Making It On Your Own

On her My Shingle blog, Carolyn Elefant recently posted a question she got from a reader about how to grow a practice and succeed as a solo. One commenter specifically asked for suggestions from solos making at least six figures on a consistent basis.

I'm not going to lie to you: that's not me.  I'm a new lawyer still finding my way.  Further, I'm not a solo, but I do work at a small place - three attorneys, one assistant.

Given those disclaimers, I'll start out by responding to the comment posted by Leanna, all of which are things I've done, am doing, or have considered.  Leanna suggests the following steps (my comments in white):

1. Getting really good and comfortable talking about money, asking for money, not giving free consults, and not negotiating on price.  This is key....  This is a skill I'm still learning, but already I can see the importance of it.  For me, it's all about expectation management.  I try to give potential clients a realistic estimate of what their case will cost if we're billing hourly, or tell them up front what a flat fee of x-dollars will cover.  We also handle our "retainers" (though we don't call them that) a bit differently than most firms.  Look for an article about our process in the future!

2. Sending out a paper newsletter to all past clients and contacts....  We've done one postcard mailing (although it was before I started here), and it was hugely unsuccessful.  All the calls we got were from people with imaginary issues or people with real issues who wanted a free lawyer.  A newsletter is actually something I'd like to do, but I'm not sure of the best way to go about it and don't want it to be a huge time- and money-drain.  Suggestions?

3. Networking in person. Not desperately, but to fill up to the hours when you'd just be sitting in your office reading [S]olo[S]ez or tweeting....  I'm sure Leanna is right that when she says that meeting people is better than sitting on your own.  But where I run into trouble is in converting those meetings to actual useful contacts of some kind. 

4. Cultivate your existing referral sources. These are the people who already know, like and trust you. Send them a thank you card for their past support of your business, remind them you are taking new clients in particular areas and think about what you might be able to refer to them.  We don't really do the professional networking thing.  We go to events, meet people, etc., but don't set up referral chains.  Most of our referrals come from former clients, which is something we're proud of.  Our clients are satisfied with the work we did, and feel that we gave them value for their money.  What more can you ask for, besides more clients?

5. Clean your office and shine your shoes.... Funny you should mention that!  I'm getting some bids right now on redecorating my office!

6. Screen your potential clients better[].... I think we do a pretty good job of screening clients.  We ask them some questions when they call for an appointment so we can give them a good idea of what to expect.  Some people will hear and estimated fee and decide they need to "think about it," and others will decide to come in for an initial consultation.  And at least when they do, they know what to expect.

LegalTypist's comment that you just need to get involved in your community is probably the next suggestion I'd like to reiterate, and I'd like to stress the community aspect of it rather than the networking aspect of it.  See, at most networking events, I tend to meet people who do something similar to what I do.  Referrals from those folks will be few and far between.  But when people at my local bookstore or teammates on a rec sports team hear that I'm a lawyer...well, there might actually be some business there!

And I'll follow that up by saying that you want to get involved in the type of community activities that will include people you'd like to have as clients.  If you do IP work, get involved in some cultural activities - arts, music, and the like.  If you do a lot of business law, maybe get involved with your local chamber of commerce.  Seek out the people you want!

The Benefits of a Simple Car Loan

The loan may be simple; the process is not.  But read on to find out how one dedicated team of people turned life around with a new car for this divorced mom.

Patent Wars

We don't do patent work, but there was a fascinating episode of This American Life a couple of weeks ago called "When Patents Attack."  It's all about how the patent program, which was designed to spur innovation, has been subverted since its inception, and now hinders it.  Patents are being used as both offensive and defensive weapons in a litigation war of mutually assured destruction.

Our Youngest Client!

Universitas

Check out the Summer 2011 issue of Universitas -- page 14 of the .pdf, on the right-hand side (which is page 25 of the magazine)!  There we are!

LawyerUp

The New York Times published an article last month about a company called LawyerUp.  The company promises an attorney will begin work within 15 minutes of your emergency call to the company's operator.

I have to say, I'm a little surprised that someone didn't think of this sooner.  Whether it's a good idea or not, I'm not sure, but it appears to be a money-maker, and that seems to trump quality of the idea in all cases.

Having said that, this seems rife with ethical problems.  As one example, the system works like this: you can either pay a monthly rate to have the one hour of service available as soon as you call, or you can "pay in a pinch," which is $100 for the dispatcher and the full $250 for one hour of legal services.  But that's all you get: one hour.

I admit, I'm not sure what the rules are in New York, but I'd be hesitant to take on a client, especially one who had just been arrested or needed assistance immediately, if I knew I was going to cut them off at 60 minutes.  Once you take someone on as a client, you owe them certain obligations, and sometimes those exist whether or not you're being paid; sometimes you can't just stop working, and it seems like that's what the business model is at LawyerUp.

And that's just the first one that comes to mind.  What about pesky little things like conflicts?  Do you have time to think about that if you're only doing an hour of work?

I'll be interested to hear how this turns out.

The Collision Over Traffic Cameras

As the City of St. Louis and surrounding municipalities are installing red light cameras, debate on whether they should be used continues to intensify locally.  Check out one example of the opposition.

But apparently it's not just us.  An article in last week's New York Times by the same name as this post looks - briefly - with a wider lens at the different opinions.  Bottom line: they can be good and work well, but that happens all too rarely.

What do you think?