Reboot Your Law Practice

This week's episode revolves around the need for expanding your network in order to get more referrals and a steadier stream of business. The hosts discuss how it may not be clear for some time that your networking events are paying off. Don't expect that the first meeting you attend will produce results or that even every attempt you make at meeting new people will generate income. It takes time to develop trust and to have the people you meet think of you when an opportunity arises. That requires you to (a) stick to it and be authentic when doing it and (b) expand your networking efforts to have more than just one source of referrals.

While Oscar is enjoying a well deserved vacation with his wife, Scott goes solo hitting on a number of topics. We first discuss the outreach for "Master Your Law Practice" the networking group we are starting on June 29th. We then discuss how important it is to understand the needs of your clients and how your attitudes affect their decision to hire you. We finish up with a discussion about URL's

Oscar and Scott discuss the networking group they are launching for Long Island attorneys. The 1st meeting of "Master Your Law Practice" will take place on June 29th at Seasons 52 in Garden City. Oscar and Scott discuss the beginnings of this idea and how it has grown into a different kind of legal networking group. They both are looking forward to sharing their experiences with other attorneys.

We have all gotten used to relying on our favorite tech aides – apps, calendaring programs, phone systems, etc. But what happens to our practices when they fail? In this episode Scott and Oscar talk about recent tech issues they have faced and how they addressed. They offer some insight and solutions to make sure that when a snafu happens your practice can rebound quickly. Two key points: (a) Find a good IT consultant that is available to help guide you when this happens and protect you from reoccurrence and (b) Back up regularly on a hard server and to the cloud to make sure that if your systems go down, you don't lose too much work. We're big advocates of legal tech but you need to have safety net in place because on occasion disaster strikes.

This week Scott and Oscar discuss how the same issues that cause Solo and Small Practices to fail are the same issues that affect Big Law. The top three things affecting Big Law being, below average performance, internal dynamics (no leadership, incompatible goals and lack of planning) and external dynamics (competitive pressure related to firms client base, not having access to new clients. The same issues that are of tantamount importance to solo and small firms

Oscar was invited to Otisville Correctional Institute by the Tribeca Film Festival to be a speaker at the screening of Gideon's Army, which follows a number of public defenders and their interaction with their clients. Before the movie the inmates had extremely harsh opinions about the attorneys that represented them. After they watched the movie their opinions softened a bit and had a better understanding of the mindset of their defense attorneys. What everyone should take from this is that what representing a client means. That you are advocating, supporting and speaking on behalf of this person. And the most important thing for the client is communication. Letting them know the ins and out of their case. Not based on what you think but based on what your client needs.

Scott and Oscar continue their discussion about Scott's presentation and attendance at Avvo's annual Lawyernomics conference in Las Vegas. The talk focuses on SEO and recognizing where your practice is at - brand new practices don't have the same needs and opportunities as mature growing practices. The focus must be on what can best improve your practice. Not everything will work for everybody. The hosts discuss the value of attending professional conferences to keep learning about what's out there and new ways to develop a consistently successful practice.

One of the nice things about having "Rebooted" our practices and having started this podcast is the opportunity to share what we have learned with other attorneys. Avvo was nice enough to invite us to speak at their Lawyernomics conference in Las Vegas. Scott discusses some of what he learned including how all marketing should be done purposefully, how PR work has been folded into social media and your web presence and how Avvo believes the future of successful practices will rely on data driven metrics.

This week Scott and Oscar discuss how giving presentations can be an important part of your practice. Not only do they show that you are engaged in topics that effect your clients and show your authority but are also a good way to network meet other attorneys. Although you may not be able to picture yourself speaking in front of others and may be absolutely terrified by the prospect, it is like any other skill. At first you may be nervous and unsure of yourself but like anything else the more experience you get the more comfortable you will be. And the more comfortable you are the more confidence you will have. And always remember that when you give a presentation that the goal is to inform and enlighten, not to sell.

Not only do you have an obligation as an attorney to keep track of the changes in your area of law but you should determine if any changes can be a business opportunity for your practice. Scott discusses new changes in New York criminal law one that he believes may be an excellent opportunity to expand his practice and one that may have a detrimental effect. If you see an opportunity, you should have the mindset to create a niche practice from this new opportunity. And don't just wait for the clients to find you. Create new webpages, write about the topic and let you networking partners know you are handling cases in this new area.