Jul
29
Marketing For Law Firms Via Attorney-Client Matching Services - Part II
Filed Under legal | Comments Off
Henry Harlow asked:
What are these new attorney-client matching services? Who are the players? What do they cost? What is the risk to me? What is the return for me? What is the buzz on them? Are they ethical as marketing for law firms? Will they save me money and are they for me? Will they get me clients I would not have otherwise? The answers to these questions was begun in Part 1 which focused on the facts of this marketing for law firms vehicle. This article, Part II, gives you “the rest of the story” as Paul Harvey would say.
Conclusions and Recommendations on Attorney-Client Matching
Let me list my current thoughts/conclusions in this marketing for law firms niche of attorney-client matching services and from there it is up to you to make your decision:
1.This marketing for law firms vehicle clearly has some merit. This approach can deliver business to you that you would not get otherwise and get it to you now. Yes, you can do better and at least arguably cheaper for yourself through the right Internet attorney marketing strategies (see my website). However, it is not going to happen tomorrow and attorney-client matching can happen tomorrow. You can build your own systems while using these systems and then decide if you want to continue their systems or not. They will always probably get some business you would not have gotten otherwise even if you had your own online systems.
2.Unfortunately you are only “renting” the methods used to get the business you are being sent and don’t “own” the business methods used. If you had the correct Internet marketing for law firms system up you would have a salable asset in those systems and be driving traffic exclusively to you, which is better than this option almost certainly in the long run for most if not all attorneys. Additionally, as a general principle it is not good to be dependent on any one source of referrals as I am sure you know. That said I still think attorney-client matching services are a good option before you have your own Internet marketing systems and/or other marketing systems up. You may even want to continue these services after you have your own systems up. Having your own systems up makes you more secure and now you are at choice about staying with the service or not.
3.Who is this marketing for law firms vehicle for really?
a.Someone who needs more business right now. These systems have a stream of business coming right now and they can send it your way right now. Other attorney marketing systems will take some time to make happen and yield results.
b.Someone who is very, very clear they don’t want to be involved in the marketing process and are willing to pay someone else to do it for them even if it costs them more and they are “renting”. If that is you, then this is probably a good move for you. That said, you still are going to have to “close” the client they send you via email or on the phone so you are going to be involved in marketing at that level, just less marketing. You are never going to get away from that aspect unless you are an associate who does nothing but technical work in someone else’s practice (not that there is anything wrong with that).
c.Someone who is doing some attorney marketing that is not working for them or not working very effectively for them since if you stop what is not working and do this type that is working you may be able to reduce your marketing costs while increasing your revenue stream.
d.Finally, a partner level attorney who has a senior associate that has good people skills that could work this marketing for law firms vehicle and close the referred clients.
4.Who is this type of attorney marketing not for?
a.Someone who won’t attend to the referrals from the matching service most if not nearly every working day.
b.Someone who does not have fair to good “closing skills” or “bedside manner” (Note: you can get some coaching from these firms to improve this aspect if needed and/or see my website for more information on this skill set). You are not the only attorney getting the referral from the match firm so you need to “shine” well enough to get hired. There is still an element of competition involved with maybe 3 to 5 other attorneys who got the same referral.
c.Someone in a geographic area that does not generate a lot of referrals in your practice area. Like a rural area or small town or maybe an estate planner in a low-income area. So you see this marketing for law firms vehicle is not for everyone.
5.The negative information on LegalMatch and CasePost is somewhat troubling to me even though much of it is from the past and has been positively addressed. The negative information of the past on LegalMatch appears to have not troubled the Utah Bar, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. This is reassuring to me.
6.If you were reasonably sure this type of vehicle is for you I would go with LegalMatch first. I am presuming you are willing to work their system diligently and have at least low average “closing” skills (they will work with you to get your closing ratio up if you need some support in that area). Why LegalMatch? They have over 1500 members currently (a good sign I think), over 90 employees and have been in business longer. I figure that gives them an edge in knowledge, results and staying in business over time. Additionally, their “footprint” of bringing business to their members is almost certainly larger since they have more resources to drive business to their site than the others. If for some reason you are uncertain if this type of marketing for law firms is for you then I would go with LegalFish first. Why LegalFish? The LegalFish option would allow you to get into this marketing for law firms arena now with less expense and less risk than LegalMatch or CasePost. Do realize the LegalFish attorney marketing “footprint” is going to be much smaller than either of the other two services so they won’t be sending as large a volume of business your way almost certainly. Do be sure you have in your agreement with LegalFish that they will not charge you for the months they do not send you business. If you had a good experience working the referrals from LegalFish, diligently worked the system almost daily, realized a good return on your investment and you wanted to do more then I would look into LegalMatch next. Either starting with LegalMatch or LegalFish, if you find that you really liked this approach to marketing for law firms there is nothing wrong with belonging to two or even three of the services.
