American Bar Association - 50 Ways to Market Your Law Practice
The ABA Journal has put together a well-intended list of 50 ways to market your [father's] law practice. Here's just a few to get a conversation started with the older partners in your firm:
1. Join your local chamber of commerce. It’s great for networking and community credibility.5. Offer to write an article for your local paper on a topic such as why everyone should have a will or questions to ask a contractor. Make sure the byline includes the name of your firm and, if possible, your e-mail address.
7. Try to get a local reporter to use you as a legal expert. Send an e-mail offering commentary on a court case. Learn to translate legalese into English and reporters will love you.
18. Advertise in school and church newsletters and local marketer newspapers. This sort of advertising is usually cost-efficient and such publications are surprisingly well-read by their target audiences.
19. Post your business card on the bulletin board at your barbershop, beauty salon, grocery store, community center and house of worship.
22. Donate last year’s Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory or other slightly outdated law books to your local library with a bookplate bearing your name and firm name.
23. Donate magazines to your local jail, nursing home or school and hand over your business card when you drop them off.
32. Send out press releases. Small local newspapers are especially interested.
38. Write down a 30-second description of your practice and commit it to memory. This is called the elevator speech. Use it whenever someone asks, “What type of law do you practice?” Everyone in the firm should have a copy of the description.
And my favorite way to market a law practice:
50. Give vinyl or nylon briefcases to clients at their first visit. This will encourage clients to keep important papers for their case in one place and to bring everything to each office visit. Add a pen, key chain, pad of paper and some business cards to the case.
Read all fifty and let us know which ones you think are the most ridiculous. To be fair and balanced, do let us know if you find any of them worthwhile.
Oh, here's a tip you won't find anywhere in that list of 50 ways to market your practice: blog.
While you're visiting the ABA Journal's website, check out their Blawg Directory, which the authors of that list of fifty ways to market your practice failed to notice.
(55) Comments
Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiirst!
Yes to high holy heavens!
Actually, #50 is fairly good advice. We usually do that for cases or law suits involving small parties/non-legal conscious people. You give them a folder/briefcase and tell them to put in it everything related to the case they can think of, or any correspondence they receive from us or the other party.
Makes it easier for them to keep track of the case, not loose important papers, etc.
Come on, we are going to make fun of small-town or small-firm lawyers because of how they drum up business? That's pretty low. At least they are not likely to pay x-thousands of dollars for a ridiculous and embarassing theme song to market their practices.
Number 51 should be to leave the profession if you didn't attend a T14. Poor schools really drag down the marketability of one's practice.
Many of these are great advice for the non-Biglaw crowd. I'm not sure why the tone of this post is so snarky. They're not exactly ground-breaking techniques, but they're the kind of thing that I bet some solo practitioners overlook, especially newbies.
Is Piercie Shafton an idiot or just not aware that people practice law outside of big cities in the biglaw environment?
Piercie, enough of this pen name BS, what's your real name?
The subheading of that post states "Tip-top tips from successful solos and small-firm practitioners." This post was obviously not intended as marketing advice for biglaw attorneys.
Way to beat up on the little guy.
This is funny. Does the ABA really think that a law firm can attract a Fortune 500 client with nylon briefcases? Or that a rainmaker gets a $10 million client by donating a used book to a library?
"This is funny. Does the ABA really think that a law firm can attract a Fortune 500 client with nylon briefcases? Or that a rainmaker gets a $10 million client by donating a used book to a library?"
And yet biglaw thinks that it can attract new associates with an iPod shuffle or a bonsai tree.
Wow, Latty Boy's underlings are just terrible. The new one to the stable, Piercie Shafton, is especially apalling...
Perhaps they should include a literacy portion on the bar as well. It says 50 tips for SOLOS AND SMALL FIRM PRACTITIONERS. This isn't a primer on how to secure billion dollar M&A business.
This post was written by your typical self-hating lawyer.
4:30--If you think that these tips will help you get a large m & a client, you need to stay in law school for another several years.
