I got an email from a guy who wanted to know what kind of a technology set up I have in my office. So here we go. This should be some fun, light reading for you all on a Friday afternoon! The way I'll do it is just go from initial client phone call all the way through resolution of the case. Here we go.
All of my client engagements start with a phone call or email from my website. Let's talk about the phone first. My set up is like this. I have a google voice number, which I've had for about two years now. I'll probably never get away from it. What I like about google voice is that I can take it with me wherever I want to go, it's free, and it's easy to set up and maintain. I've never had a problem with it. Ever.
I've also got the Google Voice App on my iPhone, which lets me make calls from my phone like I was calling from the work number. Makes it easy and convenient to make "work calls" from anywhere in the world without the other person getting your cell phone (and if they've seen your number before they know who you are).
When you call the google voice number, depending on what time of day it is, one of two things happen. If my assistant is in the office, the phone is forwarded to her number. That number is a Skype number. We have no physical phones in the office (except for our cell phones). When the skype number rings she answers it and the person on the other end of the line has no idea it's not a real phone. I think the cost for Skype with outgoing call is something like 4.99 per month per number. We both have a number. The reason I use Skype, in addition to it's cost, is it has many, if not all, of the conveniences of a typical office phone, and then some. It's possible to do conference calls, forward calls, mute calls, etc. And, on top of that, you can do videoconferencing if you want. It's great.
If the email option is chosen, then we obviously get an email alert that someone has filled out the form. We use the Google suite for our mail and calendar. It isn't necessarily as efficient as Outlook (I've tried both extensively), but it gets the job done. The only thing I really hate about gmail is that I haven't yet found a way to share all of our contacts with each other absent exporting a .csv file and importing them in. I'm sure Google will fix this soon, because I'm not the only one to complain about it.
With Google calendar and Google docs we have the ability to share all the information we need to without a bunch of fuss. It's really pretty easy to do. I've also got me email and calendar synced with my iPhone so I can immediately tell if I have conflicts with meetings or other court dates when scheduling something is necessary.
Once someone hires on we enter them into our client management system - highrise. Highrise is not necessarily set up for law firms, but I like it. It's simple, it's intuitive, you can collaborate with everyone in your office easily, and it provides an electronic "file" that everyone can work on and monitor progress on at the same time. You can attach documents, include contacts, copy emails, add notes, add tasks and assign them to people, and much much more. It's a great hub for all of our work.
My office set up is pretty straightforward. I have a laptop that I dock in a docking station. The laptop is a Dell latitude E5400. I've always worked with Dells and never had a problem. That's why I bought the one I have now. The dock is hooked up to two 21 inch monitors that I've pushed together. This allows me to view two documents at the same time, write a motion or email while referencing documents, and keep from having to open and close browsers over and over again.
I have a wireless mouse and keyboard by microsoft that I just picked up at the local Best Buy or Office Depot, I have a pair of Logitech wireless headphones with mic that I use for skype, and I have a logitech hd webcam that I use for video conferencing (which I don't do often).
Our printer is a wireless hp LaserJet P1102w that is about a year old. I bought it after my other one broke and it works like a dream. It's black and white only, doesn't seem to through ink too fast, and prints nice documents. And having it wireless means I can stick it anywhere in the office and my assistant and I can both use it as much as we want.
I keep all of my documents electronically using a Fujitsu ScanSnap S510. It's awesome. I've had it since I started my law firm and have never had any problems (it occasionally gets grumpy but has never broken down - sometimes you have to turn it off and then on to scan, particularly if it's been sitting idle for a long time). I've scanned hundreds of pages of documents at once (it's sheet fed so you just drop them in and let the scanner do the work). This is definitely something you should get.
For fax services I use efax. I think I spend about $25 a month on it. Never had any problems so never had a reason to look for something else. The price is worth it for a service that always works. There may be cheaper out there - Google internet faxing and you'll find plenty of options.
For electronic file storage (where I put everything once I scan it in) I use dropbox. You get 2 gigs for free and 10 gigs for 9.99/month. You can access it wherever you want and share folders with everyone in your office. This means you can all work on the same document, save all the changes in one place, and pull them up whenever you want. People always ask about security when it comes to this stuff and my stock answer is security is a concern for dropbox. If it wasn't secure no one would use it. There is nothing that is 100% secure. Not even your office. If you want something to be ultra safe, spend the money necessary and do it. In reality, very few people care about what you do, and even fewer want to steal what you have.
My legal research tool is LexisNexis. I think I pay $135/month for my state, my federal, and supreme court access. There are certainly cheaper, this is just what I locked myself into when I first started.
I have a physical office location. I have since the day I opened. I started by renting a single office from an established law firm, moved out and got a pretty small stand alone office with shared conference rooms, and in a couple of weeks will be moving to a stand alone office with my own conference room (app. 700 square feet).
That's about all I can think of right now. I'm considering getting an iPad for help with trial, but I'm not going to until I've done a little bit more research and know it will be useful.
If I've forgotten something leave a comment and I'll tell you what I do for it. Good luck starting a law firm! You can do it.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Starting a Law Firm | Marketing
I read a lot of other blogs (among other things) and on a couple of blogs I read there was a lot of discussion about marketing and how that reflects on you as a lawyer. What happened was, some guy right out of law school got onto SoloSez, the American Bar Association's website, and asked a question about marketing his practice. (Now remember, I am paraphrasing greatly here - if you know what I'm talking about and it didn't go down like this I don't care - there's a lesson here either way).
He started his law firm to be a civil lawyer but is taking criminal defense cases for courtroom experience (another topic all together) and was concerned because he thought a public defender program might take away his opportunity for criminal appointment work.
He came up with three ideas to help him with his practice:
And before I get too far, if anyone stumbles on this post and wants to write about the idea of working in criminal defense for the sole reason of getting experience for a civil practice, take it somewhere else. There are a ton of other places that would love to talk about that. I don't think it's a great idea, necessarily, but that's not the focus of this post.