7.If you decide to become a member with LegalMatch, Case Post and/or LegalFish do remember your financial arrangement and term of membership are somewhat to greatly negotiable. Do negotiate a win/win agreement for yourself. Naturally, if you can get references of current members to contact from them in your practice area and in a similar type market to yours so much the better before you sign your agreement.
8.I probably would not go with Lawyers dot com at this point. Why? First, no guarantee. Next Lawyers dot com does not appear to me to be promoting that part of the site enough. Additionally, I am not sure it is worth the cost of the bio and the fee that together will run at least $2,400 for the year. I suspect this money could be better put to use with one of the “big three”. Lastly, given the consumer has a list of attorneys that could be large (search on the site for your zip code and practice areas and see how large it is for your area) you are going to be in a crowd I fear. Thus it looks like not much business and it seems no way to impact the consumers’ thinking in your direction at the point where they are selecting who to contact. An exception to this thinking is if you already have a bio listing with them (and it is delivering business to you) this add on service might be a useful attorney marketing move given you are only spending $495 more per year. That said keep good records and see if it produces you any business. If not you would stop the service of course.
9.With respect to LegalConnection dot com I probably would not go with them at this point. Why? No guarantee. I do see it as an advantage that it is a stand-alone away from the FindLaw site. For that reason alone I would favor it over Lawyers dot com, however, I don’t see LegalConnection or Lawyers dot com as being in the same class as the “big three” at this point in time.
Jack
What are these new attorney-client matching services? Who are the players? What do they cost? What is the risk to me? What is the return for me? What is the buzz on them? Are they ethical as marketing for law firms? Will they save me money and are they for me? Will they get me clients I would not have otherwise? The answers to these questions was begun in Part 1 which focused on the facts of this marketing for law firms vehicle. This article, Part II, gives you “the rest of the story” as Paul Harvey would say.
Conclusions and Recommendations on Attorney-Client Matching
Let me list my current thoughts/conclusions in this marketing for law firms niche of attorney-client matching services and from there it is up to you to make your decision:
1.This marketing for law firms vehicle clearly has some merit. This approach can deliver business to you that you would not get otherwise and get it to you now. Yes, you can do better and at least arguably cheaper for yourself through the right Internet attorney marketing strategies (see my website). However, it is not going to happen tomorrow and attorney-client matching can happen tomorrow. You can build your own systems while using these systems and then decide if you want to continue their systems or not. They will always probably get some business you would not have gotten otherwise even if you had your own online systems.
2.Unfortunately you are only “renting” the methods used to get the business you are being sent and don’t “own” the business methods used. If you had the correct Internet marketing for law firms system up you would have a salable asset in those systems and be driving traffic exclusively to you, which is better than this option almost certainly in the long run for most if not all attorneys. Additionally, as a general principle it is not good to be dependent on any one source of referrals as I am sure you know. That said I still think attorney-client matching services are a good option before you have your own Internet marketing systems and/or other marketing systems up. You may even want to continue these services after you have your own systems up. Having your own systems up makes you more secure and now you are at choice about staying with the service or not.
3.Who is this marketing for law firms vehicle for really?
a.Someone who needs more business right now. These systems have a stream of business coming right now and they can send it your way right now. Other attorney marketing systems will take some time to make happen and yield results.
b.Someone who is very, very clear they don’t want to be involved in the marketing process and are willing to pay someone else to do it for them even if it costs them more and they are “renting”. If that is you, then this is probably a good move for you. That said, you still are going to have to “close” the client they send you via email or on the phone so you are going to be involved in marketing at that level, just less marketing. You are never going to get away from that aspect unless you are an associate who does nothing but technical work in someone else’s practice (not that there is anything wrong with that).
c.Someone who is doing some attorney marketing that is not working for them or not working very effectively for them since if you stop what is not working and do this type that is working you may be able to reduce your marketing costs while increasing your revenue stream.
d.Finally, a partner level attorney who has a senior associate that has good people skills that could work this marketing for law firms vehicle and close the referred clients.
