How to Start a Law Firm

We've Moved Starting a Law Firm!!!

noreply@blogger.com (CMS) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 21:15:00 +0000

We've moved this blog over to our own site - you can find it by clicking the link - How to Start a Law Firm.

Join us over there for new posts, new info, and new great discussions.

Also, if you've subscribed to this feed, I think you'll have to start subscribing to the new one - this one won't work any more.

Thanks!

What are You Struggling With?

noreply@blogger.com (CMS) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 00:47:00 +0000

This post isn't about me. It's all about you. Every week I'm sitting here trying to guess what you'd like to hear about, when I could just very easily ask you what you'd like to know. Well, today is the day. I want to know what you are struggling with and I'll try my best to help you with it.

So, here's what I want you to do:

1. Comment to this post right now with something you are struggling with right now as it pertains to starting a law firm; and

2. Get ready to get some great information in return.

I can guarantee you that when you post your struggles they are going to resonate with someone else, as their struggles will with you.

I look forward to hearing from you!

UPDATE

Just wanted to say I love the questions so far, and here's the important part, we should all be helping with these answers! Think I've said something dumb? Did something you hear spark a thought? Share it with others. And if you've got any more struggles to share, I'd love to hear them.

And I'll share a struggle of mine.

Right now I'm struggling with really getting to that next level. Business is steady, it's good, but I feel like I'm treading water. I hate that feeling. I'm trying to build on what I already have but I feel like it's too slow.

Keep em coming!

Starting a Law Firm and Dealing with "The Competition" (or lack thereof)

noreply@blogger.com (CMS) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:40:00 +0000

The idea for this article actually came from an article I was reading today about leadership and figuring out how one can become the best leader they can be. The gist of the article was that what we have to offer in the way of leadership is specific to the unique talents, abilities, and perspective that we bring to our relationships, and to try to fashion our leadership style after someone else just because we've deemed them to be successful is setting our self up for failure.

For example, who does everybody want to be like today? Steve Jobs. Hell, even I've written a blog post here about what lawyers can learn from Steve Jobs.

The thing about Steve Jobs, though, was that he was an asshole. He was a genius, but his leadership style was authoritarian, leading by fear. So people are trying to be like this because they think it will make them a great leader. In the end, all it does is make them miserable.

So What Does Leadership have to do with "The Competition" and a Successful Law Firm

I'm going to tell you right now.

The correlation I made with this article about leadership, which by the way, I thought was spot on, and your competitors in the legal field is our propensity to look at who is successful out there in the market and then do what they've done. The correlation is the same too - if you simply try to copy the people you think are successful, you're likely to fail. I want to talk about why I think that is.

1. Your Competitors May Not be Doing as Well as You Thought

One of the funny things about law firms and their success is how deceiving it can be if one decides it should be that way. What I mean is, there may be people you see in court all the time, with a ton of cases, that you think are very successful. But if you pull the curtain back, you might be surprised to see that they are barely keeping their head above water because all those clients aren't adding up in the bank account like you thought they were.

And yes, I know, they may be just as successful as you think they are, too. But here's where I'm coming from with regard to this - who cares what they are doing?

Trying to be like everyone else is a great way to be miserable. It is a great way to suppress your ideas, your goals, and the path of your law firm, all because you think someone else is successful. Just like failing to follow your own leadership style, failing to follow your own ownership style will eventually doom you.

2. Okay, I Hear You, So What the Heck Does that Mean?

Let me start this part of the article off by saying I'm not saying you shouldn't steal a good idea when you see it. Coming up with everything on your own is dumb too. What I'm trying to say is incorporate what you perceive to be good ideas, whether they be marketing, leadership, management, or anything else, into your philosophy as a lawyer and as a business owner.

For example, go read my post about Steve Jobs. I thought the book was excellent. I thought there were a lot of great things to learn from the way Steve Jobs took an idea and made it into the most successful company in history. For example, the attention to detail that Jobs expected of his employees was something I try to take back to my office. But what I didn't take away from that book was that you've got to be a dictator to be successful.

When you start your law firm, take the time to dream about what it will be like. What will you like about your firm? What will you like about your employees? What kind of experience do you want to provide your clients? The answers to those questions are going to define the philosophy of your firm. They are going to lead you where you need to go to be successful. They are your compass when you are making a decision on where the firm needs to go.

3. Wrapping it Up: Dealing with the Competition

I've got to be honest with you, when it comes to my competitors, in a lot of ways I say "what competitors." One of the great things about being a lawyer and running a law firm is the competition is not very business-minded. You aren't going up against a bunch of Harvard MBAs, you're going up against a bunch of Harvard JDs. That's a big difference.

