Build an industry reputation. There is a trade organization for every industry. Choose an industry that you want to target, and subscribe to the industry newsletters and periodicals. Get involved with the trade association. Become an associate member of the industry trade association. Attend the trade association’s annual convention. If you purchase a booth at its annual convention, you’ll not only get to attend the meeting and meet many of the industry decision-makers face-to-face, but you will typically get a list of contact information for attendees. Offer to speak at their local meetings and annual convention. Submit articles to the industry newsletter. You’ll be considered a legal expert in that industry. – Kathy Brost, Brost & Associates Law Offices, LLC
March 2010 (Marketing)
Safe deposit boxes. Often, clients assume that the best place to keep a will is in their safe deposit box. However, clients also frequently forget to tell their family members the location of the safe deposit box, thereby making the will difficult to locate after the client’s death. This problem is often exacerbated by the fact that many banks will not allow anyone other than the personal representative of the client’s estate to access the box (which is frustrating, as the personal representative is not appointed in a testate administration until the will is admitted to probate)! Therefore, the savvy estate planner may save his or her clients’ family members a considerable amount of time and effort simply by advising clients to: (a) keep their wills in a location other than a safe deposit box (the law firm may maintain its own safe deposit box for such purpose); or (b) inform the nominated personal representative of the location of the box and authorize him or her to access such box. – Steven Lasky, Moertl, Wilkins & Campbell, S.C.
March 2010 (Practice)
Use the EGG system. Every time you meet a person, be enthusiastic – enthusiastic about meeting them, who they are, what they do and why. Remember to use who, what, when, where, and why – tell them who you are, what you do, when you do it, where you do it and why you do it. Then get their business card, address and information on how to reach them. Then give back to them a personal note, an actual piece of mail (not email), a nice card (not a form letter), telling them that you appreciated meeting them and wish them the best. You may not get business from them, but you will get referrals and that is the name of the game. – Carl R. Edenhofer Jr., Edenhofer Law Offices SC
December 2009 (Marketing)
Handling a mistake. On average, every lawyer will experience three malpractice claims in his or her career. More than half of the legal malpractice claims reported resolve with no payment being made and the claim ultimately being abandoned or corrected. Two important steps to follow when you believe you may have made a mistake are to (1) inform your client of the error, and (2) timely report the claim to your legal malpractice insurance company.
Advising your client of a mistake or potential mistake is necessary to keep the client fully advised regarding the status of the case and to establish the client’s informed consent to allow for your continued representation. Timely reporting to your carrier is important as it protects coverage under your policy and allows for the best opportunity to mitigate any potential claim exposure.
So, if you believe you may have made a mistake, keep your cool, don’t panic and report it to your legal malpractice insurance carrier. The mistake that you are concerned about may not be as bad as it first appears, or may be “repairable,” resulting in no harm to your client’s case. - Brian C. Anderson, Wisconsin Lawyers Mutual Insurance Co.
December 2009 (Practice)
Show off. If your office is located in a historic or unusual building, have it included in a fund-raising “house walk.” This benefits the charity by furnishing a property of interest while it provides an opportunity for you to show off your facilities. It also shows the public where your office is located. Participating in a Christmas House Walk drew interest to my building as well as to my practice. – Lowell Sweet, Sweet & Maier, S.C.
November 2009 (Marketing)
The scheduling conference. Most of us attend and let the judge do the work and set the deadlines. A better way is to prepare your own scheduling order ahead of time. Establish disclosure of witness dates that work for your client, yourself and your witnesses. Set deadlines for disclosures and discovery that make sense for your schedule. For example, don't set an important deadline when you have another trial or a vacation. Bring the draft order to the scheduling conference and give it to the judge and counsel. The judge will usually appreciate the effort and may use your draft as the agenda for the scheduling conference. You will likely have an order that works for your client. Save the scheduling orders that cover areas of your practice and use the best from each for your draft order. Some judges do their own, but are willing to use yours, some not. – Paul Angel, Angel & Angel, S.C.