Good luck impressing those Fortune 500 clients and rainmakers with your fantastic reading comprehension skills.
Fire Lat! Pierce kicks ass.
Thanks for the mention and linkage. If some of the commentors here would take the time to actually read the original post and my post, they will see it was directed to the solo or small firm. Quite frankly I find most of the suggestions by the ABA demeaning and downright belittling to the solo and small firm. It is almost as if they don’t believe we are worthy to get the “big” clients like “big law.”
4:39 is clearly Piercie's mom. You're supposed to make me LESS bored at work, Piercie. Not happening so far today.
Might as well be entitled 50 Ways to Make More Money than a BigLaw Associate like most successful solos (read: not incompetent which unfortunately most are) actually do. Or even better: 50 Ways to Make WAY More Than Piercie Shafton Will Ever Realistically Dream Of.
Solos to 300!
Wow, I think we can all agree that this post conclusively proves that Piercie Shafton is a total asshole. All of us commenters should do something to show our collective disapproval at Shafton's addition to ATL.
From now on, whenever Shafton posts--instead of responding to the story--we should all type simply:
GO FUCK YOURSELF
Fire Piercie.
NOW.
I hear you 4:20, Pierce is godawful..
I hear you 4:29, Pierce is godawful..
4:21 and 4:33 - again, the title was "Tips for SOLO and SMALL-FIRM Practitioners."
Why do some people on this site insist on being snobbish assholes? Just because most of us are in/around Biglaw doesn't mean we're better than anyone else. Many of us are apparently worse than most people (e.g., 4:21 and 4:33).
come on piercie, give us something a little better to work with, you faceless BigLaw Android. god forbid that lawyers do such quaint and menial tasks as help average citizens structure their affairs so that when they die their children wont get F'd in the A by the government, help them through landlord-tenant disputes, and set up their businesses in the best ways possible. Somewhere Thomas Jefferson (lawyer of this description) is crying. this thread is the assfuck of the century.
this post is obnoxious-- ATL lost a reader with it. If this is the type of crap David Lat wants to put out, fine. I just hope that other people realize what it is and will avoid this website and what it has become.
Hold on. Lat makes one open thread about salaries and recruiting in New Jersey or Seattle and everyone starts crying that "nobody cares, this is where all of the cool people at BigLaw hang out."
Now, in an apparent response to Lat's fill-in, the criticism becomes "hey man, stop being so condescending to the little guy."
Doesn't make sense to me, but I'm going to have my secretary finish typing this up since I have to make a quick donation at the library.
Found missing blogs ironic as well David when read the ABA list.
People can claim I have a stake in blogs (as I do), but if there is a more effective way to market your practice, whether a solo or large firm attorney, than publishing a niche focused blog I haven't seen it.
Wow. This post is atrocious. Earlier today, I was reserving judgment on Piercie’s abilities; unlike many, I didn’t really mind the video posts. This post, however, at best misses the point, and at worse is horribly condescending. (I'd rather have Merck - at his worst he's just dimwitted.)
To elaborate, if Piercie’s snark is based on a perception that the list is silly, he’s missing the point. Sure, these are very basic and old-fashioned marketing techniques, but they work. If you’re a T&E solo, many retirees will likely choose you because they saw your name in the paper; having a snazzy website – or other similar modern marketing techniques – won’t matter as much. Also, they don’t teach these marketing techniques in law school. Sure they’re basic, but it’s a good primer. If I ever become a solo I’d pay attention to some of the tips.
If Piercie’s snark is based on the perception that small-market solos are inferior creatures... then he’s just a douchebag.
I'm part of the solosez listserve that was the source of these tips (for the record, I didn't contribute to this list; my advice on marketing can be found in the ABA's How to Capture and Keep Clients, at my blog, MyShingle and in my upcoming book, Solo by Choice: How to Be the Lawyer You Always Wanted to Be.
From what I recall, the list was compiled in a very offhand manner - people emailing in response to Terry Berger's offer to compile the suggestions. The solosez listserve now has close to 3000 members, and when newbies join, they often have the same questions. The list, as I understood, would help new people get some quick advice, from which they could drill down further.