Second, he's come up with some suggested marketing ideas to get new criminal clients (I am presuming) but he doesn't have any ideas for growing his civil law practice. His concern seems to be entirely on saving his criminal work (maybe that's because he doesn't have any civil work? I don't know).
I see these are problems because by his own admission these aren't cases he wants to take. If you are a civil litigator why would you be worried about marketing to divorce clients? You wouldn't. Why is this guy so worried about marketing his practice to potential criminal clients? Again, I don't know.
I'm not here to say whether or not doing criminal defense to pay the bills is right or wrong (actually I am, but, like I said, that's a conversation for a different day), but if that is your motivation, then make sure you remember that when it comes time to make business decisions.
For example, buying traffic ticket lists? Why would you do that? How does that benefit your civil litigation practice? It doesn't. There is no reason to chase criminal clients just because that work is going away for you. Why not invest your time and money into marketing toward civil clients?
Getting clients is not easy. Whether you are a grizzled veteran or a newly licensed rookie, you've got to work at it. Don't be discouraged - just work harder.
Do you have any ideas for marketing a civil law firm (by the way, it needs to be WAY more specific than this - I have no idea what you do and I'm a lawyer)? If so, let's hear about it!
He started his law firm to be a civil lawyer but is taking criminal defense cases for courtroom experience (another topic all together) and was concerned because he thought a public defender program might take away his opportunity for criminal appointment work.
He came up with three ideas to help him with his practice:
1. Bite the bullet and pay for traffic ticket lists. Do mailings.Since I try to write about marketing on Wednesdays, I thought I'd discuss his problem and show you how I'd work through it.
2. Pay for SEO to increase my website's search engine effectiveness.
3. Continue networking as much as possible
And before I get too far, if anyone stumbles on this post and wants to write about the idea of working in criminal defense for the sole reason of getting experience for a civil practice, take it somewhere else. There are a ton of other places that would love to talk about that. I don't think it's a great idea, necessarily, but that's not the focus of this post.
Step 1 - The Real Problems
Two things immediately jump out at me when reading this guy's plea for help. First, he seems to be really concerned about his criminal defense practice and not too concerned about his civil practice. Maybe that's just because he's worried about losing his criminal clients and didn't waste time on how busy he was on the civil side, but if it were me, and I was doing it just for the experience, I wouldn't worry about it going away. I'd focus more on what I wanted to do. He should know civil lawyers never go to trial anyway!Second, he's come up with some suggested marketing ideas to get new criminal clients (I am presuming) but he doesn't have any ideas for growing his civil law practice. His concern seems to be entirely on saving his criminal work (maybe that's because he doesn't have any civil work? I don't know).
I see these are problems because by his own admission these aren't cases he wants to take. If you are a civil litigator why would you be worried about marketing to divorce clients? You wouldn't. Why is this guy so worried about marketing his practice to potential criminal clients? Again, I don't know.
2. How I Would Approach the Problem
If you want to be a civil lawyer, you've got to do civil law, period. Knowing how to beat a speeding ticket isn't going to help you one bit when you've got someone who is trying to collect on a car accident or wants to sue a supplier on a breach of contract theory. Knowing how to defend a DUI isn't going to help either. If you want to be a civil lawyer, go be one!I'm not here to say whether or not doing criminal defense to pay the bills is right or wrong (actually I am, but, like I said, that's a conversation for a different day), but if that is your motivation, then make sure you remember that when it comes time to make business decisions.
For example, buying traffic ticket lists? Why would you do that? How does that benefit your civil litigation practice? It doesn't. There is no reason to chase criminal clients just because that work is going away for you. Why not invest your time and money into marketing toward civil clients?
3. Some Marketing Suggestions
If you are interested in marketing a civil practice you need to think about where the civil clients are and how to get in front of them to show what you are talking about. Here are a couple of things I've come up with in the past when brainstorming with people:1. Hold a free seminar on why it's important to incorporate your business when starting out. (By the way I could come up with a million seminar ideas - you are only limited by your imagination. This is a great way to demonstrate your expertise and build relationships).Those are just a couple of ideas. And while they aren't magical, I can guarantee you they are going to be more productive than paying for traffic lists and paying for SEO (which you shouldn't pay for until you know what works and what doesn't - otherwise you might as well just send me your check, you'll get the same results). Throwing money at the problem isn't going to solve it. You are going to have to get out of your comfort zone and throw yourself out there.
2. Offer a free "business review" to identify any potential problems and practices one might have with their business (contract review process, document retention, etc.).
3. Start a blog talking about things that are relevant to business (or your potential clients). Make a list of the most common questions your perfect client might have and then answer them in blog posts).
4. Find out who your ideal client is, think about where they go and what they do, and then think of some creative way to get in front of them.
Getting clients is not easy. Whether you are a grizzled veteran or a newly licensed rookie, you've got to work at it. Don't be discouraged - just work harder.
Do you have any ideas for marketing a civil law firm (by the way, it needs to be WAY more specific than this - I have no idea what you do and I'm a lawyer)? If so, let's hear about it!
Friday, April 15, 2011
Starting a Law Firm Book Review | Lawyer 2.0 Part II
I'm sure most you read my post on the starting a law firm book I reviewed on Wednesday. If not you can read that post here. It got some interesting comments, one from Carolyn Elefant, a former lawyer turned starting a law firm guru (who I admittedly got a lot of information from before she started solo practice university), and one from the author of the book. The both make a couple of good points, so I wanted to talk about them.
If you read the comment you'll notice the emphasis here is on links and keywords. She is concerned that I didn't link to the book for people to go and check it out. I'm not sure what the point of the RJon comment is, but I think she's trying to say that when RJon does his stuff he is nice enough to use a keyword Carolyn has in many ways coined (I believe "My Shingle" was the name of her blog when I used to read it).
In my mind this is the type of stuff that should be included in a starting a law firm book - the importance of links and keywords in your posts. Carolyn understands the value of a good link, what that can do for a website in terms of Google ranking and visitors. That type of information is not only important but critical for building business, whether you are starting a law firm or writing a book about starting a law firm. It is the type of thing that you can do on your own without a lot of cost that can pay off huge in revenue.
