Is It Time To Start Your Own Legal Practice? Great Tips To Get You Started.

You’ve paid your dues at your current law firm. You’re ready for bigger and better opportunities. The next logical step is to establish a legal practice.

Being a top lawyer is one thing, but starting a law firm from scratch is a whole other beast. If you aren’t business savvy, your firm won’t survive its first year.

Lawyers are natural problem solvers. Ready to apply your skills to the business world? Follow these tips to grow your law firm from the ground up.

Pick Your Practice Areas

The first step to starting a legal practice is to narrow down your practice areas. You may have experience in multiple areas. Here are a few ways to find the right legal niches.

• Assess the needs of your community
• Align your practice areas with local laws
• Consider niche practices areas
• Consider the clients you want to work with
• Research legal concerns of top industries in your community
• Research legal needs that aren’t being addressed
• Scope out your potential competition

Market research is the best way to narrow down your practice areas. Your research may reveal that your community has a real need for an investment loss lawyer or accident law firm.

However, don’t focus on too many practice areas either. Start with just one or two niches.

Get Your House in Order

Remember, a law firm is a business. You need a business plan, city permit, office location, equipment, supplies, employees, and financing.

If you want to get a bank loan for your firm, you’ll need to create a comprehensive business plan just like any small business owner. Estimate how much financing you’ll need for all your essentials, including employees. This is where your knowledge of business law comes in handy!

Next, pick an accessible location for potential clients. Look for commercial spaces in office parks, downtown, and populated areas with shops and services.

Once you have a location, hire in-house staff for your firm. In addition to more lawyers, you’ll need an office manager, paralegal, and legal assistant. You may want to consider hiring interns from local law schools.

You want to get as much done as possible before your big opening. Work with your team to establish a workflow that sustains productivity at the lowest cost.

Clients are putting their legal concerns in your hands. You don’t want to leave any room for mistakes.

Build Your Client Referral Network

You have a location, capital, and a hired team of professionals. Your next step is to get clients. Before you implement a marketing strategy, look within your network for opportunities.

Who do you know that could benefit from your legal services? Building a referral network is a critical step and another reason why it’s important to make contacts in law school, internships, and law firms.

Add lawyers from different practice areas to your network. They can refer their clients to your practice. For example, a small business lawyer may have a client that also needs an investment loss lawyer.

Don’t forget to talk to close friends and family members about referrals. Friends of friends are also potential clients.

Build a Website for Your Legal Practice

With a few clients ready to go, it’s time to build your website. Decades ago, a law firm website wasn’t necessary for running a legal practice. Times have certainly changed.

A website is no longer optional, especially for law firms. This is the self-diagnosis age. Everyone is hopping online to diagnose everything from health problems to legal woes.

Your website could be so much more than just a page with your contact information. It has the potential to be a goldmine of information. That’s why having a website is one of the most potent forms of legal marketing.

Your law firm website should have the following elements:

• Phone number, address, and email
• A pop-up chatbox
• A legal blog packed with facts
• Legal service pages
• About page
• Credentials and licenses to practice
• Client testimonials

You can have all the bells and whistles, but if your website takes forever to load, you’re going to lose potential clients. Make sure you have an adequate web host and make necessary adjustments to improve site speed.

Choose a Winning Legal Marketing Strategy

Your spiffy, new website is ready to go. Next, you’ll need to take on the competition online. Your next step is to craft a winning marketing strategy that attracts and converts leads.

To start, offer free consultations. Freebies are a juicy incentive for potential clients. Plus, free consultations are an excellent way for people to get to know you.

Include your free consultation offer in all your marketing campaigns, whether it’s social media or pay-per-click. Free offers are the ultimate call-to-action.

You’ll want to focus on marketing channels that are appropriate for law firms. Think about consumer behavior. How do potential clients find law firms?

Remember how people use search engines for legal help? They certainly aren’t using Instagram to find lawyers. You need a robust PPC campaign that advertises your law firm in search results.