We solos are not unsophisticated; indeed, you will find that solo and small firm lawyers have lead the way on the blogging front. Indeed, many experienced solos are already quite familiar with the advice, as said, my impression was that much of it was intended for newbies, including law school grads who want to start a practice. Unfortunately, this article portrays us like simpletons and that was not the intent.
I'm part of the solosez listserve that was the source of these tips (for the record, I didn't contribute to this list; my advice on marketing can be found in the ABA's How to Capture and Keep Clients, at my blog, MyShingle and in my upcoming book, Solo by Choice: How to Be the Lawyer You Always Wanted to Be.
From what I recall, the list was compiled in a very offhand manner - people emailing in response to Terry Berger's offer to compile the suggestions. The solosez listserve now has close to 3000 members, and when newbies join, they often have the same questions. The list, as I understood, would help new people get some quick advice, from which they could drill down further.
We solos are not unsophisticated; indeed, you will find that solo and small firm lawyers have lead the way on the blogging front. Indeed, many experienced solos are already quite familiar with the advice, as said, my impression was that much of it was intended for newbies, including law school grads who want to start a practice. Unfortunately, this article portrays us like simpletons and that was not the intent.
Geez, what lawyer thinks they are going to get an M&A client from this list. That's not the point of the list.
Real people need legal work and real lawyers enjoy working with real people.
I've worked both sides of the street. I get so much more satisfaction working solo than from all the matters I worked on at biglaw. And I was sitting at the grownups table.
By the by, my earnings while not approaching biglaw partner levels consistently outstrip what senior associates make (even in NYC) and my quality of life is a whole lot better.
The list contains a lot of info that needs to be remembered. Even in biglaw. Remember, only one in 10 associates makes it to partner. Where do you think the rest end up?
I saw the original message on the solo listserv that ultimately generated that list, as a series of suggestions for the new attorney marketing a solo practice.
There are some great tips in that list for a new attorney in a small firm, and the list certainly was not intended for the drone who sits in a warehouse at biglaw reviewing documents all day billing 90 hours a week.
While some of the suggestions are things I wouldn't personally do, I don't really see how it's so "ridiculous" as you claim. The key to starting a practice out of nothing is to meet as many people as possible and get your name out there. Those suggestions accomplish that goal. If you are in a small town, you need to get your name out there.
Number-one way to establish yourself as a jackass substitute for David Lat: belittle small-market law firms and ABA efforts to improve their business.
This list was very offhand and casual. Unfortunately, it failed to recognize solos have traditionally been the true innovators because they don't have to sanitize, homogenize and drag through committee: technology, going paperless, advertising, building community and so much more..and lest we forget blogging? When it is this casual solos are seen in a less than favorable light when the reality is no two solos are a like. And when 51% of all private practice attorneys in this country are solo...and doing well leaders and innovators...you really should be asking yourself 'what do they know and who has the key to this kingdom?"
This list was very offhand and casual. Unfortunately, it failed to recognize solos have traditionally been the true innovators because they don't have to sanitize, homogenize and drag through committee: technology, going paperless, advertising, building community and so much more..and lest we forget blogging? When it is this casual solos are seen in a less than favorable light when the reality is no two solos are a like. And when 51% of all private practice attorneys in this country are solo...and doing well leaders and innovators...you really should be asking yourself 'what do they know and who has the key to this kingdom?"
As someone who's worked for a legal aid organization, #50 is some damn solid advice.
Ironically, it's the legal aid folks that can in no way afford to hand out that kind of swag to their clients.
as a frequent reader of this site, i find the commentators' outrage at pierce's implication that small firms and solos are 'unsophisticated' to be somewhat shocking.
certainly, pierce's post was made in bad taste. but a moment's glance at the comments left by the self-aggrandizing assholes that normally post on this site would suggest he was merely catering to his target market.
while it's heartening to see so many people pipe up in defense of small firms and solos, i question where the similar sense of moral outrage was located during the prior posts and comments that belittle small markets, small firms and solos on an entirely regular basis.