As you set out to form your law firm, don't be too concerned with the competition. I like to think of the competition as a bunch of experiments I didn't have to pay for to run. Take the successful things each incorporates (i.e. those things that you think provide the law firm experience people are looking for) and steal them. Throw away the bad things, and then finish it off with your own ideas.

One great thing I did from the start when thinking about a lot of ideas related to my firm (particularly when it came to business development) was to immediately do the opposite of what everyone else was doing. There are people out there that need your help. There are people out there that will pay for it. Taking an ad out in the yellow pages is the lazy way to try to get in front of those people. Taking an ad out in the bar journal is lazy. Coming up with something no one else is doing that differentiates you from everyone else and demonstrates a strong value proposition is what people are looking for.

How do you deal with "the competition." How happy are you with the direction of your firm. Are you trying too hard to be Steve Jobs and failing to take advantage of your own strengths?

As always, I love hearing your comments, questions, and suggestions. Let's hear them!

Starting a Law Firm | Leaving Blogger | Book Update | RJon Questions

noreply@blogger.com (CMS) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:56:00 +0000

Okay, it's Friday, and I'm about to go home. But, I didn't want to leave you empty handed, so I figured I'd throw a little post at you. This one is another reader question, this time about RJon's services. I've talked about him before (here, and here at least) but thought I'd talk about him again since I got two questions about him this week.

Before I get to that, though, I want to let you in on some info. First, I'm moving this blog off of blogger. It's going to be gone from here as soon as I get it all set up. The new URL is http://www.startingyourlawfirm.com. I'm moving away from here for one simple reason - I want to own everything about the information I produce. I simply can't do this here. I'm all growed up and it's time to move on. When I finally get everything moved I'll let you know, but just keep that in the back of your mind.

Second, and probably more importantly for all of you, I've actually started writing my book! The plan is to spend 1/2 an hour on it per day. At that pace, it should be done in a few months. I wanted to let you know that it was actually happening because I spent a lot of time talking about it earlier. Also, there is going to be an email signup for the launch of the book and, if you sign up for the list, you're going to be automatically entered into a drawing for some free ones I'll give away. So just tuck that away in the back of your mind as well.

Now, on to the good stuff.

How has RJon Helped Me with some Basic Questions Surrounding Starting a Law Firm?

As you might expect, this was the first question I received this week. It was actually something like:

How has RJon helped with: choosing a practice area; determining my ideal clients; finding out where my ideal clients are; what to do when I actually get in front of potential clients; and my value proposition?

When I wrote this question down so I'd remember to talk about it later I immediately wrote something down right after it. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. I think this quote sums up RJon's help quite nicely.

Now to decipher. To answer the question specifically, he didn't help me choose my practice area at all - that's what I wanted to do. He helped me determine my ideal clients, find my ideal clients, create a system for demonstrating value once I got in front of them, and with my value proposition. Okay that's all.

I'm kidding. Here's the thing about RJon - he's got a million great ideas. He knows his stuff inside and out. He's genuinely excited about helping you out, and I think when you succeed he feels like he succeeded (as he should). But there are things RJon won't do. He won't tell you who your ideal client is. He won't create your sales system. He won't push you off the ledge so you'll go do that marketing idea you think has great potential.

One of the things you've got to come to grips with if you want to start a law firm is that you are going to have to take some chances. There are no sure things. Now, should you be reckless? Of course not. But, should you think about a situation, create a plan of attack based on what you assume to be true, execute that plan of attack, evaluate that plan of attack and adjust as needed? YES!

What I like about RJon is that he has a great ability to take what are your general ideas or thoughts and create a good plan to create a good plan of attack. He can tell you the questions you need to be able to answer, some roadblocks you may face, and some solutions you might try to employ. But he will not execute the plan for you.

I'm going to talk about him in the next question too, but if you want to check his site out, click here.

How Much of RJon's Marketing Ideas do I Use?

I thought I'd talk about this a little bit because it came up in a discussion I had with a guy this week. I'm going to talk about this meeting in a later post, but this guy had used RJon too, and he wanted to know what I'd used of RJon's that had worked specifically related to marketing.

The answer to that question is some, but not all of his ideas, I used. And some, but not all of them, worked. But I thought the question was more important than the answer. Let me see if I can explain this.

When people come into my office they've typically been charged with a crime. They always want to know one thing -

"how's it going to turn out?"

And I have to give them the same answer every time -

"I have no idea."