There are several PPC services available, but Google Adwords is the most popular for a good reason. You can also try Bing ads.

These PPC services allow you to bid on relevant keywords, so your law firm is visible to your target demographic. To save money, look for low competition keywords with medium to high search volume.

Another effective strategy is local marketing. Your law firm is a local business. If potential clients can’t find you online, that’s a problem.

After publishing your website, you should create a Google business listing. Your business listing will also appear in Google maps. Clients will be able to call your office directly with the click of a button and get directions to your location.

Take full advantage of Google’s free marketing tools! This is a must for local legal marketing.

Launch Your Firm on the Right Foot

You’re a talented lawyer. Now you have the business acumen to open a firm your community needs. Follow these tips to launch your legal practice on the right foot!

Don’t forget; you’re a problem solver. Stay updated on the latest tips, trends, and solutions for growing law firms.

4 months ago Law Firms No comment

How to Deal with Bottlenecks in Your Law Firm

One of the most important in ensuring a successful law firm operation is to identify the points of congestion. The management needs to know the bottlenecks that make the business run slowly. These are the things that will make the organization inefficient. In turn, it limits success. Read this article as we talk about the bottlenecks that can confront the day-to-day operations of a law firm and the most effective ways to deal with it. 

1. Inefficient Billing Management 

The billing process is one thing that slows down law firm operations. If there are delays in the issuance of invoices, clients won’t be able to settle their payments on time. This negatively impacts the cash flow of the firm. There are can also be billing inaccuracies, which can delay the payments. To prevent this problem, law firms need to invest in law practice management software, such as Rocket Matter. It helps to improve billing practices in law firms, including capturing billables and sending invoices. 

2. Lack of Accessibility 

Lack of access to relevant legal documents is another law firm bottleneck that law firms need to address. Lawyers and paralegals, among others, must be able to access the files necessary for a specific case. Gone were the days when they do it manually as they scour through hundreds and thousands of pages. This is a lot easier as law firms can now store documents in the cloud. This allows users to access the documents anytime and anywhere. Among others, Rocket Matter is one of the top providers of cloud technology for document management. Try their cloud case management software today and see how it can improve your firm’s operations. 

3. Lack of Collaboration 

It is important for a law firm to build a collaborative environment. Lack of collaboration is a bottleneck that limits the potential of the organization. The complexity of legal work demands collaboration in law firms. This is especially important in large organizations with several people working on a single case. By fostering a more collaborative environment, it is easier to complete a job successfully and eliminate the bottlenecks. 

4. Understaffing

Another common bottleneck in law firm operations is understaffing. As a result, lawyers are forced to do things that are outside of the scope of their job responsibilities, including administrative tasks. Their billables can suffer as they dedicate time in work that other people can handle. It is important to make sure that there are enough people in the firm.

5. Incompetency 

Hiring more people is not a simple solution to incompetency. It will be useless to have employees who do not have the knowledge and skills necessary to make the law firm competitive. The firm should invest in training its people, including lawyers. Training equips people with the competencies to eliminate bottlenecks in the law firm. 

To make lawyers more competent, law firms should invest in tech training. Refer to the infographic below on how to successfully carry it out. 

Take your law firm above the competition and manage the bottlenecks that confront its operations. Consider the inefficiencies above and make sure that your firm addresses them the best way possible.

5 months ago Law Firms , Marketing for Lawyers No comment

4 Law Firm Advertising Tips To Help You Bring In New Clients

As a lawyer, you know your job is to practice and know the law well. If you have been practicing for even a short amount of time, you also know it is about finding clients.

This means you need to be more than a lawyer. You also need to be a business person, a marketer, and an advertiser. The truth is cases and clients don’t fall onto your desk because you want them.

You need to do deliberate things to build your client base and promote yourself as a lawyer. Check out these ideas for law firm advertising to help get your firm more clients.

1. Build Your Network and Referrals

This is one thing you can do that won’t cost you money. You need to treat every person you know and meet as a potential client. Remember, your dry cleaner, your mechanic, your mortgage broker may all need an attorney at some point.