This is no worse than Merck making fun of that blind guy's website photo.
#51 - Myspace!
#52 - Facebook!
#53 - Porn Conventions!
Still conspicuously missing from this thread is an explanation of how these techniques can actually get you big law business. Does anyone have an example of any of the 50 working to get a m & a deal?
9:12 -- of course these can you biglaw business, you just have to stop throwing drinks on the summer associates at parties. all that gets you is a cold offer.
Big law business is GOT by having 10 little punk first year's whose daddy's are board members in fortune 500 companies
Guys I tried 20 of these this morning and have yet to land any M&A deals of $10 million or more. So obviously this list is bogus.
You are all a bunch of TOOLS!
The negative posters have a digusting view of their brothers and sisters.
They are a very disrespectful to other members of the profession who choose to be entrepeneurs rather than being chained to excessive billable hours.
For the nth time, the post was intended for NEWBIES. Many of these items have and will continue to have an effect on the practice of a newly admitted solo.
The negative posters are making themselves known as arrogant. No wonder the general public make attorney jokes.
The list is full of ridiculous suggestions, even for solo practitioners. My favorite:
26. Give business cards to waitstaff at your favorite restaurant and other service people you see regularly. Ask them to offer the cards to other customers who seem to need a lawyer.
To pm joyce and many other defenders of the list against the "negative posters"-- please STOP feeding the trolls.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll
Even some of the "ridiculous" suggestions aren't so ridiculous if you considered them in a realm outside your NYC, high-dollar bubble. In rural communities (or even small cities), local restaurants and the like (like those mentioned in tip #26) are a critical gathering place, where people are often more than happy to spread the word about a firm.
NO, this is not a list meant for BigLaw lawyers looking to land that next big M&A.
NO, these tips are not meant for bigger towns where "quaint" personal connections are less meaningful.
YES, the post about this list is completely oblivious to the world of law that exists beyond BigLaw.
And to those that say: "When we post about LittleLaw, everyone says 'Who cares?' You people are hypocrites!":
Posts about LittleLaw might not be a focus on this blog. Fair enough. The fact that people don't want to read posts about hot LittleLaw job markets does not mean ATL should become a place to shit all over solos and the like. The best approach would probably be just to leave 'em alone and stop picking on the ABA's lists.
But what do I know? I'm no Pierce Shafton.
Seriously, this list just isn't practical for those trying to land big M&A deals. Why then was it written for big law lawyers?
What a bunch of humorless boobs. This blog makes fun of stuff. The list is stupid and funny. Bonzai trees are stupid and funny. Neither speaks much to the relative worth of biglaw or solo practice. Those who take such quick offense reveal much more about themselves than they realize. Lighten up.
I have found that offering free weed really brings in the business.
WOW...is this for real? and actually recent? Or is the list something from a long time ago? Or do lawyers/law firms not already know this stuff and go further?
If any of those are YES, then my boutique law firm in the Midwest is leaps and bounds ahead of the curve. Shoot - I'm just the communications director.
It seems the problem is not that over 3000 small firm lawyers share tips on how to succeed in the practice of law (do the big firms share across the high-rises?) or that some marketing does not depend on a marketing director hired by the firm.
It seems the problem is that Big Firm lawyers have realized that the ABA and its Journal have actually noticed that firms of fewer than 100 do have many of the lawyers who live up to the creed and goal of the legal profession. It has been a real accomplishment to see, over the past 3-4 years that the Journal has focused on issues of importance other than the Amlaw list, and who's in and who's out in biglaw.
The ABA is sponsoring the most successful of its listserves and that is the Solo and Small Firm site that generated this list. The ABA is helping give recognition, that is becoming ever stronger, to the lawyers that your families and friends use when they have a real life concern or problem.
ATL might have a problem with it, and some big firm lawyers might not like it, but the profession is getting stronger because it, and the ABA, recognize the value of the majority of its members who work in small and solo firms.
Get used to it, SSFs will strike again.