Tag: clients

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Client Development

Bad For Lawyers – The Downside of Relying on Referral Firms

Woman sitting at computer looking unhappy.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio at Pexels.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”

  ~  Milton Friedman

I have a theory about lawyers who do not have much of their own client base, and that is that they would be better lawyers if they did have a client base. I say this despite having run across quite a few lawyers who were dripping with clients but sorely lacking in legal skills, and others who had great legal skills but few of their own clients.

I base my theory on the hypothesis that communication and the ability to persuade are important legal skills. If lawyers cannot communicate in a manner to develop client loyalty and persuade people to give them business, surely, they must be missing some skills that, if developed, would make them better at what they did.

read more about why it is a bad idea to rely upon referral firms “Bad For Lawyers – The Downside of Relying on Referral Firms”
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Client Development

This Phone is Made for Answering

An old-fashioned rotary dial phone.

There is a plumbing company out in the country where I live, whose slogan is, “We answer the phone.”  It should  not be a big differentiator, but it is. I have no idea how good they are at plumbing, but they answer the phone. That tells me that they care about their customers. So, why not call them?

read more about how to develop a client base “This Phone is Made for Answering”
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The Mentality and Attitudes of Lawyers

Law Means Never Having To Say You’re Sorry

A couple arguing.
Photo by Alex Green at Pexels.

The old timers among us will remember the 1970 movie Love Story, which featured what may be the stupidest line of dialogue ever. I refer to the statement that “love means never having to say you’re sorry.”

It would take a lawyer to build upon that bit of nonsense and make it into something even worse. And we are up to the challenge!

read more about relating to clients “Law Means Never Having To Say You’re Sorry”
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Client Development

Knowing What Type of Clients You Want

Picture of the beautiful Maureen McKay.

I think that lawyers should know who they are and what type of clients they want (and the answer is not “any client with a pulse.”)
Here is a great example from Maureen Mckay’s website (www.mckaylegal.com):

McKay Legal® has a select clientele.

You are the right type of client for McKay Legal® if you:

read more about being clear on what type of clients you want to attract “Knowing What Type of Clients You Want”
Categories
The Mentality and Attitudes of Lawyers

Ordering Off Menu

Couple looking at menus.
Photo by Cottonbro Studio at Pexels.

I like eating out, but I don’t always like what is on the menu. I have been known to explain to the server that I consider a menu to be merely an indication of which ingredients the Chef has in the kitchen, together with samples of some of the ways that they can be assembled. With that information, I often request that they be assembled differently. Lose the beets from the beet salad; lose the feta cheese and replace it with goat cheese; add the spicy pecans from another salad, and so on.

I like to eat a bespoke lunch, and I expect that it may cost me a bespoke price.

read more about when the client is wrong “Ordering Off Menu”
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Client Development

How To Be a Great Law Firm Client

White water rafters suggesting teamwork.
Photo by Pixabay at Pexels.

I suppose that the initial reaction of a law firm client to the question of how they can be a great client may be, “Why should I care?”  I certainly met my fair share of clients who could not possibly have cared less about whether their lawyer thought that they were a great client.

read more about great clients “How To Be a Great Law Firm Client”
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People I Met Practicing Law

The Hat

Man wearing a fedora.
Photo by Frank K. at Pexels.

My father had a rocky start to his career. There were many years at the outset of his working life when he did not make much money and struggled to pay his bills. When creditors would call, he would explain to them about the payment hat. He would tell them that once a month he turned his fedora upside down and put all of his monthly bills in the hat. He described how he would then mix the bills up and pull them out and pay them until the money ran out.

Finally, he would warn the creditors that if they kept calling him and annoying him, their invoices were not going into the hat.

Read more about bad clients “The Hat”