November 2009 (Practice)
Use Feedback: If you receive positive feedback from clients on office surveys or thank you letters ask the client if you could use them in your other marketing resources like print ads, or websites. It looks great when your ad says "Great Customer Service, Sue P., Milwaukee" or "A firm that cares, Jack B., Whitewater," etc. Be sure you receive the client’s authorization to use their statements and name before publishing them.
October 2009
Develop a Client Survey: After a file closes send a survey on how you did. Make the questionnaire useful, ask for suggestions on how you can improve your practice. Also, ask if the former client would be interested in other services you offer and follow up with the client after they return the survey, thank them for taking the time to respond and start a conversation regarding what services they may need.
September 2009
Develop Link Partners: If your website has a page where you feature professional articles on topics you practice in, find other businesses that would like to link to your site Example: A CPA who has business clients may want to link to your site articles on LLCs.
August 2009
Ask for help
Solos and small-firm practitioners generally are on their own when it comes to legal research. But if you’re stymied by a project, there is professional help available to you. The State Law Library – the oldest library in the state – provides free reference and research assistance as well as a fee-based document delivery service. Staff at the library (located on the second floor of the Risser Justice Center in Madison) or at its research centers in the Milwaukee and Dane county courthouses also will point you to authoritative Web sites on current legal topics, verify citations to “specific sources of legal authority” and help answer factual questions. The library offers a monthly electronic newsletter, WSLL@Your Service that includes library collection and program updates, research and technology tips and more. Check it out at wsll.state.wi.us/.
July 2009
What Information Can Social Networks Provide Your Practice?
What's the value of social networking sites for a lawyer who litigates? Priceless. Free information on a defendant (or even a client) is what every litigator loves to get her/his hands on. I'm a personal injury attorney. I’ve found a lot of information about at-fault drivers on their Myspace pages. People like to talk. Young people especially seem to think that they are talking only to their friends. So, you’ll find a lot of information that is usually only shared in the confines of a locker room or in their high school hallways.
In short, whenever a client comes in your office simply "google" them, the witnesses and the defendant. Check out google’s blog search, myspace and facebook for other information. Also, set up a google alert for any key names or unique information. You’ll be surprised what you find.
By Jon Groth - May 2009
Phones, files and keyboards
Using of a wireless headset is a great help when dealing with the phone, files and the keyboard. The wireless headset allows you to talk on the phone while typing in information or referring to a file. Your hands are free and you are not tied to your desk. Using this device increases your productivity while making life easier. Both results are beneficial. - April 2009
Simplified File System for Open Files
Our office had five attorneys. We were filing alphabetically. It soon became apparent that it was taking a long time to search for a file in a given field of law. I installed a color folder system which saved a great deal of search time. There is no magic in the following: blue for litigation; red for probate; yellow for domestic relations; green for real estate; and plain for all other matters. This tip worked well for an office with five attorneys. - February 2009
Phones, files and keyboards
Using of a wireless headset is a great help when dealing with the phone, files and the keyboard. The wireless headset allows you to talk on the phone while typing in information or referring to a file. Your hands are free and you are not tied to your desk. Using this device increases your productivity while making life easier. Both results are beneficial. - January 2009
Phasing the Billing Process
If you send out a large number of bills each month, consider billing a portion of those bills each week. The easy way to divide the bills is alphabetically. By billing a segment of your accounts each week, you should see a leveling out of the cash flow. This will reduce the periods of feast or famine. - November 2008
Billing After the 15th of the Month
Instead of billing on the first of the month, send out your monthly bills after the 15th of the month. Most households and businesses have a large number of bills that come in during the first week of the month. Those bills are prioritized by the recipient and paid according to the order of the priorities. Legal bills rarely have a high priority. If you send the bill in the middle of the month, the higher priority bills have been paid which makes it more likely that your bill will be paid promptly. - October 2008
Adopt-A-Highway
The State of Wisconsin, Department of Transportation (262-548-8722) administers the Adopt-A-Highway Program. The program permits you to adopt approximately one-mile length of roadway in your county with the intent that two times a year you pick up the trash along the roadway shoulders. If you adopt the highway, the state provides the garbage bags, reflective vests and worker warning signs and posts two signs advertising your company’s adoptions of the highway. The clean up usually takes a few hours if you have four to eight people helping. Turn it into a fun event and community service. - September 2008
Seek Introductions.