4.Who is this type of attorney marketing not for?
a.Someone who won’t attend to the referrals from the matching service most if not nearly every working day.
b.Someone who does not have fair to good “closing skills” or “bedside manner” (Note: you can get some coaching from these firms to improve this aspect if needed and/or see my website for more information on this skill set). You are not the only attorney getting the referral from the match firm so you need to “shine” well enough to get hired. There is still an element of competition involved with maybe 3 to 5 other attorneys who got the same referral.
c.Someone in a geographic area that does not generate a lot of referrals in your practice area. Like a rural area or small town or maybe an estate planner in a low-income area. So you see this marketing for law firms vehicle is not for everyone.
5.The negative information on LegalMatch and CasePost is somewhat troubling to me even though much of it is from the past and has been positively addressed. The negative information of the past on LegalMatch appears to have not troubled the Utah Bar, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. This is reassuring to me.
6.If you were reasonably sure this type of vehicle is for you I would go with LegalMatch first. I am presuming you are willing to work their system diligently and have at least low average “closing” skills (they will work with you to get your closing ratio up if you need some support in that area). Why LegalMatch? They have over 1500 members currently (a good sign I think), over 90 employees and have been in business longer. I figure that gives them an edge in knowledge, results and staying in business over time. Additionally, their “footprint” of bringing business to their members is almost certainly larger since they have more resources to drive business to their site than the others. If for some reason you are uncertain if this type of marketing for law firms is for you then I would go with LegalFish first. Why LegalFish? The LegalFish option would allow you to get into this marketing for law firms arena now with less expense and less risk than LegalMatch or CasePost. Do realize the LegalFish attorney marketing “footprint” is going to be much smaller than either of the other two services so they won’t be sending as large a volume of business your way almost certainly. Do be sure you have in your agreement with LegalFish that they will not charge you for the months they do not send you business. If you had a good experience working the referrals from LegalFish, diligently worked the system almost daily, realized a good return on your investment and you wanted to do more then I would look into LegalMatch next. Either starting with LegalMatch or LegalFish, if you find that you really liked this approach to marketing for law firms there is nothing wrong with belonging to two or even three of the services.
7.If you decide to become a member with LegalMatch, Case Post and/or LegalFish do remember your financial arrangement and term of membership are somewhat to greatly negotiable. Do negotiate a win/win agreement for yourself. Naturally, if you can get references of current members to contact from them in your practice area and in a similar type market to yours so much the better before you sign your agreement.
8.I probably would not go with Lawyers dot com at this point. Why? First, no guarantee. Next Lawyers dot com does not appear to me to be promoting that part of the site enough. Additionally, I am not sure it is worth the cost of the bio and the fee that together will run at least $2,400 for the year. I suspect this money could be better put to use with one of the “big three”. Lastly, given the consumer has a list of attorneys that could be large (search on the site for your zip code and practice areas and see how large it is for your area) you are going to be in a crowd I fear. Thus it looks like not much business and it seems no way to impact the consumers’ thinking in your direction at the point where they are selecting who to contact. An exception to this thinking is if you already have a bio listing with them (and it is delivering business to you) this add on service might be a useful attorney marketing move given you are only spending $495 more per year. That said keep good records and see if it produces you any business. If not you would stop the service of course.
9.With respect to LegalConnection dot com I probably would not go with them at this point. Why? No guarantee. I do see it as an advantage that it is a stand-alone away from the FindLaw site. For that reason alone I would favor it over Lawyers dot com, however, I don’t see LegalConnection or Lawyers dot com as being in the same class as the “big three” at this point in time.
Jack
Jul
25
micwingman asked:
I have an appointment with a local attorney, but doubt if he will be bold enough. Or will pursue it vigorously. Even though I have a better than average case against a major computer maker.
Milton
I have an appointment with a local attorney, but doubt if he will be bold enough. Or will pursue it vigorously. Even though I have a better than average case against a major computer maker.
