Archive for the ‘referrals’Category

Open Plea to Legal Marketers … little help?

Me Learning to be Humble

Asking for Help ... Hat in Hand

Being the Practicehacker doesn’t mean I know everything. Take law firm marketing for instance.  
In real life I run a 3-lawyer suburban Chicago practice engaged in what I call “Small Business” law; i.e. we do pretty much everything a small business or its owners need their lawyer to do, including:
  • Business start-ups, incorporation, organization
  • Contracts: drafting, review, enforcement, terms
  • Hiring and firing of employees and contractors
  • Commercial litigation, collections, and defense
  • Real estate transaction, liens and construction
  • Business, stock and asset, sale and purchase
  • Divorce and estate planning for entrepreneurs
  • Bankruptcy, reorganization, crisis management
I can’t think of any aspect of practice organization,management, or marketing that I couldn’t improve. In fact, I am absolutely certain that I must learn to do a lot of things better. Of course, if I had to single out one thing for attention at the moment, it would have to be our law firm marketing.
Full disclosure: I’ve never been satisfied with my firm’s online or social media presence. I mean, my name is out there, but the picture that emerges of my firm seems fragmented and weak. Then again, my off-line presence is no better. I’ve prepared and delivered seminars, given talks both locally and nationally, and have had articles published all over. But to what end?
The worst part of the problem is that it feels like my office is being severely underutilized. After a harrowing couple of years in this see-saw economy, I finally have a stable team of trained lawyers and staff, with more becoming available all the time. But if what we have to offer does not reach the right Clients, it’s wasted. That’s the hardest part of the problem: matching the right skills with the right Clients and keeping the process going.
There is one final caveat: I need new marketing initiatives to have a measurable ROI so we can decide whether to stay with it, pivot, or abandon it and start over.  If anyone thinks they can take a crack at evaluating our situation, or knows someone else who can, please get in touch or leave that information in the comments to this post.  
Thanks to everyone who thinks they can help.

17

09 2011


by practicehacker
posted in bankruptcy, Blogging, business, Career and Job, competition, current-events, employment, facebook, Google, law office, Marketing, media, new media, old media, practice, practice management, referrals, social media, social media tools, the business of law, tips, twitter, Video, website, websites, Wisdom of Crowds, work, youtube
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Moving on to the merely obvious…

Fatigued-Lawyer

In Law firms: A less gilded future the Economist begins with the incredibly obvious – practicing law ain’t what it used to be – before moving on to the “merely” obvious, that the law has become more of a business than a profession.  And that’s a bad thing? Depends who you ask, doesn’t it? Less clubby for a few, much more open for … well, for the rest of the world. Yeah, I think I’ll take it this way, thanks. I never was part of the old-boys’ club. And I’m not a fan, either.

Posted via email from practice (redux)

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08

05 2011


by practicehacker
posted in Article, Blogging, business, comments, community, law, law office, legal marketplace, money, news, practice, practice management, referrals, the business of law, tips
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Google “Like” … I mean “+1″ is here!

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03

04 2011


by practicehacker
posted in apps, business, collaborative tools, community, cool stuff, crowdsourcing, disruptive technology, facebook, geolocation, Google Apps, law office, legal marketplace, practice management, realtime, referrals, review, search, social graph, social media, social media tools, social networking, the business of law, tips, tools, websites, widget, Wisdom of Crowds
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Bill more. Go home early: One Lawyer’s Story

Amicus Attorney

One of the primary reasons we adopt new technology (besides the fact that it’s cool) is because it makes life easier. John T. Phipps, a lawyer based in Champaign, Ill., discovered this when he test-drove and adopted Amicus Attorney practice management software for his law firm. In all, he estimates that he’s significantly increased the amount of billable time he captures – up to 250 hours a year – thanks to the system’s automation features. Another benefit: The ability to run his practice from his laptop or Blackberry helps free his time for more important things – like vacations. You can read John’s story here.

Download a free trial version of Amicus Attorney.

17

05 2010


by practicehacker
posted in archiving, business, Career and Job, conduct, cool stuff, free, law office, manager, member perks, money, practice, practice management, referrals, review, software, Sponsor, technology, the business of law, tools, work
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Opinion: Zelotes v. Rousseau (Total Attorneys Case)

At issue in this case was whether Chicago-based lead-generation service Total Attorneys was violating ethical rules by doing business Lawyers in the State of Connecticut. The answer apparently was no. At least, not based on the complaint brought by this Attorney-Plaintiff. The opinion is seen as a victory for free enterprise as opposed to the grip of local bar associations, which routinely monopolize Attorney-Referral Services, which are a source of profit.

I’m not saying the decision actually is a victory for anyone (other than Total Attorneys) but even the most cynical observer will admit that the idea of preventing lawyers from saving money and reaching prospective clients so that bar associations could maintain their monopoly … I mean, ensure the clients’ best interests – was heavy handed and backward-looking.

Prove me wrong. I dare you.

Posted via email from practice (redux)

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09

02 2010


by practicehacker
posted in business, courts and, current-events, law, law office, legal marketplace, legal research, Marketing, practice, practice management, referrals
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Generating Business with Your Content

John Jantsch author of Duct Tape Marketing has this solid advice for people who have content on their hands that isn’t generating new business: which is pretty much anybody who’s been around for a few years. As a lawyer for 15 yeas I can  sympathize, having literally thousands of pages and millions of bytes worth of information I’ll never use again. Why let it go to waste, right? Read the full post to get the details but here is the upshot:

  1. Guest-Post: Offer to post on others’ blogs; invite them to do so too
  2. Host a group: A forum, discussion group, blogging circle, whatever
  3. Invite friends: Meet real people at actual events (“Tweetups” etc.)
  4. Co-Branding: Basically this means ghost-writing or “white labeling”
  5. Create Events: Like #3 but you would be the master of ceremonies

Of course these ideas have also been floated before so they sound a lot like marketing buzzwords, but this guy writes a monthly column in Wired that really resonates with me (it’s not bull). So it’s worth a quick read. Also, all of the suggestions involve actually interacting with other people as opposed to just writing or providing content so if you’re not a people person but still want to make an impact by sharing content, try contacting someone who is good with people and work together. It’s better than letting your work gather dust.

Posted via email from practice (redux)

30

01 2010


by practicehacker
posted in Marketing, practice, practice management, referrals, the business of law
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