Law is not just a profession but a business, especially for attorneys who are into private practice. Being in the law business is not just a skill that all attorneys learn in law school.
You don’t have to worry if you just started law practice. You have enough time to upscale your marketing skills and learn how to get clients as a lawyer. The beginning is the best time to build a good reputation and relationship that might lead to work.
In this blog, we are going to explore different ways to help you get the client as a lawyer.
7 Ways to attract clients as a Lawyer
Service marketing is not like selling goods. People prefer professional services from people they know, like, and trust. Trust development from a client’s perspective or referral sources comes from those who will send first-time clients your way. Here are the following ways to help attorneys develop trust with their clients in their initial days.
1. Start developing a niche –
You can’t simultaneously be good at anything or everything. Thus, it is better to identify the type of legal clients you want to work with and the problems that resonate with you. By that time, you will understand your clients and the work of your niche and be able to get legal clients with cases you enjoy handling. Determine where you want to focus as an attorney and how to maintain a long-term client relationship. By time, having a targeted niche will help you attract first-time clients.
2. Involve yourself in organization and activities –
Find the organizations where you will find professionals who will benefit from your expertise and might become your new clients or referral sources in the future. Activities you join may include trade associations, nonprofit boards, or even personal hobbies.
3. Stay connected with your college and law school friends –
Networking is the most important thing in the law business. Stay in touch with your friends from law school even if you are not so close with them. Find out what they are up to and maintain professional relationships with all the individuals who can help you in the future. In case your friends advance in their respective niches, they might move into positions where they might send you clients of your niche or inform you about potential first-time clients.
4. Be Authentic –
Choose activities or niches you enjoy. For instance, a sports activity can be a good way to build up your relationship with your prospective clients and referral resources. But if you don’t like one, it might be very lousy for you. So, choosing an authentic activity where you can show your best skill is better.
5. Make your social media presence –
Social media has become a very important platform for marketing. However, it is not the best substitute for building in-person relationships. But if you are using Linked In, then you can build your connections by posting regularly and connecting with people of the same profession to stay top-of-mind for the people in your network. This way, they will help you to find new clients. Focus on valuable content, and regularly comment on your connections’ posts to become a part of their conversations.
6. Focus on relationship-building activities to help others –
Networking is not just about talking about your skills. It’s all about building a community of contacts where people can help each other by referring new legal clients. Relationship cultivation is all about adding value. You can help people in the context of business, and you can introduce them to an accountant or to some other professional resource they require. Being a helpful person is as simple as referring to a good restaurant, a good movie, or a vacation spot or offering to mentor someone’s child who will apply to the college you went to.
7. Set a specific time every week for maintaining and building relationships –
Don’t select your marketing day when the work speed of people is slower. Create a habit of making a strong reputation among the people or growing a network, even for one or two hours a week. You can do this by writing an article, FAQs asked by clients, and speaking at a business networking group mentioning the FAQs you answered. You can also involve yourself in the bar association committee or schedule times for meetings and coffee meetups with people you network.
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Conclusion
Practicing your skills is investing your time and effort in certain things. The more you practice, the more you will get the rewards. Attorneys may find marketing and business development more enjoyable when not under duress. If you are new at law practice, there will be much competition. Focus on becoming the best lawyer you can be in your niche by providing the best customer service to your internal clients. Start attracting clients as a first-year associate so that you can have a better understanding of getting clients for a law firm by the time you are a mid-level associate.
