Tag: Attorney

Many think that success in the legal profession happens by working hard, high billable hours, and serving clients. While it is true that these are all important things that will help launch a successful career, more and more attorneys are realizing that knowing how to generate business in a digital world through networking best practices. Below are tips for networking in our modern society, according to the National Law Review.

Online Networking Practices
The majority of attorneys obtain business through in-person connections and word-of-mouth referrals. However, after the world experienced the COVID-19 pandemic shut downs, in-person events became non-existent; now as the world reopens, these events are limited. Such scenarios make it more difficult for attorneys–both newly minted ones and those growing their firm–to build their book of business without these interactions. Lead generation, where third party companies that market your firm bring you potential clients for a fee, is important, but shifting this and networking over to be mainly online can be a difficult task.

Tips for Gaining Clients
Below are several types of ways you can get your firm’s online networking game on track.
● Client referrals: Perhaps one of the simplest, quickest, and cheapest ways to bring in new clients is through the creation of a client referral program. Doing so will help maximize the potential for a repeatable referral process. Attorneys should be sure that any client referral program complies with any bar rules and have clear guidelines for others to know about the program as well as its benefits and eligibility.
● Client reviews: Similar to word-of-mouth referrals, client reviews–which are often done online on third-party sites or your firm’s website itself– have a strong impact on potential clients. Your law firm (and its attorneys) should encourage clients to leave positive reviews to help others find you more easily.
● Testimonials and case studies: A pillar of law firm marketing, case studies and testimonials provide detailed information about a successful case, including examples and actionable takeaways. A potential client may come across a testimonial or case study that is similar to their circumstances and may prompt them to contact (and retain) the firm.
● Content creation: Firms can leverage subject matter knowledge by writing content that answers general legal questions, address common concerns, share client success stories, or even discuss a recently decided case that came down from the court. Whether in written or video form, content creation is critical to lead generation.

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The Coronavirus pandemic that has hit the globe is causing all of us to adjust how we live, work, and play. Lawyers are no exception to this. In order to continue to live up to the calling that requires attorneys — particularly litigators — to be custodians of our society’s ideals, there are a few things that should be done during this world-wide pandemic.

You Must Resolve Your Cases

Attorneys are called on to resolve disputes, which can be difficult during normal times. The best thing for a litigator to do is to put on his or her “closer” hat. More than ever, clients are losing income. It does not matter if you represent a plaintiff or a defendant — the downturn in the
economy affects everyone, and it is not known when the economy will bounce back from this pandemic. Clients are also in shock and disoriented. Defendants may be wanting to solely focus on business operations and not deal with lawsuits. Plaintiffs may want their lawsuit resolved sooner rather than later because of their current circumstances. Attorneys must be aware of these issues, while still balancing zealous advocacy and not selling the client short. Getting opposing counsel to come to the table is critical during this difficult time. Likewise, court dockets — which are backed up and trials delayed — will appreciate the civility employed by litigators to resolve cases.

You Must be Efficient

While the Coronavirus pandemic has taught us all to be more aware of personal hygiene, it has also forced businesses to become more efficient. The legal field, in many ways, is also a business. Law firms across the nation have transitioned to remote work for attorneys and staff alike. Attorneys — just like remote workers across the nation — are having to juggle work, family time, and schooling children. Legal work requires writing, editing, re-writing, analyzing, and researching, among other skills. While silence is key to these tasks, it is likely not available in prolonged periods right now. Using your time effectively is more critical than ever. Whether this means early mornings while the house is quiet or late evenings when everyone is in bed, squeezing in work and keeping clients up-to-date needs to happen.

Keep Using Discovery

The courts need not be involved in the discovery phase of a lawsuit — unless there is a need for motion practice or hearings due to disputes that cannot be resolved without court intervention.   Use of requests for admissions (RFAs), requests for production (RFPs), interrogatories (Rogs), and depositions are ideal ways to move your case forward during this time. While depositions may be difficult due to social distancing requirements, these can be done via video conference — although, admittedly, they are not the same as in-person depositions. That being said, litigators must be patient with opposing counsel because this time requires this type of civility.

The Case Must Go On

While it is true that the global pandemic has placed us all in an unprecedented position, attorneys must continue to practice zealously for their clients while employing additional patience for those on the other side of the case. In doing so, we can maintain our obligation to our industry while still properly representing our clients.