Milton
Jul
22
Selecting a Bankruptcy Attorney
Filed Under legal | Comments Off
Miodrag Trajkovic asked:
Every one of us goes through a phase in life where there’s a reversal of fortune. You may be very successful, your business doing well and there is an outpouring of money and you have not faced too many problems. And there may come a time when the situation is adverse and your stars aren’t too hot. You then begin to realize that your financial life is no more the same. You may face a lot of financial crises. This is when you may want to file for bankruptcy. When you start thinking of bankruptcy, you will need some guidance in the whole process. You may come across a lot of legal terminologies in the process of filing for bankruptcy so you may need to hire some expertise in this area. You may have to hire a bankruptcy attorney.
A bankruptcy attorney will be able to give you useful insights, alternatives, terms and conditions and possible escape routes. You may find a legal counselor in a bankruptcy attorney. He is one person who has enough knowledge about the concepts, terminologies and guidelines that are related to bankruptcy. Do not make the mistake of choosing any practicing attorney. You will have to find some one who is an expert in the field. You will require the services of a good bankruptcy attorney.
The important matters that must be kept in mind before hiring the expertise of a bankruptcy attorney include the consideration of the level of confidence of the bankruptcy attorney. Check his background. Does he know the recent laws? Has he won the cases that he has handled? What is his credibility? Is his reputation good? Get an opinion from his other clients. By doing so you will know his capability and gauge his efficiency in handling your case.
Also the other main concern would be the fees that you will have to pay the bankruptcy attorney. If he is reputed in his field he may charge you a substantial amount by way of fees. If a bankruptcy attorney is new to the field, you can bargain and pay him a reasonable amount.
If you have not yet decided about filing a case of bankruptcy, but only want some advice and some enlightenment from a bankruptcy attorney, then the best option is to go to free consultation attorneys. You’ll find them a concerned lot and though they will probably have many cases, do give it a try. Do not be hesitant, be comfortable and share details about your case with them.
It is possible that the bankruptcy attorney that you have appointed is patient with your questions. It is very natural to ask questions because it is the best way to get details of bankruptcy filing. Find a bankruptcy lawyer who is approachable.
It is very important to get a bankruptcy attorney who will represent your case. Try and find the best if you want the case to go on smoothly
Raul
Every one of us goes through a phase in life where there’s a reversal of fortune. You may be very successful, your business doing well and there is an outpouring of money and you have not faced too many problems. And there may come a time when the situation is adverse and your stars aren’t too hot. You then begin to realize that your financial life is no more the same. You may face a lot of financial crises. This is when you may want to file for bankruptcy. When you start thinking of bankruptcy, you will need some guidance in the whole process. You may come across a lot of legal terminologies in the process of filing for bankruptcy so you may need to hire some expertise in this area. You may have to hire a bankruptcy attorney.
A bankruptcy attorney will be able to give you useful insights, alternatives, terms and conditions and possible escape routes. You may find a legal counselor in a bankruptcy attorney. He is one person who has enough knowledge about the concepts, terminologies and guidelines that are related to bankruptcy. Do not make the mistake of choosing any practicing attorney. You will have to find some one who is an expert in the field. You will require the services of a good bankruptcy attorney.
The important matters that must be kept in mind before hiring the expertise of a bankruptcy attorney include the consideration of the level of confidence of the bankruptcy attorney. Check his background. Does he know the recent laws? Has he won the cases that he has handled? What is his credibility? Is his reputation good? Get an opinion from his other clients. By doing so you will know his capability and gauge his efficiency in handling your case.
Also the other main concern would be the fees that you will have to pay the bankruptcy attorney. If he is reputed in his field he may charge you a substantial amount by way of fees. If a bankruptcy attorney is new to the field, you can bargain and pay him a reasonable amount.
If you have not yet decided about filing a case of bankruptcy, but only want some advice and some enlightenment from a bankruptcy attorney, then the best option is to go to free consultation attorneys. You’ll find them a concerned lot and though they will probably have many cases, do give it a try. Do not be hesitant, be comfortable and share details about your case with them.
It is possible that the bankruptcy attorney that you have appointed is patient with your questions. It is very natural to ask questions because it is the best way to get details of bankruptcy filing. Find a bankruptcy lawyer who is approachable.
It is very important to get a bankruptcy attorney who will represent your case. Try and find the best if you want the case to go on smoothly
Raul
Jul
16
What happens if you don’t pay attorney fees after the attorney assists you with a case?
