Archives 2022

The legal profession is under considerable strain. From an overwhelming mass of lawyers to highly cost-sensitive clientele to technology eating away at profits, law firms must focus on building their reputations if they are to survive let alone thrive. While the cornerstone of a law firm’s reputation is its legal expertise, other components come into play. Thought leadership and exceptional interpersonal relationships are two of them.

According to Frank Carone, executive partner at Abrams Fensterman and a renowned personal advisor to business owners and the wealthy, “The traditional focus on all the things that can go wrong is not going to be enough for law firms to be successful in today’s hyper-competitive environment. It’s becoming essential for law firms to be thinking ahead to show the way. The most successful law firms are thought, leaders. They need to be proactively looking for ways to help their clients become more successful. While this does involve solid risk mitigation, it also often entails combining state-of-the-art legal thinking with a strong understanding of business issues. Lawyers need to be creative and innovative in order to identify ways for their clients to excel.”

Thought leadership is increasingly important to the success of lawyers and their firms. It is essential for the content to be meaningful and insightful to the intended audiences. Problematically, most law firms fail to deliver high-value content. Moreover, in many law firms thought leadership initiatives are more regurgitation of other people’s ideas and are a form of thought fellowship.

Law firm reputations are also built in the trenches. The ability of lawyers to work effectively with clients is often paramount to building a sterling reputation. “Solid interpersonal skills are essential for lawyers today,” says Jeffrey Chiesa, co-chair of Chiesa, Shahinian & Giantomasi. “Lawyers must build trust with their clients. This is only possible when they are able to prove their expertise, when everything is transparent to clients, and when they are demonstrably efficient and reliable. It’s essential to not just meet client expectations but to exceed them. By building trust, lawyers at the law firm are building the law firm’s reputation.”

A law firm’s reputation is increasingly important in sourcing new business. So much so that it might very well be a mistake to not take steps to foster a powerful reputation. A number of factors play into this with legal expertise being primary. Meanwhile, being a thought leader and having lawyers with excellent interpersonal skills can be very effective in building the law firm’s reputation and consequently garnering new business.

When you are accused of a crime and facing a criminal charge, you don’t want to go into court unprepared. Most individuals end up losing their cases because they are unaware of their rights, legal technicalities, and proper court procedures. There is a long list of procedures to be followed when you have to go to court. So, you must seek legal assistance from a criminal defense attorney when the stakes are higher than a simple fine. Many individuals do not hire a criminal defense lawyer to save the cost and fees associated with it. But the fact is that hiring a criminal defense attorney is always a wise decision because the monetary fees of hiring a lawyer are always minimal as compared to the huge expenses resulting from losing your case. Hence, a criminal defense lawyer is necessary to have the best possible defense.

A criminal defense lawyer is well aware of the difference between all criminal cases so he can easily determine the factors and arguments that can be used to remove any charges relating to the alleged crime.

Let’s delve into some critical situations where you must seek the help of a criminal defense lawyer.

 

1.    Understanding of the Judicial System:

One of the most crucial reasons to hire a criminal defense attorney is that he has enough knowledge of how the judicial system of your country works. The legal system is complex and challenging to understand even for the people who work for it every day. Therefore, you should hire an experienced defense lawyer as he clearly understands the intricate workings and procedures of the court systems. He will guide you through the court process based on your case. Pasadena’s Criminal Lawyer has more than thirty years of experience in dealing with criminal cases.

2.    Following Proper Court Procedures:

When you have a good criminal defense lawyer in your corner, he will not compromise on your defense before even setting foot in court. There is so much paperwork involved when you are preparing to defend yourself in court and a professional criminal lawyer knows the proper way of processing your case documents. Many legal hurdles can prevent your access to the court and the prosecutor may use this fact to his advantage. Most courts dealing with criminal cases involve rigid deadlines, bottlenecks, and legal procedures that can make you negligent of your personal responsibilities. Therefore, you should have the powerful support of a well-experienced and professional criminal defense lawyer. When the prosecutor knows that he is up against an experienced and competent lawyer, you are more likely to win a plea bargain.

3.    Relationships with Prosecutors:

An experienced defense attorney has developed relationships with prosecutors after working in the legal field for years. While this may sound odd to you but lawyers have positive relationships with their counterparts as well. That is because both parties understand that they can have a better experience when they are familiar with each other. So, when you hire an experienced defense attorney, you can expect that he has developed a good relationship with your prosecutor. This relationship can prove to be useful for the outcome of your case. Their relationship may enable them to negotiate an affordable bond or a better plea deal. Your defense attorney is your spokesperson and knows how to rightly handle all the discussions and negotiations with law enforcement and prosecution. The discussion with the prosecution can often get heated but your lawyer can work to neutralize the situation. When your attorney has a good rapport and legal experience, you can rest assured that he will handle all the negotiations of your case professionally. If your lawyer has been working dedicatedly in your city, he may also be familiar with local judges and may be well aware of the best tactics to use for a particular judge when defending against the accusation.