Why is that? Well, as we all know, any kind of legal work has twists and turns that are specific to that situation. Just because it seems to be simple and straightforward at the beginning doesn't mean it is. But, when people hire me, they know that I'm there to do some work for them, to do my best, and to get them the best outcome possible.

RJon's marketing ideas are a lot like that. Sometimes they work great. Sometimes they don't. I'd suspect that sometimes one ideas works amazingly for one person and not so great for another. That's just how the world works.

And, I guess at the end of the day, this just gets back to the point of my first section - you've got to try it for it to have a chance to work.

I can tell you this - what trying RJon's ideas has done for me, even if all of them didn't work, is teach me to turn off my attorney switch and turn on my business switch. What often happens is one marketing idea spins off five other potential marketing ideas, which spin off five more, and on and on. They don't all have to catch fire for you to be successful.

Comments and Questions Always Welcome

Have a great weekend everyone!

Should You Take Starting a Law Firm Classes in Law School?

noreply@blogger.com (CMS) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:48:00 +0000

The origin of this post, as with many posts, is a reader question. I wanted to take a minute, while I've got your attention here at the top of the page, to point out that I absolutely love reader questions. Although a big part of this blog is documenting my journey of starting a law firm, it's also become a way for me to specifically talk to all of you out there that are thinking about opening your own shop. And, while I can guess what you are thinking and what you'd like to know based on my own experience, I'd much rather just have you ask me questions that I can answer. If they are good questions, we can start a discussion in the comments. If they are great questions, I'll write a separate post about them and we can discuss from there.

Whether or not to take starting a law firm classes in law school seemed to me to be a great question, so here we are discussing it.

Solo Practice Law Firm Curriculum

I must admit two things here as we get started on this post. First, I didn't take a class like this when I was in law school, and I don't think one was offered (I was in law school 2002-2005). Second, as with most of these posts, I'm writing off the cuff here, so hopefully if we veer off track we get back on eventually.

As I'm sitting here thinking about whether or not a class like this would be worth your time I guess what's most important is what the curriculum is. I can think of some things I think would be vital to learn in a class like this, namely:

Creating a business plan;

Creating a marketing plan (not the same thing as a business plan in my book);

Basic accounting (Quickbooks 101 - not whatever you learn in business law);

Marketing 101 (this would be a practical part of the class - the plan would be theory);

And then the rest of the class would be spent talking about what it means to own a business, what it means to be a business owner as opposed to a lawyer, and everything that goes along with that.

If the curriculum is filled with things like "how to pick the best printer" and "should you have a virtual office or a real office or a home office," I would probably pass. You might have some of that in a how to start a law firm class, but those things aren't rocket science - you need a printer, go get a printer.

You couldn't tell, but I just did a little bit of web browsing to see what was being offered out there by law schools. I wasn't too impressed, to be honest with you. And, I don't even have high expectations. I mean, what can you expect to get from a law school, whose sole purpose for many many years has been to teach the law? Flexibility, strategic thinking, marketing, and other business concepts are simply foreign to most law school professors, administrators, and other faculty.

On the Bright Side, It Can't Hurt

This has been a long journey for me. In that time I've learned a lot about running a law firm. I've also learned a lot about what I don't want to do to run a law firm. This course, for you, is probably just going to be an experience you have to get involved in if you're thinking about starting a solo law practice out of law school. Even if you get one good nugget out of the experience, it's probably worth it. You'll also get to hang out with the coolest kids in law school.

What I Would do if I Were Opening My Firm Right Out of Law School

I've already talked about what I would do if I were opening a law firm right out of law school before, so I'll give you the abbreviated version here.

1. Get in that class. It's law school credit, you'll probably make some good contacts, and you might even learn something you can take with you.

2. Start reading everything you can get your hands on. I'd read every starting a law firm book you can, every sales book that interests you, the one about the "E-myth" (can't remember the exact name), and any other book I've ever mentioned on here.

3. Find a mentor, probably someone that is not in your practice area but that is in one that works similar to yours (i.e. criminal defense and personal injury are related in the way they work in a lot of ways). Buy them lunch and ask them as many questions as you can.

4. Get a job with someone that is successful in the area you want to practice in and then watch everything they do - keep the good stuff and forget the bad.

5. Stop worrying about how to practice law and start thinking a lot about how you are going to get clients.

6. If you can find someone that can offer you an experience like this, take it.

Pretty easy, right? :)

Okay. Now's the time you let me know what you think. Comments, questions, thoughts, and whatever else you can type are welcome.