Filed Under legal | 3 Comments
mckeemanb75 asked:
A friend of mine was involved with a criminal trespass case in which he visited an attorney for advise. At no time did he advise this attorney that he wanted his representation. When his court date came, the attorney was there and assisted with the case. There was no contract signed or anything of that nature. This happend in 2003. Bills are still being sent to his house from his attorney, but he has not paid anything.
Alice
A friend of mine was involved with a criminal trespass case in which he visited an attorney for advise. At no time did he advise this attorney that he wanted his representation. When his court date came, the attorney was there and assisted with the case. There was no contract signed or anything of that nature. This happend in 2003. Bills are still being sent to his house from his attorney, but he has not paid anything.
Alice
Jul
15
Legal Matters - Power Of Attorney
Filed Under legal | Comments Off
Lucy Bartlett asked:
A person can issue a letter to another person authorizing him to act in business or legal matters on his behalf and this is called a letter of attorney, or power of attorney in common law. The person who is issuing the power of attorney is known as principal and the person who acts on behalf of the principal is known as attorney-in-fact or agent. The attorney-in-fact is authorized to sign documents in the name of the principal.
When a person is incapacitated because of some ailment and could not sign a cheque, that person can request another person to do so through oral instructions. Institutions such as banks, hospitals, IRS in the US insist on a power of attorney in writing to honour the instructions and they normally take up the original letter with them for their records.
The signature of the principal in a power of attorney should be notarized to get a legal status similar to the case of signatures in any deed in normal circumstances which are notarized. This process is known as “equal dignity rule”.
The scope of the power of attorney can be defined in the letter itself. It can be a limited power of attorney to carry out specific acts or it can be a broad or general power of attorney to carry out any and all acts on behalf of the principal. A court will interpret the scope of power of attorney, exactly as described in the letter. A time limit can be set to a power of attorney.
Upon the death of the principal, the power of attorney becomes invalid. It also becomes invalid when the principal becomes incapacitated due to mental illness or physical injury unless a provision is made in the original power of attorney specifically exempting such provisions.
This type of “durable power of attorney” or “living will” enables the agent to make decisions regarding the health care of the principal in case it is needed.
In a “springing power of attorney”, the power granted becomes valid only when specific acts described in the letter takes place - such as illness, which incapacitates the principal - in the future. Due to the privacy legislation in US, doctors will not provide medical history or related information regarding the capacity of the principal unless specific authorisation is given in the power of attorney.
The principal of a power of attorney can revoke the powers granted by informing the attorney-in-fact that it is revoked.
A template for various kinds of power of attorney with standardized forms are available for use and various organizations also provide the same to their customers, patients, clients, members or employees.
Anna
A person can issue a letter to another person authorizing him to act in business or legal matters on his behalf and this is called a letter of attorney, or power of attorney in common law. The person who is issuing the power of attorney is known as principal and the person who acts on behalf of the principal is known as attorney-in-fact or agent. The attorney-in-fact is authorized to sign documents in the name of the principal.
When a person is incapacitated because of some ailment and could not sign a cheque, that person can request another person to do so through oral instructions. Institutions such as banks, hospitals, IRS in the US insist on a power of attorney in writing to honour the instructions and they normally take up the original letter with them for their records.
The signature of the principal in a power of attorney should be notarized to get a legal status similar to the case of signatures in any deed in normal circumstances which are notarized. This process is known as “equal dignity rule”.
The scope of the power of attorney can be defined in the letter itself. It can be a limited power of attorney to carry out specific acts or it can be a broad or general power of attorney to carry out any and all acts on behalf of the principal. A court will interpret the scope of power of attorney, exactly as described in the letter. A time limit can be set to a power of attorney.
Upon the death of the principal, the power of attorney becomes invalid. It also becomes invalid when the principal becomes incapacitated due to mental illness or physical injury unless a provision is made in the original power of attorney specifically exempting such provisions.
This type of “durable power of attorney” or “living will” enables the agent to make decisions regarding the health care of the principal in case it is needed.
In a “springing power of attorney”, the power granted becomes valid only when specific acts described in the letter takes place - such as illness, which incapacitates the principal - in the future. Due to the privacy legislation in US, doctors will not provide medical history or related information regarding the capacity of the principal unless specific authorisation is given in the power of attorney.
The principal of a power of attorney can revoke the powers granted by informing the attorney-in-fact that it is revoked.
A template for various kinds of power of attorney with standardized forms are available for use and various organizations also provide the same to their customers, patients, clients, members or employees.
Anna