. I have, for better or
worse, made these decisions as I have gone alone. I have taken the
position that I can bloom pretty much were I am planted. Sure you need
a general idea of the practice area before you start, but you are not
going to know everything. Just get some attorney to show you have they
approach an initial interview, and then get a good resource book for
your practice area.
It is not that these questions are wrong as they are just
subordinate to the primary question you have to answer before starting
out. All of these questions will naturally answer or resolve themselves
with time, except for one. That is where or how are you going to get
paying clients in the front door?
I rarely get this question believe it or not. Lawyers assume, I
suppose, that they can hang a shingle, announce to the world they have
arrived, and clients will come trickling in, or they think they will
engage in some minor advertising. But, advertising rarely works well
unless it is constant and at saturation levels. This means it is
expensive or otherwise relatively ineffective.
Forget where you will office. It really does not matter as much as
you would think. As long as it is not a hell hole, where you end up
meeting with potential clients is not as important as you would suspect. I knew an
attorney through the 90s that met his clients at various McDonald?s
restaurants throughout East Texas and snagged big paying will contest
clients. What is certain, however, is you had better darn well know how
people are going to learn of you or from where you will get referrals.
People who have read my past work know that I am not much on business plans. Oh,
I have a broad outline of sorts, but I tend to think they are a tad
foolish. Again, I know what I have to produce to survive, and all of these
other questions will fall into place as I move forward. But, I am dead
set on drafting a marketing plan. Write it down. Stare at it. Noodle over it.
Sleep on it. Free base in you ideas for a while, even if you think they
are silly. Write down everything of which you can think. Especially,
write down all of those people, companies, groups, organizations that
you need to know and meet that may be able to get you referrals. Again, think
large at first. Write down anybody and everybody you can think of that
might locate your ideal client for you. You can take the crazy ideas off
later, after you have given it some serious thought.
Also, how are you going to stay on top of these people ? stay in
front of these people ? you meet and who meet your referral source
profile? You need to know this. Most people do not refer after one
chance meeting. You need to stay top of the mind with the people you have solicited as possible referral sources. How are you
going to do this cheaply?
You will learn more as you go along. But, you need to start out
consistently and continuously pursuing marketing. It does not have to
be expensive. However, it does take time. The good news is when you start
out you have nothing but time. You also have desire because you have the fear of
failure.
An example?
When I started practicing law in Texarkana, Texas years ago, I
decided that my firm would not just practice consumer
bankruptcy, but would limit it to the then little known chapter of
bankruptcy called Chapter 13. It is well known now, but back in the
80s there were no local procedures for anything. Nobody knew how to
sell the practice area. Maybe one in every 20 or 30 cases filed was a 13. Before
deconstructing my old law firm, my wife quit practicing family law, and we built the practice to 5 offices in 5 cities filing in
excess of 1,200 Chapter 13s a year.
Starting out I got to my first 10 cases a month without
spending much money. I did something nobody did then, and really very
few lawyers do now with any type of urgency or stick-to-it-ness. I cold
called (calls but also dropped in unannounced) on all of the human
resource people in the large plants and businesses in my geographic
area, as well as all of the accountants and non-bankruptcy attorneys in my area. I
continued this a couple days a week. When I got referrals, I would send my referral sources thank you notes and call them (this was before the Internet). I
sent out not a newsletter but a newsy letter every month that I typed
up, copied on colored paper, folded, addressed and stamped myself.
Sure I got strange looks when I first called on these people. Most were polite even if they did not think they could be helpful. This
was especially true for the human resource staff. I just had to
explain to them over time when to recognize the signs of debt problems.
Someone missing too much work, begging for overtime, asking for a pay
advance, etc. After all, I was not asking for money from the company.
And, I would agree to meet for with any referral for free and at at
time that would not cost them work.
What I want you to know is that everything ? and I mean everything ? in starting a new practice is incidental that you
will figure out as you go along. Just keep it simple. What you have to
hit the ground with, however, is a detailed and intense ? but
inexpensive ?plan to get clients through your front door. It is a must. Ignore it at your own risk.
Wrong Bus
Greenbrier County Board of Education agrees to $15,000 negligence settlement after dropping a 5-year-old off at the wrong spot.
Wrong Medication
Walgreens agrees to confidential settlement after woman suffers miscarriage.
Cipro
The FDA is seeking to add black box warnings of the risk of tendon rupture associated with Cipro and Levaquin.
The ruptures can involve Achilles tendon, shoulder, hand, bicep or thumb tendons, and is especially increased in patients older than 60, or people who have received kidney, heart or lung transplants, as well as people on steroid therapy...
