Reboot Your Law Practice

This week Oscar and Scott speak to Tom Bolt, the Chair of the Law Practice Division of the American Bar Association. Tom discusses the the mission of his committee and how they can be helpful to attorneys in the four core areas of marketing, management, technology and finance. We touch upon the “uberization" of law and how to have a client centered practice.We also discuss the issues surrounding the recently passed resolution 105 by the ABA which is meant to guide states in their regulation of nontraditional legal services.

Scott and Oscar have long advised listeners that law firms and solo lawyers can learn a lot about business development by listening to experts outside the legal field. In this episode they discuss The Achievement Habit by Bernard Roth. The author talks about the need for people to go after what they want and realize that they are in control of their own lives and businesses. The book admonishes its readers to “Stop Wishing, Start Doing and Take Command of Your Life.”

The hosts talk about how to implement the advice Roth gives in his book to a law practice. The attitude in which you take something on is as important as deciding what to take on. The hosts talk about how they had to adjust their attitudes to give their law practices the boost they needed to be successful. The first step is self-contemplation and analysis to determine what kind of person you are and what kind of lawyer you wanted to be. While we are all lawyers we are all not the same lawyer and you need to apply yourself in the manner that best suits your personality and style.

This week Oscar and Scott talk about two different aspects of “Access to Justice”. First, they discuss Access to Justice in Law Schools. While giving law students much needed real life legal experience, the hosts wonder if serving this population will actually allow a student to make a living after graduation.

They also discuss a Law Firm that is marketing to this underserved population by offering free documents and information on their site and a unique pricing plan for clients.

The hosts discuss these different initiatives and believe this kind of out of the box thinking is needed for the future of law but are still a work in progress.

The key to a successful networking opportunity is being able to create a conversation that holds the interest of the others at the event. Scott and Oscar relate stories they were recently involved in around meeting lawyers and law students at events that offered great opportunities to make connections and maybe even develop some business. They offer suggestions and some “do’s and don’ts,” to help guide the listener through these opportunities. Step 1 is to be engaged – listen to what the other person has to say and build off of that; Step 2 is to personalize your story to match the event’s focus or at least the focus of the conversation you are having; and Step 3 is to be yourself and recognize that the others at the event are likely there for the same reason as you are – to meet people, make connections and try to get business in the future.

A Facebook legal marketing ad sparks a conversation about why you cannot abdicate the responsibility for your law firm marketing. Many legal marketers will try to tell you that some lawyers are simply just not meant to be entrepreneurs and therefore they must rely on professional marketers to build their practices. The podcast hosts discuss that it can sound very enticing to not have to worry about this aspect of your business and let someone else worry about driving business to your practice. But it can be dangerous placing all of the marketing decisions and content in a third party’s hands. Scott and Oscar go through examples of disasters that can happen when you relinquish that control. They finish the podcast by discussing suggesting listeners take a look at some authentic and genuine legal websites and compare them to those that have canned content and are merely the by-products of some third party’s vision of that lawyer’s website. Nothing replaces authenticity and value as the foundations of a marketing strategy and don’t let anyone talk you into any form of marketing that does not express your personal vision and touch.

Scott and Oscar discuss how a solo or small firm practitioner has an obligation to protect the practice’s electronically stored information and digital media – including the firm’s website material and of course client data. The hosts discuss examples of how the both have dealt with cyber-attacks; hacks; and “ransomware” that have hit their practices in recent months. It’s important in today’s digital world to make sure that you stay current on the current risks that exist and the software and knowledge that can help fix your system if you get hit or even better avoid them in the first place.

Time management is the biggest issue for solo or small practice lawyers. We have to be lawyers, mangers, paralegals, accountants, marketing experts, all at the same time. The podcast host talk about using the new “gig’ or “share” economy to help take some of the load off of you so that you can spend more time on job #1 – developing and growing your practice. In today’s economy more people are looking for this type of work and there are plenty of sites where lawyers can find the extra help they need on a case-by-case or project-by-project. The host talk about the thought processes involved in deciding what can be outsourced and what must be done by your personally. Scott and Oscar talk about some of the tasks they have outsourced:- Developing graphics for the firm’s website- Routine court appearances- Crafting design of cards and brochures- Transcription of the podcastRemember the goal of this is to allow you spend more time in practice development!

The podcast hosts discuss how using presentations to groups have helped develop their practice. For those lawyers who try cases, speaking in front of groups may be second nature but trying a case and talking to a group about the law are very different things. You need to have a different mindset – come at it from a point of not just delivering information but for development of business. The hosts talk about how to get opportunities to appear before various trade and legal groups as well as public libraries all of which are dying to get speakers -so why not you? Once you get the gig, make sure your content is accurate and helpful. Practice your presentation and time it to see how long it actually takes you because you want to use up the time properly. You need to prepare so that your confidence level is high when you make the presentation. Don’t forget that you want to come across as a confident expert in the area you are discussing. So much like trial, preparation and practice is key. Giving presentations is a nice way to get your name out there and get before an audience of potential clients and potential referral partners.

This episode focuses attention on a topic the hosts have talked about before – developing a client-centered practice. By recalling things that have happened in their practices, Oscar and Scott discuss steps they have implemented to make sure they are always mindful of their clients’ needs and expectations. As lawyers, it can be easy to fall into the habit of believing that you know best how to handle the attorney-client relationship. But the hosts remind listeners that from the outset, it is the clients’ goals that matter most. For example, the first step is making sure that from the first meeting, you and the client are on the same page as to the level of communication the client wants and what you will commit to. From then on, it is up to you to maintain that promise and build the kind of relationship that will bring you more business.