Add Biz

Read Our Blogs

How to Put a Smaller Law Firm on the Map

When most people think of successful law firms, they conjure up images of large corporations that have dominated news headlines. However, it is just as possible for smaller law firms to make a big impact. This is true even if you don’t have the kind of resources that bigger firms do.

So, just how can you go about making your small law firm a success? Well, to ensure that you go about things the right way, follow the guidelines provided below:

Find a Niche

Larger firms can afford to practice numerous types of law. This, of course, is because they have the staff and resources to back them up. A smaller firm, however, doesn’t have this luxury. Thus, you will often find that you are better off with finding a niche for your firm. This way, you can put all your effort into one aspect of the law.

So, how do you figure out what branch to focus on? Well, you should first consider what you are most passionate about or most interested in. Keep in mind, it will be a lot easier to put in the work if the subject matter is something that you genuinely enjoy.

At the same time, you should pay attention to the current trends in the industry. What areas appear to be growing by leaps and bounds? Or, what new options are emerging? If you hone in on these, you will be able to get into an untapped market. Naturally, this means that there is less competition and more opportunities available to your firm.

Hire Well and Make an Effort

Now, this goes without saying, but without the right lawyers, it can be virtually impossible to make your firm a success. What many small law firms struggle with, though, is garnering talent. After all, the more established firms are able to offer money, higher positions, and prestige.

Thus, you have to approach things more creatively. One thing you can do is look for promising individuals in law schools. Consider getting people on board even before they have taken the bar exam. Then, offer help and prep courses on sites such as https://testmaxprep.com/bar-exam/courses/texas-bar-review as an incentive.

Of course, getting the right talent is only half the issue. You also have to be able to retain them. For this purpose, it all about treating your employees right. If you are good to them and provide them with opportunities to grow and flourish, you can guarantee that they won’t go anywhere.

Training is also a rather important part of the puzzle. The more that you train your employees – and invest in them – the more satisfied they will be. In turn, they will be less likely to leave the firm.

Become More Efficient

Efficiency is key to a smaller firm. Since you have a smaller number of people juggling so many jobs, you can’t afford to let anything slide. This is why one of your main focuses should be efficacy in all areas of the firm.

Fortunately, technology has made this a lot easier for you to manage. Thus, one of the first things that you should determine is what kind of software will benefit your firm. Sure, in the beginning, you may need to invest in technology a bit. However, it will pay off later on.

One way to do this is to ensure that you are using the same system for all elements of your law firm, across the board. This way, everything will be synced up smoothly, ensuring that there are no gaps in information or data.

At the same time, identify which areas of the law firm will most benefit from technology and attend to these accordingly. For instance, your goal should be to reduce the amount of admin-related tasks that your lawyers do. On a similar note, they should also not have to waste time on non-essential, repetitive activities.

Have an Online Presence

As mentioned, it can be difficult for smaller firms to take on law firms in a physical sense. The good news, though, is that you can do this on online platforms. In particular, you should focus your efforts on social media platforms.

Naturally, you do have to be careful about how you go about doing this. This is because you need your clients, potential clients, and industry partners to see you as a reliable legal source. Thus, your main focus should be on establishing such a reputation.

You can make good legal points, create legal content for the layperson, and strategically place yourself in trending conversations. This will show people what you are capable of without having to resort to more obvious marketing tactics. In this way, you can build up a more credible reputation.

Focus On Building Your Business

Now, building your business doesn’t necessarily mean making it larger. Instead, it is more about polishing your current firm so that you are offering the best kind of legal assistance within your community.

There are several ways to go about doing this. For instance, you can take a closer look at what you want your firm to stand for. This can become your brand personality and also be the vision that you share with both your employees as well as your clients.

Another thing you can do is to create practices and policies within your firm. This will ensure that you and all your employees are on the same page. As a result, you can cut down on errors and misunderstandings.

Last but certainly not least, look at how you can improve your customer service. One way you can do this is to carefully consider any issues or points of contention that your clients may have brought up. Then, think of how this situation can be avoided in the future.

Of course, for this to have maximum impact, you need to communicate with your clients that you are making the necessary changes. This will show them that their words have real weight within your firm.

These are the top ways to put your smaller firm on the map. So, if you really want to be a competitor within your field, you now know exactly what you need to do.