Talk and connect with every person you know and have contact with. Think about past clients. Connect with them regularly so you remain familiar should they need you again.

Get to know other attorneys who might give you referrals or means to meet new clients.

2. Bring in the Professionals

You might also decide to bring in some help. There are companies who specialize in helping lawyers and their firms get cases.

They can learn about you and your areas of specialty. Then sift through potential cases to match you up with the right clients for your firm.

Case generation services use marketing strategies, both digital and traditional, to search for potential clients. Then once they have those clients they connect them to you, so they become your clients.

3. Become Familiar and Show Your Knowledge

There are many lawyers who have not done the right thing to give lawyers the best name. You need to be the opposite of that. It should be your goal to show your knowledge of the law at every opportunity.

Get involved in local organizations. Here you can meet potential clients and talk about the law. Market yourself every time you speak about the law.

Participate in events in your community so people see you and hear you.

Make sure your website has a blog that has newsworthy and knowledgeable content. You could even have online videos that allow potential clients to see and hear you speak, showing off your craft.

4. Take Advantage of Advertising Opportunities

Sure, many types of advertising can be expensive. But there is advertising that doesn’t have to break the bank.

Make sure all your blog writing has keywords that match up with SEOs. Use social media platforms to advertise inexpensively. Social media also allows you to do some content focused advertising at a pretty low cost.

Consider using PPC advertising. This pay-per-click method allows you to advertise for certain online queries.

Law Firm Advertising to Get You Clients

Certainly, you have to practice the law well to be successful. You also need to practice smart self-promotion to get and keep those clients. You can also take advantage of law firm advertising opportunities to grow your client base.

To connect with other lawyers and build up your referrals contact us today.

6 months ago News , Law Firms , Laws No comment

Translating International Legal Documents

Obtaining accurate translations of business documents is important no matter what industry you’re in, but it may be especially crucial in the legal field – where a poorly translated idea or miscommunication could have serious consequences for all parties involved. That’s why it’s so essential to secure the services of an experienced legal translator; one who not only understands specialized legal terminology, but also has some familiarity with the legal systems of the countries involved.

International legal translators should have experience with a variety of documents, including patent and trademark documentation, marriage and birth certificates, legal contracts and agreements, court documentation, immigration paperwork, and more. Linguists with a background in this field will attest to the fact that it requires not only an understanding of legal jargon and excellent translation skills (native speakers are always a plus), but also a strong sense of ethics and an appreciation of the importance of the work – as well as the consequences that can result if it’s poorly done.

If You’re a Translator…

All this may sound daunting if you’re just starting out as a professional translator with aspirations of expanding your skills into the international legal arena. But you can reach your goal if you’re willing to take the time and gain the experience necessary to achieve it. Begin by focusing on building your reputation as an excellent linguist. Not all of your clients may be in the legal field, but over time – as you gain more experience in general – you can market your services to law firms or other companies closely related to the legal profession. Keep your focus on law. Learn the terminology. Build a clientele of lawyers. Once you’ve accomplished that, further narrow your focus to legal firms that specialize in international law. After you’ve established yourself with these clients, you will have the experience and skills to enter the highly competitive field of international legal translation.

If You Need a Translator…

Trying to locate a translator with all the abilities and traits you require – including exceptional translation skills, expertise in the international legal field, and a strong ethical code – may sound challenging. And, truth to tell, it is! That’s why hiring a professional linguist through a reputable translation company is the best choice for most organizations and agencies in the legal field. A good translation company can ensure that you are matched with the right translator for you – one that has excellent references, a solid background in the legal field, outstanding translation capabilities, and a strong work ethic.

Agencies that employ the services of international legal translators are almost as varied as the types of documents that need translation: from individual law firms to the United Nations to the European Court of Justice to the War Crimes Tribunals of The Hague. But as varied as these entities may be, they all share one thing in common: they require the services of only very highly skilled and dedicated professional linguists.