Thanks Carolyn for pointing that out for me. And, if you'll see, I have added a link. My thinking in not adding a link at the time was that if I'm not endorsing a product I wouldn't include a link - that's why I gave the full name of the book so anyone could easily Google it and find it. But I have no problem adding a link, though I did make it no follow, which is internet speak for Google won't give it any credit as a link (though I encourage you to go check it out and see if it's something for you).
First, let's talk about the purpose of the book, to "a comprehensive summary and description of all the technological tools I utilized to build a six-figure solo law practice in less than 12 months." That is actually a great summary of the book and what the book is really about. If the title of the book was "The Technology You Need to Build a $100,000 Practice," my review of the book would probably be much different.
But this is how the book is billed. How to Build a Six-Figure Solo Practice in 12 Months or Less. To me, that sounds a little more comprehensive than "a comprehensive summary and description of all the technological tools..." It's a bit deceiving and is the reason I wrote the review the way I did. I didn't think it delivered what it was selling (and I apologize for not reading the fine print).
What's missing from this book is how he actually built the six-figure solo practice. I guarantee you it had less to do with the technology he had and had a lot more to do with the marketing and management aspects of how he set up his law practice. And before you harp at me, I know technology has something to do with both marketing and management. But instead of "I bought a Toshiba laptop," I would have expected something like, "when clients call this is how I answer the phone. I have a database set up that captures the following information and this is what I'm trying to figure out from the get go..." That is what is critical to successfully opening a law firm, not whether or not you have a live secretary or a virtual one.
Second, great shout out to Carolyn's book Solo by Choice. I feel like I've read it and was again left wanting more. But, just to be sure I'll grab a copy this weekend, read it, and let you know what I think. Make no mistake, Carolyn knows her stuff. Like I said, I used to be an avid reader. Though in the last year or so it's turned much more commercial, with classes and stuff that tend to be more of an ego boost than a reality check for what is required to be successful (and to be fair, I have not enrolled in any of her classes - they could be wonderful - this is just my opinion from the outside looking in). She's got some great stuff on her old website and blog, though, if it still exists.
Third, and finally, regarding why he wrote the book. I think that's great. I am all for the book. It has some useful information that some people care deeply about. Just don't bill the book as a how-to manual for building a $100,000 practice. If you followed everything in that book you'd have a great set up in front of you but you'd be waiting forever for the phone to ring. I would have liked to have known what you did to market your practice - if it's high volume you've got to have your hands in a lot of cookie jars (adwords, blog, facebook, twitter, newspapers, radio, television, etc.). I'm always interested in what works for people and what doesn't. That information is critical to the success of your firm.
And, finally, I do want to give him credit for putting pen to paper. It takes a lot of time and effort to put something together like that, as I am quickly learning. And opening yourself up to criticism, fair or not, is just about as scary as starting a law firm. The book is well written, I just think it under-delivers.
I look forward to his review of my book when it comes out.
Have a great weekend. As always, questions and comments are welcome.
Carolyn's Comment on My Lawyer 2.0 Review
First, let's talk about Carolyn Elefant's comment. Here it is, in case you missed it:If you review and pretty much trash a book, the least you can do is link to it. I notice that your idol Rjon uses my shingle as a key word for his videos on YouTube yet you won't even link to someone's book that you reviewed.I'm not going to talk about the tone of the comment, as it's irrelevant in my eyes. What I want to talk about is the substance, namely why she mentioned what she mentioned.
If you read the comment you'll notice the emphasis here is on links and keywords. She is concerned that I didn't link to the book for people to go and check it out. I'm not sure what the point of the RJon comment is, but I think she's trying to say that when RJon does his stuff he is nice enough to use a keyword Carolyn has in many ways coined (I believe "My Shingle" was the name of her blog when I used to read it).
In my mind this is the type of stuff that should be included in a starting a law firm book - the importance of links and keywords in your posts. Carolyn understands the value of a good link, what that can do for a website in terms of Google ranking and visitors. That type of information is not only important but critical for building business, whether you are starting a law firm or writing a book about starting a law firm. It is the type of thing that you can do on your own without a lot of cost that can pay off huge in revenue.
Thanks Carolyn for pointing that out for me. And, if you'll see, I have added a link. My thinking in not adding a link at the time was that if I'm not endorsing a product I wouldn't include a link - that's why I gave the full name of the book so anyone could easily Google it and find it. But I have no problem adding a link, though I did make it no follow, which is internet speak for Google won't give it any credit as a link (though I encourage you to go check it out and see if it's something for you).
Josh Williams', the Author of Lawyer 2.0, Comment
I don't know why but his comment hasn't shown up on Blogger for me yet, but I got an email that it had been posted. It was long and I wanted to talk about it here, so I'll republish in case it is lost:As I state prominently on the back cover of Lawyer 2.0 and on the first page of the companion website (www.lawyer2point0.com), “Lawyer 2.0 is a comprehensive summary and description of all the technological tools I utilized to build a six-figure solo law practice in less than 12 months.” Accordingly, I limited the scope of the book to a discussion of all the technological tools I use in my practice and describe how I use them; I felt that Carolyn Elefant’s excellent book, Solo by Choice (www.myshingle.com), more than adequately covered all the other considerations that go into building a successful solo practice.Okay, now that that's done let's go through this a little bit and discuss, because I think he makes some good points.
The tools outlined in Lawyer 2.0 are what I have decided to use in my practice after considerable research and trial and error, and I felt other solos could benefit from reading about what has worked for me rather than go through the costly and time-consuming process of trial and error themselves in setting up an infrastructure for their solo practices. Thus, I think solos who need guidance with respect to the technological nuts and bolts of setting up a law firm--including a comprehensive description of how to create a paperless/digital law office--will find the book and companion website (where I give away half the contents of Lawyer 2.0 for free via blog posts) to be excellent resources.