 

4.    Better Examination of the Evidence:

Your prosecution has experts reviewing the evidence in the criminal case you are facing. So, you should also have a legal expert by your side. An experienced and competent criminal lawyer knows how to catch the evidence against you that may have been collected illegally to tamper your case. Moreover, your defense attorney knows how to deal with the witnesses who exaggerate the truth to prove the alleged crime and is able to point out any weakness in their statement immediately. Therefore, you need to hire a criminal defense lawyer to examine the evidence and witnesses presented by the prosecution. Moreover, when you hire a professional defense lawyer who belongs to a law firm, you will get support from a defense team. You can benefit from a wide range of connections your defense lawyer has with medical practitioners, private investigators, and expert witnesses. These connections can be consulted to add stronger evidence for your defense.

 

5.    Save You Money:

Although it may seem costly to hire a criminal defense attorney, you’ll actually end up saving money when you have an expert to guide you through the process. That is because when you have an expert attorney by your side, your case proceeds smoothly and efficiently. Therefore, a lawyer will reduce the amount of time your case can take to make it through the system. This can help you get back to your normal life as soon as possible. The financial considerations related to your charges can be higher as compared to the fee you pay to hire a criminal defense lawyer. Without a defense lawyer, the financial loss you bear can be higher resulting from lost income due to the time your case would take and the consequences of a potential conviction. Also, you can get a free consultation for your case from a well-reputed law firm.

 

6.    Get Expert Legal Advice:

A professional and experienced lawyer has spent years practicing law, so he knows how to deal with the charges in your case. He devises the legal ways to help defend your case. He knows how to use law in your best interests. You can rest assured that your defense lawyer has in-depth knowledge of the legal system and he is well aware of all the changes made to the law. He knows how to protect your rights from the prosecution and law enforcement. He will study your case carefully to find any evidence against you that may have been obtained improperly. He has the abilities to prove the wrong allegations with the help of strong evidence. Having your case reviewed by an expert criminal defense lawyer could lead you to have criminal charges dismissed successfully. He can easily identify the weaknesses that may exist in your case and knows the right tactics to hide them.

7.    Protect Your Future:

When you are facing a criminal charge, your life and future are on stake. Your life can dramatically change if you are proved guilty and you will have to pay high fees and penalties and spend years in prison. When you fail to defend yourself, the consequences can be serious from the inability to obtain a job to limitations on where you can live. A professional defense attorney can also help keep your criminal record clean so that it will not impact your future. Depending on your case and other circumstances, your attorney can have your charges reduces, penalties lessened, or the case dismissed. He can even help you set aside a conviction or have it removed from your record. He helps you avail the best possible options to reduce the impact a criminal conviction can have on your life.

 

8.    Get Personalized Attention:

While facing a criminal charge, you may feel like everyone is against you. You may not feel comfortable to share details of your case with the people who are close to you. When you have a sincere legal expert, you can comfortably discuss all your fears, insecurities, and everything regarding your case. Your defense lawyer will have your back. He will be there to support and guide you throughout the process. Many people suffer because of the lack of understanding of the court system and end up spending more time in jail or paying higher penalties. From not filing the proper paperwork to missing hearings, the process can be overwhelming for you to handle alone. A criminal defense lawyer understands the process when someone is arrested to the time when he or she is sentenced. That is why you need personalized attention of a criminal defense lawyer from the beginning of your case.

 

9.    Help You Consider All Settlement Options:

An expert criminal defense attorney can help you weigh all the choices you are offered from the types of charges to the plea deals options, and help you determine what’s best in your favor. He can also help you negotiate other potentially favorable options such as the possible dismissal of your case or reduction of penalties and charges. Other important options you may need to consider are whether you should accept a deal offered by the prosecution or go for the trial. Your attorney will inform you about all the potential consequences of every decision and the type of sentence you could face if you are convicted at a trial. He will also review all the outcomes of a guilty plea and can plea bargain a lighter settlement in exchange. You should not try to plea bargain without the help of a criminal defense lawyer.

78 percent of lawyers say that acquiring new business is one of their top challenges, according to a survey by Thomson Reuters Solo and Small Law Firm group. In other words, if law firm business development is difficult for you, you’re not alone.