If a friend knows a prospective client, ask for a referral. Schedule a social activity (golf, ball game, dinner) keep the meeting social, do not over sell and slowly cultivate a relationship. - August 2008
Two Sided Business Cards.
If your firm limits its practice to one or two areas of practice, create a “Mission Statement” and put it on the back of your card. The card then not only provides directory information but, also, advertises your firm. E.g. “Mission Statement: A community located law firm providing community service, quality representation and friendly service in the area of estate planning.” - July 2008
Join the State Bar of Wisconsin Lawyers Referral and Information Service (LRIS).
The LRIS markets the LRIS services in statewide telephone directories, is found on the State Bar’s website and can be discovered through internet searches. You can pick and choose the areas of referrals and a small referral fee may be applicable. For more information call (800) 444-4904 ext. 6173. - June 2008
Give Praise.
You see in the newspaper that a client (or a person who you would like to be a client) has received a special honor, did a special act or received favorable notoriety, cut out the article, insert it with a congratulations card and send it to them with a short note from you and the firm. - May 2008
Volunteer.
Look for a community service club, church committee, or not for profit organization and roll up your sleeves and volunteer. First, you are giving back to the community; Secondly, you are making new contacts; and Thirdly, you just might enjoy what you are doing. - April 2008
Go To Your Client’s Business.
Offer to stop by the client’s business, ask for a tour, meet their staff. This establishes with the client a feeling that you care. It provides an opportunity for the client to show off and it provides you an opportunity to discuss open issues such as 1. Buy – Sell Agreements, 2. Transfer of the business upon death, 3. Whether the business entity is the best for the client, etc. - March 2008
Turn Your Staff Into a Sales Force.
As you get to know your clients have you and your staff remind clients that your firm provides multiple services. If your firm does family law and estate planning then you or your staff should remind your family law client to update their will. In other words always remind the clients of your other services and that you are always appreciative of referrals. If the client shows interest set an appointment, do not wait for tomorrow. - February 2008
Local Access Cable Television.
Local cable stations are always looking for programming filler. Prepare a short program on areas of your practice, e.g. What to do if you are pulled over for a traffic offense; long term care planning, life, death and healthcare power of attorneys; marital property in Wisconsin; wills vs. trusts; etc. The local cable stations are always looking for guests on their programs. - January 2008
Convert Briefs and Legal Research To Newsletter Filler.
If you do some legal research on a particular issue for a client, take that same research, remove any reference to the client and simplify the research to a lay readers level. Then incorporate the lay article into a newsletter. - December 2007
Short Newsletter Added to Monthly Client Statements.
Include in your monthly client statement a one page newsletter, one-sided or two-sided, prepared on your office word processor and copied on colored paper (yellow, blue, etc.) on your office copier. Include a short article of what your firm does. This portion can predominantly remain the same each month, unless you expand your services. Then supplement the newsletter with quotes from books like 776 Stupidest Things Ever Said, Doubleday; or publish facts from the Lawyer’s Desk Book, Aspen Press, etc., being sure to give proper credit to the publication. In other words, make the short newsletter fun to read and easy to produce. - November 2007
Cards.
Send cards to your clients when you have the client’s intake sheet completed and record the birth date. Send a birthday card. If you learn about a special event or graduation, promotion, etc. send a congratulations card. Appoint a staff person to be responsible for getting these cards out. - October 2007
Solo and Small Firm Practice Committee
