Maine Law Practice Management

Most lawyers would tell you that the attorney-client relationship can be a pretty one-sided equation.   Lawyers do a lot for the benefit of clients .  Clients, on the other hand -- well . . . they’re relying o n lawyers to do the things for them.   Part of this, of course, is that attorneys have duties to clients; but, it’s also that lawyers set up these relationships like this .  Attorneys, when trying to get the work in the first place, work very hard to tell clients all about what they’ll do for them .  As the relationship continues forward, that how it gets structured: lawyer performs work, client pays for work.     Of course, the attorney-client relationship is better when the lawyer and the client work together .  Like when the client keeps the lawyer informed of what is happening in their life, that is relevant to the case .  Or, when the attorney doesn’t have to ask multiple times for items she needs .  Or even when semi...

It’s a whole new world for lawyers; but, one thing hasn’t changed: there are still a lot of them.     Yes, there are a staggering number of attorneys in the United States, both in terms of raw numbers, and when you look at per capita figures .  Yet, most of the law firms are very poor at differentiating , one from another .  Law firm websites spout platitudes about customer service and competency, and offer , what amount to very weak, reason s for a consumer to pick one law firm apart from another.     A ttorneys should consider new and interesting ways to create unique sales propositions, especially relevant to their customers, like these:     -If you’re one of a growing number of Americans fleeing major cities, you’ll find new opportunity being a community lawyer, without a specific practice focus, in smaller communities -- just as local referrals are on the rise .     -What practice areas are on the rise during the pandemi...

Although lawyers often guess about what legal consumers want, there are very specific and discoverable things that legal consumers want from lawyers .  And, knowing these things can allow you to convert more clients.   One of the things that legal consumers want from law firms is to know the total cost of legal services .  This doesn’t mean your hourly rate, because that’s uncapped.  And, consumer and corporate legal consumers are getting wise to the fact that hourly rates actually promote in efficiency.  I mean, think about it: the more hours you bill, the more money you make: So what’s the incentive for working fast ?  There isn’t one; in fact, there’ a disincentive for doing so.     The job for modern lawyers is to meet and exceed client expectations .  So, if you know (now you do) that clients want to know the total cost of representation before engaging a law firm, how do you provide for that?     It’s difficult to...