For a discussion of fundamental business principles, ethical concerns, philosophical and other important considerations that go into building a solo practice, I recommend that solos read Solo by Choice; I am hopeful that the author of this blog will publish a similarly-helpful publication.
First, let's talk about the purpose of the book, to "a comprehensive summary and description of all the technological tools I utilized to build a six-figure solo law practice in less than 12 months." That is actually a great summary of the book and what the book is really about. If the title of the book was "The Technology You Need to Build a $100,000 Practice," my review of the book would probably be much different.
But this is how the book is billed. How to Build a Six-Figure Solo Practice in 12 Months or Less. To me, that sounds a little more comprehensive than "a comprehensive summary and description of all the technological tools..." It's a bit deceiving and is the reason I wrote the review the way I did. I didn't think it delivered what it was selling (and I apologize for not reading the fine print).
What's missing from this book is how he actually built the six-figure solo practice. I guarantee you it had less to do with the technology he had and had a lot more to do with the marketing and management aspects of how he set up his law practice. And before you harp at me, I know technology has something to do with both marketing and management. But instead of "I bought a Toshiba laptop," I would have expected something like, "when clients call this is how I answer the phone. I have a database set up that captures the following information and this is what I'm trying to figure out from the get go..." That is what is critical to successfully opening a law firm, not whether or not you have a live secretary or a virtual one.
Second, great shout out to Carolyn's book Solo by Choice. I feel like I've read it and was again left wanting more. But, just to be sure I'll grab a copy this weekend, read it, and let you know what I think. Make no mistake, Carolyn knows her stuff. Like I said, I used to be an avid reader. Though in the last year or so it's turned much more commercial, with classes and stuff that tend to be more of an ego boost than a reality check for what is required to be successful (and to be fair, I have not enrolled in any of her classes - they could be wonderful - this is just my opinion from the outside looking in). She's got some great stuff on her old website and blog, though, if it still exists.
Third, and finally, regarding why he wrote the book. I think that's great. I am all for the book. It has some useful information that some people care deeply about. Just don't bill the book as a how-to manual for building a $100,000 practice. If you followed everything in that book you'd have a great set up in front of you but you'd be waiting forever for the phone to ring. I would have liked to have known what you did to market your practice - if it's high volume you've got to have your hands in a lot of cookie jars (adwords, blog, facebook, twitter, newspapers, radio, television, etc.). I'm always interested in what works for people and what doesn't. That information is critical to the success of your firm.
The Book Does Fit a Niche Need
As I close this out, I do want to point out that this book fits a niche need. I'm sure there are people out there that are interested in a thorough review of how technological choices were made when starting a law firm. When I write my book it definitely won't have this amount of depth on this subject matter. If you want to find out why this guy chose a certain laptop or why he uses gmail as his email application, go read the book. It will give you a great understanding of that.And, finally, I do want to give him credit for putting pen to paper. It takes a lot of time and effort to put something together like that, as I am quickly learning. And opening yourself up to criticism, fair or not, is just about as scary as starting a law firm. The book is well written, I just think it under-delivers.
I look forward to his review of my book when it comes out.
Have a great weekend. As always, questions and comments are welcome.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Starting a Law Firm | Lawyer 2.0 Book Review and My New Book
You all know that I've got big, grand plans to write a book about starting a law firm, right? And that my book would be different from all of the others because it would be updated to include today's technological improvements as well as be more focused on the "business" side of owning a law firm? Well, now I've got some extra motivation out there to get started - a starting a law firm book I read yesterday called "Lawyer 2.0 - How to Build a Six-Figure Solo Practice in 12 Months or Less." You can find the link to the book here.
I'm not going to provide a link because I don't think you should read it (though you know how hard it is to find it). What I'm going to do instead is review it and give you my take on why I think you should not buy it. Ready? Here we go!
I stumbled upon this book through my Google Reader. A blog I read regularly called "The Attorneys ATM" or something like that had a post pointing people to this new book about how to start a law firm. The blogger was touting the book because he'd been mentioned in the book as a helpful resource when it came to internet marketing. Because I'm kind of into this whole how to start a law firm thing I thought I'd check it out.
The book costs $20. I bought it with the idea that I'd review it here. If I thought it was good I'd say so. If I thought it wasn't so good I'd say so. And, as I've already alluded, I was pretty disappointed in what I found.
To get right to the heart of the matter, this book is too much like Foonberg's "How to Start a Law Firm" book that was written ten years ago. It talks too much about what kind of stapler to buy and whether or not to get a postage meter and not enough about fundamental business principals that can and will make or break your law firm. Here's a break down of the table of contents:
There's also the entire section on going paperless, which includes instructions on how to set up your filing system. I'm not saying this isn't important on some level, but it's not going to determine whether or not your law firm is successful.
And, by the way, I'm going to let you in on a little secret - it's not that hard to make $100,000 your first year. I did it. I'm sure many others have done it. And you can do it. But this book isn't necessarily going to help you get there.
Another way in which this book falls short is that it is geared toward one area of practice primarily - the high volume pump and dump practice. He talks a lot about what his practice is like and what you need if you have a practice like his. What he doesn't talk about is the thought process behind those decisions or why he chose one thing over another.
And by far the weakest area of the book is the online marketing segment. If you buy the book (and at $20, why not, right?), read it, and then dig around on this site for a little bit, you'll see just how short he falls. The first and largest red flag I see from reading this section is that the only references he makes to resources are other attorneys who claim to be online marketing experts. I've got news for you, there is an entire subset of people out there making a living based purely on their knowledge of search engines and how to rank high on them.
That's how I got my internet knowledge. I poked around until I found professional internet marketers who were teaching those fundamentals and learned from them. My references are to those people.
So, I'm going to start working on the book immediately. I just feel like I owe it to you all. There is so much misinformation out there that it's really kind of scary. And to give you an idea, completely off the cuff, of what my table of contents would look like, it would be like this:
Okay, now that I've laid the gauntlet on myself I better get started. And I guess step one is figuring out how to write a book!
