The Modern Firm, LLC

Attorneys are widely perceived as successful in life and many would affirm their satisfaction with their careers. But lawyers who can claim they “couldn’t be happier” are rare, and far more common are those who don’t take time to consider how making changes might yield greater satisfaction.

Some of you may remember the movie, City Slickers, starring Billy Crystal. He plays a radio ad salesperson who is going through a rough stage in his career. Like most, he complains to himself and others about his predicament, but unlike most, he is given a chance to reflect upon where he is in his career and where he’d like to go. The opportunity presents itself when he is asked by his son to talk to his elementary school class about his career. He begins his speech by saying, “value this time in your life. This is the time in your life when (more…)

Keeping good clients is important for the financial health and viability of every firm. According to a survey performed by BTI Consulting of Boston, law firms that actively track and measure client retention see 12% higher profits per attorney. Client retention rates are key indicators of client satisfaction. And we all know that a happy client doesn’t leave their law firm.

However, most law firms are still not monitoring their client retention rate. If you do nothing else in marketing this year, I strongly suggest you start your marketing program here. (more…)

One of the most commonly asked questions regarding our Law Firm Merchant Account service pertains to the rules surrounding trust accounts. The rules and requirements vary state by state, so you should check with your local bar to determine which of the following scenarios will work for you.

Scenario 1:

Tie the trust account directly to the merchant account and have discount fees withdrawn in a separate transaction.

With this configuration the entire deposit will be placed into the trust account. A separate transaction will withdraw the discount/processing fee from the trust account. Often the merchant can configure the (more…)

Law firms of every size and discipline face growing exposures with respect to breaches in their computer security and information systems, with increasingly sophisticated attacks occurring more frequently. Due to rapidly changing policy coverages and premium in this area, it is important that you frequently review your firm’s exposures and options for handling them. And just because you don’t handle web-based transactions it doesn’t mean you are insulated from a problem. Certainly, if your firm keeps records or information on-line or stored locally on hard-drives, (more…)

Several weeks ago a friend, the executive director of an organization, confessed that his office is a disaster. Professional journals pile up, phone messages are unanswered. Projects remain half completed. The in-box has become a storage box. Every meeting ends with additional paper and tasks to complete. E-mails arrive fast and furious begging for immediate response. He stated that he used to be very organized and had a handle on everything. Now, things seem to be overwhelming, spinning out of control. He wonders, “Is this just me?” and asks if I have seen this before with other professionals whom I coach. (more…)

There is a common misconception in a large segment of the legal profession that marketing equates to advertising and spending a lot of money. That couldn’t be more wrong. Marketing in law firms is all about sweating the details. The details cost you a little extra time and attention, but can deliver big dividends to your firm down the road. It is the best way to differentiate your firm from others.

Most important for every law firm are your relationships with clients. It’s the trust your clients develop in you, your knowledge of their business and industry, your responsiveness, anticipation of client needs, and, of course, the results you deliver. (more…)

I’m often asked by law firms to assist them in determining whether their advertising programs are cost-effective. Yellow Pages advertising is heavily used by small and mid-size law firms, primarily with consumer oriented practices. In fact, attorneys are the #1 category of advertising expenditures in the Yellow Pages, followed by doctors, insurance and dentists.

If you are running ads in the Yellow Pages, are they working for you? (more…)

When I ask attorneys if they are staying on top of their workload, the usual answer is “no.” Lawyers tend to work in a crisis management mode, proceeding from due date to due date. The calendar of filing deadlines drives the practice and rush jobs are common. Lawyers could benefit from applying project management techniques prevalent in the business world to managing their case load. This effort requires planning, teamwork, cooperation, effective delegation, clear communications and scheduling.

A project is any complex task that involves many subtasks, scheduling of work and staff and monitoring of progress. Typical projects in a law office can be pleadings & briefs, transactional documents, legal opinions, preparation of a marketing plan, or purchase of a new computer system. Lawyers have a tendency to look at due dates for their deliverables rather than figuring out when to actually do the work.

Project management skills are essential to successful litigation, (more…)

Without a doubt, clients can be your best source of referrals. Yet in my 18 years of marketing work with lawyers, I have met few who actually ask clients for referrals.

Some may believe that their clients will automatically refer business to them if the opportunity should arise and therefore, there is no need for the lawyer to ask. Others may be reluctant to ask a client for fear that the client would say no because they may not have been completely satisfied with some aspect of the lawyer’s handling of their case.

If you want to increase your business, get in the habit of asking your clients for referrals. (more…)

There are many reasons why a law firm should have a website but few of them apply across all firm types and sizes as well as referral conversion and online image control. If you do not have a website, there is no telling what will appear when a prospective client searches for your name. In fact, check yourself out by visiting Google and searching for yourself.

Put yourself in the shoes of a prospective client. If they have your name from a referral and decide to look you up online, what to they see, in what order to they see it, and is it easy to find you? If the answers to those questions aren’t coming up in your favor, you’re losing the best type of business there is.

To learn more about the benefits of websites for attorneys and law firms, continue to explore our website and our work. Or, simply give us a call and pick our brains, we’re always happy to talk.