6 months ago Law Firms , Law Firm Web Design , Laws , Lawsuits No comment

Challenges Law Firms Face With IT Companies

Try to imagine your law firm operating without a cohesive computer network. Can you picture it? Most people today probably can’t. The computer network you use is the powerhouse of your firm, taking in information, delivering information, scheduling, keeping records and more. If it isn’t working well and predictably, your firm will suffer.

Why Do We Need IT?

Sometimes, the biggest IT challenge faced by a law firm is the period before it gets IT services. During that time, some firms will operate with no IT at all. They will call in a consultant or repair person if they believe there is a problem. And, have you ever heard that a guy is coming in to fix the system because he’s the brother of a friend and “knows a lot about computers?” There are plenty of small businesses that operate that way for a while until the demands of the computer network get too big for the current solution. That’s when firms realize that with IT services, they can keep the network running smoothly and keep it safe from hackers. Businesses of every size and description need IT personnel to monitor their computers systems and identify any problems quickly.

Attorney-Client Privilege and IT

You know how attorney-client privilege works, and you know how important it is to keep your clients’ information private. It’s part of your reputation and your livelihood. Hackers try harder than ever to steal data because it can be lucrative for the thieves. Today, hackers are targeting law firms in particular because they are known to keep so much private information about their clients. Getting malware into your system can get the names, social security numbers and even banking information that they can use to drain your clients dry. One of your biggest obstacles in the hackers’ path is your IT service. It monitors for any hacks, for malware and for unauthorized use of your system to act quickly before data is lost.

Modern Malware

We’ve all heard about viruses that can infect computers and ruin the data being held there. However, there are many more types of malware used y today’s hackers. One of the most popular of these is ransomware. All it takes is clicking a bad link, and your system may be closed down and held hostage until you pay the ransom to get it back. Because this type of attack is so lucrative, it’s gaining steam like never before. This year, a business will be hacked by ransomware every 14 seconds in the U.S. There are also keystroke trackers that can easily steal passwords and get into all of the websites you use, including financial accounts. Billions are spent every year to pay ransoms, and that doesn’t include the cost of fixing hacked computers, getting rid of viruses and losing clients after a hack.

Privacy and Security

So, you want to have IT services to help keep your system running and to protect it from hackers. How do you know the IT personnel will understand privileged information? This is why it’s so important to choose an IT provider who has experience with doing IT for law firms. This experience makes them fully aware of how sensitive some of the information on your network is and how important it is to keep it from any prying eyes. By using high-level encryption, regular maintenance and fixes when needed, your IT personnel can add many layers of security over your data so that it isn’t an easy target for thieves.

IT Services

One of the worst things that can happen to your firm is having a long list of clients that you have to contact to tell them that their data has been stolen from your computer network. It’s bad for your reputation, it’s bad for overall morale, and it can cost the firm dearly when it has to make restitution to all of the victims. If you never want to make those calls, make sure you have IT services in place to prevent thieves from coming and taking whatever they want.

6 months ago Personal Injury Lawyers , Law Firms , Laws No comment

Head Injury from a Car Accident? Here’s What to Do

Every year, approximately 2.78 million people are hospitalized for traumatic brain injuries like concussions.

Car accidents are the second most common cause of concussions. They account for about 20 percent of all concussion-related hospitalizations.

Trying to recover from a concussion is almost always challenging. It’s even more challenging when the concussion is the result of a car accident, though.

If you’re dealing with a concussion from car accident (or suspect you are), it’s important to take action as soon as possible to get the compensation you deserve.

Read on to learn exactly what you should do after finding out you have a concussion.

Signs of a Concussion

If you haven’t already been diagnosed with a concussion, you may want to evaluate your symptoms to see if you might be suffering from one. The following are some of the most common symptoms associated with a concussion:

• Confusion
• Clumsiness
• Dizziness
• Slurring your speech
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Headache
• Blurred vision
• Light sensitivity
• Noise sensitivity
• Fatigue or sluggishness
• Ringing in the ears
• Concentration problems
• Memory loss
• Behavior changes
• Personality changes

It’s important to note, too that the symptoms of concussions can sometimes be so mild that they’re hard to catch.