This post would be a great place to leave comments about what you would like to have in the book. I can't guarantee you everything will make it, but I can guarantee you it will have a shot if you let me know about it.
I'm not going to provide a link because I don't think you should read it (though you know how hard it is to find it). What I'm going to do instead is review it and give you my take on why I think you should not buy it. Ready? Here we go!
I stumbled upon this book through my Google Reader. A blog I read regularly called "The Attorneys ATM" or something like that had a post pointing people to this new book about how to start a law firm. The blogger was touting the book because he'd been mentioned in the book as a helpful resource when it came to internet marketing. Because I'm kind of into this whole how to start a law firm thing I thought I'd check it out.
The book costs $20. I bought it with the idea that I'd review it here. If I thought it was good I'd say so. If I thought it wasn't so good I'd say so. And, as I've already alluded, I was pretty disappointed in what I found.
To get right to the heart of the matter, this book is too much like Foonberg's "How to Start a Law Firm" book that was written ten years ago. It talks too much about what kind of stapler to buy and whether or not to get a postage meter and not enough about fundamental business principals that can and will make or break your law firm. Here's a break down of the table of contents:
IntroductionAs you can see just from the titles of the chapters, it's really heavy on what to buy and what to think about when setting up your office and really light on preparing your law firm to be successful from the very beginning. To give you an example, there is an entire section on whether to buy a laptop or desktop and what to look for in your computer hardware configurations. I get that that's important, but I'm going to trust you can figure that out by talking to the computer salesman. Tell them what you want and they'll tell you what to get.
Chapter 1 - Hardware
Chapter 2 - Practice Management
Chapter 3 - The Paperless Law Office
Chapter 4 - Legal Research
Chapter 5 - Online Marketing
Chapter 6 - Other Considerations
There's also the entire section on going paperless, which includes instructions on how to set up your filing system. I'm not saying this isn't important on some level, but it's not going to determine whether or not your law firm is successful.
And, by the way, I'm going to let you in on a little secret - it's not that hard to make $100,000 your first year. I did it. I'm sure many others have done it. And you can do it. But this book isn't necessarily going to help you get there.
Another way in which this book falls short is that it is geared toward one area of practice primarily - the high volume pump and dump practice. He talks a lot about what his practice is like and what you need if you have a practice like his. What he doesn't talk about is the thought process behind those decisions or why he chose one thing over another.
And by far the weakest area of the book is the online marketing segment. If you buy the book (and at $20, why not, right?), read it, and then dig around on this site for a little bit, you'll see just how short he falls. The first and largest red flag I see from reading this section is that the only references he makes to resources are other attorneys who claim to be online marketing experts. I've got news for you, there is an entire subset of people out there making a living based purely on their knowledge of search engines and how to rank high on them.
That's how I got my internet knowledge. I poked around until I found professional internet marketers who were teaching those fundamentals and learned from them. My references are to those people.
So, I'm going to start working on the book immediately. I just feel like I owe it to you all. There is so much misinformation out there that it's really kind of scary. And to give you an idea, completely off the cuff, of what my table of contents would look like, it would be like this:
Chapter 1. Why Do You Want to Start a Law Firm?Can you see the value in this material over the other? I hope so.
Chapter 2. What to do Before You Open the Doors
Chapter 3. Three Critical Questions You Must be Able to Answer (1. Who is your ideal client?; 2. How are you going to get clients?; 3. How are you going to get clients if your first idea doesn't work?)
Chapter 4. Fighting Fear
Chapter 5. Opening a Law Firm - the Essentials (I'd put all the nuts and bolts in here - 75% of the other guy's book condensed into one chapter).
Chapter 6. Internet Marketing (this would be the biggest chapter - it would also be worth the price of the book alone).
Chapter 7. Creating your team (accountant, bookkeeper, etc.)
Okay, now that I've laid the gauntlet on myself I better get started. And I guess step one is figuring out how to write a book!
This post would be a great place to leave comments about what you would like to have in the book. I can't guarantee you everything will make it, but I can guarantee you it will have a shot if you let me know about it.
Friday, April 8, 2011
How to Start a Law Firm | Law Clerk Search
So I'm in the market for a law clerk. No, not a virtual one - and no, I don't want your resume, unless you think you are extremely qualified and want to work for an extremely low wage (insert sarcasm, sort of). Since I hope you are all looking for law clerks this time of year (they are a great way to leverage resources - they aren't that expensive and if you teach them well they can provide a great benefit) I thought I'd tell you about my process for finding a great law clerk.
I've got to worn you, I haven't completed the process yet, so it could be a bust, but the concept seems pretty good. So here we go.
First things first, I do criminal defense, so I want to try to get a law clerk that is interested in criminal defense. At the end of the day I may hire this person on as an associate - this should work out as an extended tryout if I do it right. Because of that I want to make it clear that the benefits of this job are closely related to the practice of criminal defense, and not other places.
Second things second (I'll stop doing that going forward, I promise), I want to make sure this person is at least minimally qualified for the job. The minimum qualifications include not being dumb, being in law school, being able to write a coherent sentence, and being able to follow simple directions. Because those things are important to me, I turned the process of submitting the application materials into the the first test. These are the things I've asked for: (1) cover letter; (2) resume; (3) writing sample. But it doesn't stop there.
Within the cover letter I've asked them to tell me three things, in addition to what a great person they are: (1) what their favorite sports team is; (2) what their favorite Seattle summertime activity is; and (3) why they are interested in criminal defense. I don't really necessarily care what the answers are (though if you yell me you like the Missouri Tigers or K-State Wildcats as your favorite sports team you better have outstanding credentials), what's most important to me is that they took the time to read and follow the directions. In case you didn't know reading the fine print in the practice of law is kind of a big deal.
If you don't follow those directions, no matter how much I like you, you get cut.