There’s more to building a business than buying a few online ads and praying for clients. You’ll need to spend time building relationships, while also keeping existing clients happy to ensure repeat business—all of which can be more difficult than it sounds.

We’ve rounded up a few best practices surrounding client relationships, based on our webinar, Business Development Strategies for Law Firms, held by Clio’s own Lawyer in Residence, Joshua Lenon. As he puts it:

Quite frankly, a lot of your own career development centers around your ability to bring in business, so it’s something that you should be focussing on from day one.

Whether you’re starting a new practice, or just looking to brush up on your law firm business development skills, this list includes several valuable tools to build positive client relationships and ensure sustainable growth for your law firm.

Client relationships and law firm business development

For any law firm—or any business, for that matter—it’s important to focus on building strong client relationships. Happy clients will keep coming back, and they may also recommend your services to others.

There are plenty of ways to build relationships, but some approaches work better than others. If you want to build the best client relationships possible, take a look at this chart from BTI Consulting, which outlines 17 activities to consider.

Source: BTI Consulting

The two activities in the Business Magnets quadrant are less important. As Joshua says:

For the most part, your clients aren’t searching for an innovative approach. They’re not searching for a law firm that anticipates their needs, because they know that information already. They know what their needs are. So if you’re marketing yourself solely on these two features, while you might stand out a little bit, you might not be able to close the business. To close the business, you have to at least meet the price of admission.

In other words, the six activities listed in the Price of Admission quadrant outline the basic expectations most clients will have for you. Clients won’t single you out as exceptional for keeping them informed and dealing with unexpected changes, but you’ll need to demonstrate that you’re capable of these activities to close new business.

So how do you build client relationships to reach relationship bliss? According to Joshua and BTI, there are at least five things that you as a lawyer can do to keep your clients coming back:

1. Reach out with unprompted communication

Joshua states:

Unprompted communication is something that I think is really easy for lawyers to do, but so few actually do it. Reaching out to a client with an update—whether it’s significant or not—is a great way to show involvement in a matter, but a lot of lawyers don’t necessarily do this.

2. Pay attention to regional reputation management

For lawyers responsible for business development in solo, small, and medium-sized firms, Joshua notes:

You’re going to be dealing with regional clients, and they’re going to be asking their colleagues whom they turn to. If you have a regional reputation—and that can be demonstrated in a variety of different ways, whether it’s by participation in community activities, or by coverage in the local news—your ability to demonstrate that reputation will help you build a stronger relationship.

3. Offer a breadth of service

Lawyers can’t claim to specialize under most states’ ethical advertising rules, but many still fall into the trap of keeping a narrow focus and missing out on clients.

As Joshua explains:

We tend to focus on a particular area of expertise and seek clients for that. But clients are actually seeking lawyers that can handle their needs, not necessarily just your expertise.

Make sure that you’re open to helping clients, even if it means referring or handing a client off to an appropriate source for aid.

4. Demonstrate your value

As a lawyer, you need to be able to demonstrate your value. But while some lawyers charge upwards of $1,000 per hour, demonstrating dollar value can sometimes be difficult. And, clients can sometimes see lawyers as interchangeable, regardless of their skill or expertise.

That’s a problem—in that scenario, clients see cost but not value.

“You need to show the client you’re actually saving them money or time or emotional grief because they’re hiring you,” Joshua states.

5. Show a commitment to help

“You need to be able to understand the client’s business,” Joshua says. “It may be family affairs, it may actually be a business, but you need to be able to recognize what they’re actually seeking, focus on it, and demonstrate a commitment to help.”

How do you demonstrate this? Dan Pinnington does it with a simple question for clients: “What’s your greatest concern?” He finds that this forces his clients into a moment of clarity, and allows him to reassure them that he can help with their greatest worries as they apply to the matter at hand.

“Dan didn’t arrive at this question because he was told about it,” Joshua says. “He arrived at this question because that’s what worked with the clients he was seeking.”

Key takeaways

To sum up, here’s what you need to focus on to build strong client relationships for sustainable law firm business development:

• Reach out. Unprompted communication does wonders for showing your clients that you’re involved.
• Manage your local reputation. Get involved in your community to build relationships with potential clients.
• Broaden your horizons. Be ready to help anyone who comes through your door—even if it means referring them to another lawyer.
• Communicate value. Take extra care to explain how your services save your client money and/or time.
• Focus on helping. Ask your client what their greatest concern is, and show your commitment to helping with that.

There’s a lot more to successful law firm business development beyond building client relationships. Traditional networking activities and online promotion should also be part of your plan. You’ll also need to track your efforts to ensure they’re effective.