Solo Practice

Effective Law Firm/Lawyer Communication is Key Topic at the 2010 Judicial and Bar Conference

By The Greatest American Lawyer

In the article, "Communication Is Key for Success as a Lawyer, Panel Says" by Jeff Jeffrey on Law.com, reports that communication was a key topic for discussion at the recent seminar, "The 20 Keys to Successful Law Firm Management", held at the D.C Judicial and Bar Conference in the International Trade Center/Ronald Regan Building.  Here are some of the panelists' suggestions for lawyers to communicate effectively:

??it is important for lawyers to determine where their strengths are as communicators and to work on areas where they may not be as effective...it is useful to differentiate your strengths as a lawyer from others in your practice area, and to show that you "love what you do."

"If clients get sense from you that you love what you're doing, you're much more likely to get more business from them?"

??using online marketing tools to provide information to the public about what skills a lawyer can provide is essential to bringing in more business from clients?a common mistake lawyers make is to make their Web sites "all about the 'me?putting too many details about past experience on a law firm Web site is like "ordering a Big Mac and having to stand there and learn about the history of McDonald's before getting the darn Big Mac."

??adding blogs and videos to law firm Web sites that answer common questions or provide quick advice for routine problems. "It's a way to show that you are the one to help them and not the other guy who is just trying to outshout everyone else with the same information?

?it is key to "not only let them know you are the lawyer for them, but that you can win for them."

?There is always someone with a better resume, always someone better looking, but I never let them out-care me. If you start letting clients know that you will always do what is in their best interest and not what is in your own best interest, it will impress them and they will keep coming back to you in the future."

?it is important for lawyers at larger law firms to be willing to share work with other lawyers who may offer different perspectives on how to handle a case.?

??the most important thing lawyers need to do to increase business is to lay out a clear plan for the direction of their practice. "No firm is too small to have a plan?That plan needs to include how leadership succession at the firm will be handled, what the firm will do to collect bills and make payroll in an emergency, and yes, how to communicate effectively with clients about what those plans are.?

"Keeping everyone informed of what is going on and where the firm is headed is a key factor in achieving success.?

Full post as published by The Greatest American Lawyer on April 14, 2010 (boomark / email).