Third, once the first cut is made, I'm giving them a mini-assignment. I'm asking them to research a question (not a hard one) and write me a memo answering the question (2 pages or less). I'm actually doing this for two reasons. First, it's another chance to see if they can follow directions. Second, it's an opportunity to see how badly they want the job. Put a little time and effort into this thing and it will show. Throw something together and I'll know it.
Fourth comes the interview. I think I'll probably structure it like I did with my assistant search - the same questions for everyone. Just makes it easier. What I really want to see at the interview is that they've got some social skills and we can work together. My new office is big but it's not that big. If I get to pick who I work with I might as well like them.
Fifth, and finally, I'll probably do a final happy hour to top it all off. I mean, let's be honest, everything's better with a happy hour right?
We are just about to wrap up phase one - the application submission process. I'll let you know how it turns out and who I pick when I get to that stage.
What else? Oh yeah, set up payroll this week. Once that's all done I'll talk about it a little bit and give you some information on who you might want to talk to if you're interested in setting it up yourself (I need it for my assistant and the new law clerk - there's a program where the state will reimburse you for a portion of your law clerks wages, but you've got to have payroll set up).
As always, your comments and questions are welcome. See you next week.
I've got to worn you, I haven't completed the process yet, so it could be a bust, but the concept seems pretty good. So here we go.
First things first, I do criminal defense, so I want to try to get a law clerk that is interested in criminal defense. At the end of the day I may hire this person on as an associate - this should work out as an extended tryout if I do it right. Because of that I want to make it clear that the benefits of this job are closely related to the practice of criminal defense, and not other places.
Second things second (I'll stop doing that going forward, I promise), I want to make sure this person is at least minimally qualified for the job. The minimum qualifications include not being dumb, being in law school, being able to write a coherent sentence, and being able to follow simple directions. Because those things are important to me, I turned the process of submitting the application materials into the the first test. These are the things I've asked for: (1) cover letter; (2) resume; (3) writing sample. But it doesn't stop there.
Within the cover letter I've asked them to tell me three things, in addition to what a great person they are: (1) what their favorite sports team is; (2) what their favorite Seattle summertime activity is; and (3) why they are interested in criminal defense. I don't really necessarily care what the answers are (though if you yell me you like the Missouri Tigers or K-State Wildcats as your favorite sports team you better have outstanding credentials), what's most important to me is that they took the time to read and follow the directions. In case you didn't know reading the fine print in the practice of law is kind of a big deal.
If you don't follow those directions, no matter how much I like you, you get cut.
Third, once the first cut is made, I'm giving them a mini-assignment. I'm asking them to research a question (not a hard one) and write me a memo answering the question (2 pages or less). I'm actually doing this for two reasons. First, it's another chance to see if they can follow directions. Second, it's an opportunity to see how badly they want the job. Put a little time and effort into this thing and it will show. Throw something together and I'll know it.
Fourth comes the interview. I think I'll probably structure it like I did with my assistant search - the same questions for everyone. Just makes it easier. What I really want to see at the interview is that they've got some social skills and we can work together. My new office is big but it's not that big. If I get to pick who I work with I might as well like them.
Fifth, and finally, I'll probably do a final happy hour to top it all off. I mean, let's be honest, everything's better with a happy hour right?
We are just about to wrap up phase one - the application submission process. I'll let you know how it turns out and who I pick when I get to that stage.
What else? Oh yeah, set up payroll this week. Once that's all done I'll talk about it a little bit and give you some information on who you might want to talk to if you're interested in setting it up yourself (I need it for my assistant and the new law clerk - there's a program where the state will reimburse you for a portion of your law clerks wages, but you've got to have payroll set up).
As always, your comments and questions are welcome. See you next week.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Starting a Law Firm | Leaving Another Firm
I'm such an idiot. I have been writing these posts about starting a law firm here for a couple years now, and not once have I talked about what you should be thinking about if you are leaving a firm to start another one. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!
Okay, I might be being a little hard on myself. But I have completely missed what is a very relevant topping with regards to starting a law firm. It took a lunch with a great attorney this week for me to realize people are doing this every day and I should talk about it on here.
I will probably talk about it more in the future, but for today I thought I'd break it down into the three most important things you should consider when starting a law firm by leaving a law firm. And, just to be clear, what I'm talking about is leaving to start a competing law firm.
When I was in Kansas, I worked at a firm where I had no rainmaking responsibilities. The owner of the firm had his clients, and he was good with that. We didn't get to talk to the clients, and we weren't expected to bring in new business. We were truly just attorneys practicing law.
Most of you out there, though, aren't in that situation. You come to a firm, learn the ropes, and then start letting people know what you do. As they need help they come to you specifically or call the firm because of your connection and get signed up. You may not do all of the work on their cases, but you do some of it. In some ways you would consider these people "your" clients.
One of the first things you need to do when you consider opening your own law firm is to figure out how to let all of "your" clients know you are leaving and give them the option of coming along. I don't know the rules in every state but I do know this - it is the client that chooses the attorney, not the other way around. If you are leaving and you have been working with the client, they have the option of choosing to have you continue to help them.
Just because you can do that, though, doesn't mean you should tread lightly and think through in great detail how you are going to undertake this endeavor. You don't want to burn any bridges, but you are entitled to help people that want your help. If you have decided to open your own business you have accepted the responsibility of making tough decisions. This will likely be the first of many.
What would I do if it was me? I'd do two things. First when I let the firm know I was leaving, I would talk to them about my clients and work out an agreement for splitting any fees that may have already been placed in the trust account and an agreement for letting clients know I was leaving and what their options were. And I would put this in writing. You know what an oral agreement is worth.
Second, I'd let the clients know I was leaving, what I was doing, when I was doing it, and that they were free to come along if they wanted to. I would do it in writing and in person (if permissible). Remember, you aren't poaching clients here, you are allowing them to make an informed decision.
If you've been reading this blog you know that finding and signing up clients is the key to your success. To simply forgo a wealth of potential clients to avoid stepping on toes or making people feel uncomfortable is irresponsible of you as a business person.
