Building a Law Firm You Believe In
You‘re a success. You finally made it through law school and passed the bar.
Now what?
Get started on building a law firm you believe in.
Sure you can join an already established law firm, starting from the bottom with the hopes of eventually making partner, but if you’re an attorney with an entrepreneurial spirit, building your own brand is definitely the way to go.
Why?
- You’ll have full control over your business and can make your own decisions.
- You’ll be able to choose the clients you represent.
- You’ll be turning your passion into profit.
Tips for Building a Law Firm
Choose a Niche: Choose a niche that you are passionate about, but is also profitable. Make sure your area of practice isn’t over-saturated but isn’t so specialized it’s hard to find clients.
- Research Competition: Learn as much as you can about your competitors, and learn from their mistakes. What are their wins? What are the mistakes? Who do you admire? Who do you loathe? Research as many competitors as you can and form your firm to be better than them all.
- Brick and Mortar, Virtual, or Both? With the pandemic numbers still rising, people are in fear, and more and more attorneys are just choosing to practice virtually. Some are even choosing to become virtual offices full-time. If virtual isn’t your thing, choose a location that fits well within your niche and is easy for your clients to get to.
- Name Your Firm: Whether you name the firm after yourself, or choose something based on your niche, choose something strong and memorable. Don’t, however, pick a name with the words “Associates” or “Group” if you are a sole proprietor or no other lawyers are involved in the firm.
- Develop a Business Plan: Know your strengths, write your mission statement, pencil down your financials, and sketch out some marketing strategies. Layout your budgets, hone in on your client market, and layout your financials upfront. Understand what you want upfront, and build your business plan around that. Know your non-negotiables and stick to them.
- Build Your Website: No one can run a business without a website, and 95% of your prospective clients will check out your website before picking up the phone. Make sure your website is professional, courteous, uncluttered, and to the point.
- Networking: Building relationships with other attorneys is a great way to gain clients and referrals. Attending local bar functions, business networking groups, church functions, and neighborhood block parties are all fantastic ways to mingle and whisper your company’s name in other people’s ears.
- Marketing Strategy Session: You have to have a clear and concise marketing strategy in place in order to get the word out about your new law firm. Networking is great, but it’s futile without a professional website and branding, SEO strategies, Google and social media campaigns, and strong and effective copywriting.