I am an employment law attorney seeking to build his solo practice in a major metropolitan area. I generally represent employees on a contingency fee basis, but am looking to diversify my practice to including hourly fee “employer” clients. Generally, about 60% of cases I would handle are not covered by insurance. I am looking for some practical, simple steps to building my professional image in the employer community.
What are some useful marketing tips?
March 2, 2010 // Posted in Small Business
I am an employment law attorney seeking to build his solo practice in a major metropolitan area. I generally represent employees on a contingency fee basis, but am looking to diversify my practice to including hourly fee “employer” clients. Generally, about 60% of cases I would handle are not covered by insurance. I am looking for some practical, simple steps to building my professional image in the employer community.
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Comments (2)
try to be dynamic and friendly
focus on introduction of your services at moderated prices.
Solo practice attorneys face special challenges marketing. If you want to do employer-side employment law you’ll have to build a practice that targets this niche and appeals to that client base. Be realistic in your approach. You probably won’t land much work from fortune 500 companies because you lack the resources and prestige of larger firms, plus you practice is not scalable to the needs of a larger client. Your best bet may be to do employment law for smaller businesses, especially those who are growing and just now hitting the minimum employee numbers that make the bound by federal employment laws. If you are not working at full capacity and able do to so, offer monthly retainer programs to some clients – even if you don’t make a lot of money. Entice them to spend a small amount with your each month for a set amount of access. Once you get them used to having access to a legal resource they will get dependent on that access and use you more. Plus it will give you a stable source of operating income, and a good reference to use when courting other clients.
Start by looking at your practice as a brand unto itself. Do you have a professional collateral material – modern business cards, letterheads, and a web site? Do you office out of your home or an executive suite? You have been in practice a while, consider updating your approach and your practice. Examine yourself from the viewpoint of a potential client. Join your local chamber of commerce and attend all the meetings. Network with everyone small business person you meet and make sure they view you as a resource, even for simple questions. Small business generally lack legal counsel – so if you can good contacts now when these new people need an attorney you might be the only attorney in their rolodex. Seek out speaking engagements with the chamber or other local business associations and give speeches on employment law issues. People always want training on employment laws, and each time you do one you will help build your reputation as an expert in this area.
Good luck!