Oh, and by the way, you should be prepared for the owner of your firm to get pissed. Let's talk about that next.
Most of the stuff you can do on the fly, after you've officially announced your departure. Insurance, website, business cards, etc. can all be set up in a really short amount of time. What you want to have in place, your "plan," is a marketing strategy, a "how to keep some of your current clients" strategy, and a time frame for when you announce your departure to when you actually leave. It's possible that you could have to implement that strategy very shortly after you talk to your boss.
And hesitant they should have been.
If you are new to the practice of law or don't have a lot of contact with other attorneys I have one piece of information that is going to be invaluable for you - we are a bunch of chatty Cathys. We sit around waiting for hearings, waiting for depositions, going to CLEs and we don't want to talk about work so we talk about the next best thing - what our fellow attorneys are up to. It's human nature, and attorneys are bad about it.
I would expect the moment the attorney left the office that a phone call would be made to their boss about the exchange that just took place. When that happens suggestions one and two get messed up - you can't figure out how to keep your clients and you don't get to control the message of your leaving the firm.
Bottom line, keep this idea close to the vest until you are ready to let everyone know. You know the old saying by Ben Franklin: "Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead." The more people that know your plan, the more likely it is to get out.
One of the great things about having a plan for your move is that you get to control the message. You get to announce your departure to your boss, you get to announce your departure to your clients, and you get to announce your departure to your colleagues. When you get to do this, you get to spin in it in a positive light.
Put together a time line for client letters, new firm announcements, etc. before you leave so you get to frame your departure from your old firm and the beginning of the new.
Okay, that's it for today. As usual, if you have questions let me know. Thanks for reading. Hopefully I'll have something cool to say on Friday.
Okay, I might be being a little hard on myself. But I have completely missed what is a very relevant topping with regards to starting a law firm. It took a lunch with a great attorney this week for me to realize people are doing this every day and I should talk about it on here.
I will probably talk about it more in the future, but for today I thought I'd break it down into the three most important things you should consider when starting a law firm by leaving a law firm. And, just to be clear, what I'm talking about is leaving to start a competing law firm.
1. They are Your Clients Too
Before I get too far into this, I want to point out that I'm talking in generalities here. Before you go running off half-cocked with half of your current firm's clients, make sure you are following the rules in your state regarding how this should be properly done. Okay, disclaimer over.When I was in Kansas, I worked at a firm where I had no rainmaking responsibilities. The owner of the firm had his clients, and he was good with that. We didn't get to talk to the clients, and we weren't expected to bring in new business. We were truly just attorneys practicing law.
Most of you out there, though, aren't in that situation. You come to a firm, learn the ropes, and then start letting people know what you do. As they need help they come to you specifically or call the firm because of your connection and get signed up. You may not do all of the work on their cases, but you do some of it. In some ways you would consider these people "your" clients.
One of the first things you need to do when you consider opening your own law firm is to figure out how to let all of "your" clients know you are leaving and give them the option of coming along. I don't know the rules in every state but I do know this - it is the client that chooses the attorney, not the other way around. If you are leaving and you have been working with the client, they have the option of choosing to have you continue to help them.
Just because you can do that, though, doesn't mean you should tread lightly and think through in great detail how you are going to undertake this endeavor. You don't want to burn any bridges, but you are entitled to help people that want your help. If you have decided to open your own business you have accepted the responsibility of making tough decisions. This will likely be the first of many.
What would I do if it was me? I'd do two things. First when I let the firm know I was leaving, I would talk to them about my clients and work out an agreement for splitting any fees that may have already been placed in the trust account and an agreement for letting clients know I was leaving and what their options were. And I would put this in writing. You know what an oral agreement is worth.
Second, I'd let the clients know I was leaving, what I was doing, when I was doing it, and that they were free to come along if they wanted to. I would do it in writing and in person (if permissible). Remember, you aren't poaching clients here, you are allowing them to make an informed decision.
If you've been reading this blog you know that finding and signing up clients is the key to your success. To simply forgo a wealth of potential clients to avoid stepping on toes or making people feel uncomfortable is irresponsible of you as a business person.
Oh, and by the way, you should be prepared for the owner of your firm to get pissed. Let's talk about that next.
2. A Well Planned Exit Strategy
When you go and tell your boss that you've decided to go out on your own, open an office next door, and compete directly with him, typically one of two things will happen:(1) You'll immediately be fired; orEither way, I'd say it's important for you to have a plan before walking into the bosses office.
(2) You'll help with your "exit," but you'll just be giving the owner time to make sure all of his or her clients are going to stay with them.
Most of the stuff you can do on the fly, after you've officially announced your departure. Insurance, website, business cards, etc. can all be set up in a really short amount of time. What you want to have in place, your "plan," is a marketing strategy, a "how to keep some of your current clients" strategy, and a time frame for when you announce your departure to when you actually leave. It's possible that you could have to implement that strategy very shortly after you talk to your boss.
3. Don't Let the Cat Out of the Bag too Early
One of the things I talked about with the attorney I met this week was whether or not it was okay to talk to other attorneys about her departure from the firm. There was the opportunity to share some office space with some other attorney and they thought it would be a good fit. But the attorney was a little hesitant to talk to these other attorneys because they know the attorney's boss.And hesitant they should have been.
If you are new to the practice of law or don't have a lot of contact with other attorneys I have one piece of information that is going to be invaluable for you - we are a bunch of chatty Cathys. We sit around waiting for hearings, waiting for depositions, going to CLEs and we don't want to talk about work so we talk about the next best thing - what our fellow attorneys are up to. It's human nature, and attorneys are bad about it.
I would expect the moment the attorney left the office that a phone call would be made to their boss about the exchange that just took place. When that happens suggestions one and two get messed up - you can't figure out how to keep your clients and you don't get to control the message of your leaving the firm.
Bottom line, keep this idea close to the vest until you are ready to let everyone know. You know the old saying by Ben Franklin: "Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead." The more people that know your plan, the more likely it is to get out.
