According to a survey by The BTI Consulting Group, only 40.1% of clients “recommend their primary law firm to a peer.” As bad as that statistic is, the good news is that it is better by almost 7% over the previous year, and better slightly than five years ago. According to the survey it
Tom Kane
"I believe it is critical for lawyers to market their practice in a meaningful and ethical way."
Ten Commandments of Client Service – Part II
As mentioned last time, one in-house counsel on the InHouseBlog posted his ten commandments applicable to outside firms when providing legal services to his company. And I suggested that his rules could come just as well from individual clients or entities without an attorney on staff. In the interest of brevity, I only covered five…
Ten Commandments of Client Service – Part I
Not every client is a company or entity that has in-house counsel. Smaller companies often do not have a lawyer on staff. So, when I visited InHouseBlog and read a post about one in-house counsel’s “Ten Commandments“, I thought that those directives could be applicable to all clients, including individuals.
Here are the first…
Meet and Greet Tips
Networking is no less dreaded by many lawyers than it has always been. But, it doesn’t have to be. Hopefully, a few of my 40-plus posts on this blog about networking over the past 11 years will be useful. A few of which I have highlighted below. They may prove of interest to those who…
Business Development: Are You a Driver or Passenger in Your Law Firm?
In today’s competitive marketplace, and with the client scrutiny that impacts many firms, it is more critical than ever that all lawyers contribute to the growth of their law firms.
On the Managing Partner Forum this month, there is an article by Gail Crosley, CPA that was pretty darn good about pointing out the differences…
Is the Lack of Cross-Selling Your Fault?
Are you to blame for the failure of your partners to cross-sell you to their client contacts? Not necessarily, but you could be part of the problem. Clients select lawyers they know, like and trust. Referral sources, including your partners, send you clients for the same reason. Since they know, like and trust you, they…
The Sky is Falling … NO, Really it is!
I’m no Chicken Little, but I do have a sinking feeling about our profession. In my more than four decades as a lawyer, I have seen huge changes, not the least of which include:
- Too many lawyers, too few jobs relatively speaking
- accountants practicing tax law;
- financial advisors drafting estate plans, wills and trusts;
…
The Best Advertising Is Free
It’s called publicity. When you or your firm gets mentioned in the media, and better if you are quoted, it’s instant credibility. And it’s FREE (unless you hire a PR agency to help)
Regular advertising is less effective IMHO because you are writing the copy and, of course, it is self-serving. Further it costs you…
Plan for the Worst
When it comes to marketing and business development, plan to lose. HUH, you may say.
Stay with me.
Hope to win, but don’t assume that you will get the next engagement – either from an existing client or from a prospect. With the competitive nature of our industry (yes, law services is an industry, despite…
Law Firms: Are You Listening to Clients? It’s More Critical Than Ever
For over 10 years here I’ve been pleading with firms to talk with their clients about how they’re doing. Whether the process was seeking realistic client feedback, or simply conducting a general client survey, the important thing is whether firms were doing it at all. Most were not. It is critical in this day and…