That’s why it’s important to see a doctor anytime you experience a head injury. Even if you think you’re fine, there might be something going on that has the potential to become a more serious issue.

What to Do After a Concussion

If you suspect you have a concussion based on the symptoms listed above, it’s now time to act. Here are the following steps you should take after sustaining a concussion or other head injury in a car accident:

Seek Medical Care

The first thing to do after sustaining a head injury in a car accident is to see a doctor. Even if you don’t notice any of the concussion symptoms listed above, you still need to see a physician.

A physician will perform the necessary tests to determine the severity of your injury. He or she will also be able to prescribe you medication to minimize your symptoms and reduce your risk of experiencing unpleasant and/or dangerous side effects.

Seeing a doctor is essential if you want to have evidence to back up your claim and get the compensation you deserve.

If you don’t have any documentation from a licensed physician verifying the extent of your injuries, you’re going to have a hard time building a strong case for yourself.

Rest

Adequate rest is essential after experiencing a concussion. It can often take between 7-10 days (if not longer) for your symptoms to subside and for you to start feeling more like yourself. Because of this, you need to take it easy and avoid pushing yourself to do too much, too soon.

In the period after your concussion, make sure you’re getting plenty of sleep. You might find that you’re more tired than usual after being injured.

Don’t fight your tiredness and try to stay awake. Let yourself rest as much as you need. After all, it’s when you’re sleeping deeply that your body is able to repair itself and take care of the damage that’s occurred.

Rest doesn’t just mean getting a lot of sleep, though. It also means avoiding strenuous activities. You might have to take some time off from your job to avoid making your symptoms work.

This is true even if your job is not demanding in a physical way. Staring at a computer screen for long periods of time isn’t good for those recovering from a concussion, either.

Be sure to avoid activities that are draining in an emotional way, too. This might mean avoiding intense or difficult conversations or staying away from people who tend to put a lot of pressure on or overwhelm you.

Monitor Yourself

While you’re resting and recovering from your concussion, you need to monitor yourself or have someone else monitor you.

Constant monitoring after a concussion is necessary to make sure your symptoms aren’t getting worse. If your symptoms worse after the initial injury, you may at risk of developing serious complications.

If left untreated, these complications could lead to severe or even permanent brain damage.

Potential Concussion Complications

One of the most common complications associated with a concussion is known as post-concussion syndrome.

Post-concussion syndrome occurs when concussion symptoms persist for a long time after a person is supposed to have made a full recovery.

Often, people dealing with post-concussion syndrome experience mild — but still serious — symptoms such as chronic headaches, dizziness, and trouble focusing.

These symptoms might become more severe as time goes on if the person doesn’t get treatment.

Hire a Lawyer

As you can see, there’s a lot you need to after experiencing a concussion in order to maintain good cognitive health and avoid potential complications.

How are you supposed to do all these activities (or lack of activities) while also working with insurance companies to get compensation for your medical care?

If you’re stressing out over how you’re going to pay your medical bills, you’re going to have a hard time getting the rest that is required after sustaining a concussion. That’s why it’s important to hire a concussion lawyer to help you handle your case.

A lawyer will do the negotiating and heavy lifting for you so you can focus on your recovery.

Many concussion lawyers also work on a contingency basis, so you don’t have to worry about paying them until after you’ve won your case.

Are You Suffering from a Concussion from Car Accident?

Dealing with a concussion can be a scary and stressful thing.

It’s even scarier and more stressful when you’re also trying to work with someone’s insurance company to make sure you have the money you need to pay for your medical treatment.

If you’re in this situation right now and are suffering from a concussion from car accident, having a concussion lawyer on your side can make all the difference.

Do you need to hire a concussion lawyer? If you’re having a hard time finding the right person for the job, we can help.

Check out our free online directory today to find qualified, experienced lawyers in your area.

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