4. Control the Message
I remembered this fourth one while I was writing this so I thought I'd include it. I'll keep it short.One of the great things about having a plan for your move is that you get to control the message. You get to announce your departure to your boss, you get to announce your departure to your clients, and you get to announce your departure to your colleagues. When you get to do this, you get to spin in it in a positive light.
Put together a time line for client letters, new firm announcements, etc. before you leave so you get to frame your departure from your old firm and the beginning of the new.
Okay, that's it for today. As usual, if you have questions let me know. Thanks for reading. Hopefully I'll have something cool to say on Friday.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Starting a Law Firm | The Conference Room Conundrum
I guess this blog is supposed to have some day to day type of stuff in here, so that's what this post will be about.
As I've already written, I'm in the process of relocating my office. I found a great space - here are some pictures (a before view - I'll show you an after view after I move in) - but I've hit a bit of a snag with the landlord.
As you can see, the way it is set up is completely open. I like this. But I wanted to have a space where I can have some privacy if necessary - for new client meetings, interviews, and the like. This space doesn't have that, so I was going to build it out. But I want a look like this. It's open, allows the light to get all the way to the back of the office, and leaves the office with that big, open feeling.
The only problem with that is that option is expensive. Like $20,000 expensive. Not worth the investment. Not at all. So I started looking for other options, and I found this as an acceptable alternative. Not exactly the same but very close. Doable. I actually don't have a cost on this yet, but am bidding it out as we speak.
The landlord understood what I wanted and agreed to give me a credit for what they would have built - a boring, closed in conference room with windows. I thought they'd give me about $1,500 because that is what it cost. I get the lease and you know what the allotment is? $400. You have got to be kidding me.
I call the realtor (the guy working for me) and tell him the landlord is crazy if he thinks $400 would put that wall up. Come to find out the guy only included the expenses (and it's still not enough). He didn't include labor because he's got guys that do it in house.
I like this space, and I don't want to look anymore (this is pure laziness, by the way), so I'm trying to come up with an option that works for everyone. I figure if he gives me a free months rent (app $900) we'll just call it good. I'll build out the conference room how I want and that will be that.
What do you all think about this? Any suggestions?
It seems like right now the law firm expenses are really piling up. But as you become more and more successful you'll see that things get more and more complicated. Paying an accountant and a bookkeeper a little every month, moving into an office that suits my needs completely, and hiring a law clerk are all costs that add up. But each one of those expenses frees up more of my time and energy to bring in even more work. One new client a month (total, not for each) still pays for more than those expenses combined. That means I'm making money by adding to my team.
Have a great weekend. Let me know if you have any questions, and I'll talk to you next week.
As I've already written, I'm in the process of relocating my office. I found a great space - here are some pictures (a before view - I'll show you an after view after I move in) - but I've hit a bit of a snag with the landlord.
As you can see, the way it is set up is completely open. I like this. But I wanted to have a space where I can have some privacy if necessary - for new client meetings, interviews, and the like. This space doesn't have that, so I was going to build it out. But I want a look like this. It's open, allows the light to get all the way to the back of the office, and leaves the office with that big, open feeling.
The only problem with that is that option is expensive. Like $20,000 expensive. Not worth the investment. Not at all. So I started looking for other options, and I found this as an acceptable alternative. Not exactly the same but very close. Doable. I actually don't have a cost on this yet, but am bidding it out as we speak.
The landlord understood what I wanted and agreed to give me a credit for what they would have built - a boring, closed in conference room with windows. I thought they'd give me about $1,500 because that is what it cost. I get the lease and you know what the allotment is? $400. You have got to be kidding me.
I call the realtor (the guy working for me) and tell him the landlord is crazy if he thinks $400 would put that wall up. Come to find out the guy only included the expenses (and it's still not enough). He didn't include labor because he's got guys that do it in house.
I like this space, and I don't want to look anymore (this is pure laziness, by the way), so I'm trying to come up with an option that works for everyone. I figure if he gives me a free months rent (app $900) we'll just call it good. I'll build out the conference room how I want and that will be that.
What do you all think about this? Any suggestions?
Bookeeper on the Payroll
My "team" will be nearly complete after this afternoon. I've now got a realtor, an accountant, and now I'm adding a bookkeeper to the mix. I'm doing this for two reasons. First, I'm putting Kelsey on the payroll and I don't want to figure out how to do it. Kind of one of those "my time is more valuable than that" things. Second, I'm hiring a summer law clerk. I can get reimbursed for some of the cost of that through their law school, but I've got to have them on the payroll. And third, it's only going to run me about $100/month, well worth the cost.It seems like right now the law firm expenses are really piling up. But as you become more and more successful you'll see that things get more and more complicated. Paying an accountant and a bookkeeper a little every month, moving into an office that suits my needs completely, and hiring a law clerk are all costs that add up. But each one of those expenses frees up more of my time and energy to bring in even more work. One new client a month (total, not for each) still pays for more than those expenses combined. That means I'm making money by adding to my team.
RJon Phone Call Update
I wanted to bring your attention to this comment I received this week about RJon, my business coach. I think it's really important that you try to find someone like this to help you through that side of starting a law firm (even if you don't use him). Here's what Angela had to say:Hi Chris,I don't want to sound like I'm pushing you all too hard to RJon, because like I said, I don't care if you use him or find someone else to help you, but finding someone to coach you through this business stuff could be the difference between success and failure for you. It's not as straightforward as it seems, and there are some things that you can do to really make your practice take off at the earliest time possible.
I chanced upon your blog a while back after googling "how to start a law firm" or something similar. I read your information on RJON, looked at his website, contacted him from various forums and this Monday participated in the free intro call. It was a very inspiring and clarifying 40 minutes. I can recommend that anyone should take him up on his free call, its free and really not that much of a time investment.
I hope to participate in his program but you are right- it is expensive. I'd love to call you to ask in more detail how the program worked for you.
angela
Have a great weekend. Let me know if you have any questions, and I'll talk to you next week.
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