Starting a Law Firm | Hiring Another Lawyer

noreply@blogger.com (CMS) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:57:00 +0000

Just like I told you all a few weeks ago, I have hired my first associate attorney! This blog is quickly going from the "how to start a law firm" category to the "how to sustain and grow a law firm" category. But that's okay. There will always be a ton of information here that someone can use when they want to start a law firm. They might just need to go back and read from the beginning to see exactly what's going on.

Here's how this new associate hiring went down. I finally broke down and saw that I needed some help. I want to pursue this more, I want to focus more on running the law firm and making sure everything works smoothly within it, and I couldn't do that with all of the legal work that we were starting to get (this month has been our best month by far). I realized that the cost of an associate would be more than offset by the value I could bring elsewhere - in other words, an associate attorney would more than pay for themselves.

The Process of Hiring an Associate Attorney

For me, the process was pretty straight forward. First, I put an ad out with the local law schools for the position. Not only do new law school students see this information, but their alumni and others that subscribe see it to. This was my posting:

We are looking for an associate attorney to join our criminal defense practice. We're a young group but an energetic one. We're looking for someone excited about criminal defense (and DUI defense in particular) with a strong work ethic, strong attention to detail, and a competitive fire. You've also got to have a car you can drive (there are many court appearances to go to).

Good things about this job - (1) you'll get a lot of experience; (2) you'll work in a fun environment; (3) you'll be pushed; (4) there's will be a lot of opportunity for growth.

Bad things about this job - (1) at the beginning, the pay will suck.

If you're interested please send a cover letter, resume, transcript, and short writing sample (5 pages or less). In the cover letter, tell me these three things; why you're interested in criminal defense; why you're better than everyone else; and what your favorite sports team is.

As you might expect, it's a little out of the ordinary. But I didn't just want an ordinary attorney - I wanted someone better than that. And that's exactly what I got.

My new associate started this week. He's hitting the ground running, is pumped to be here, and I think has been enjoying it so far. As he gets more and more comfortable here and with our cases, I think he's going to like it even more.

I know, I know, you all want to know what I'm paying him and all that stuff. Well, I'm not going to tell you. It's none of your business!

I'm kidding, it's kind of your business because I've come here and shared so much with you. Here's what I'll tell you about the pay - it's set up so that the salary is low. Very low. But, there is the opportunity to make more money, a performance bonus if you will, based on the number of people that sign up. More people sign up, he makes more money. The sky is the limit as far as that is concerned. That's all you get to know about that.

The Interview Process

After I checked the people out, I set up an interview with the five or so people that I thought were the best candidates - ended up being 3 guys and 2 gals. I gave them each an hour and brought them into the office, sat them down, and chatted them up.

For these interviews I wanted the pace to a lot more conversational than I'd done in the past. If you're a criminal defense attorney you need to be able to think on your feet, to show a little passion every now and then, and to really sell yourself. So I tried to ask questions that allowed people to show me that. Some did, some didn't.

After the interview it came down to two candidates, and both were very well qualified. The decision at the end of the day just came down the person that I thought was the best fit for the firm (which is what I tell people to do when they are choosing a lawyer).

Getting Ready for the Associate

One of the major things about hiring a new attorney is that the processes really need to be more streamlined, written down, and adhered to. When it was just me, it was easy to kind of keep a list of to-dos in my head and then just coordinate that stuff with my assistant. With another attorney in the mix, it's important that we all rely on the systems in place to keep track of what's going on so nothing is missed, or things aren't done twice. For us, that started with the weekly planning meeting to make sure we all know what we're supposed to be doing.

The weekly meeting is pretty straightforward. We have all of our open cases in a spreadsheet, we figure out what we need to do next on the cases, and sometimes we note the thing that needs to be done after that, and then we get to work for the week. The next week, we figure out what's been done, and move on to the next thing after that. We keep track of what we're doing in that spreadsheet (we all have access to it and can cross stuff off when it's done), highrise, which is where our cases are managed, and just the open lines of communication.

Okay, gotta run. More to come on this later. I know you all have questions! Ask them! I'd love to talk to you.

More on the horizon. More to come. Looking forward to this year - it's going to be epic!

Oh, and, by the way, been doing some crazy good stuff with the search engine stuff for the people that signed up. Going to talk about that over at my law firm marketing blog. Go check it out.

The One Thing You Need to Start a Successful Law Firm

noreply@blogger.com (CMS) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 01:09:00 +0000

Before I get started I want to let you know that I've got some pretty big plans for this blog and my law firm marketing blog this year. If everything goes the way I think it will, I'm going to be posting here more often. If you like what I'm saying, and want to make sure you don't miss anything, make sure you subscribe to my feed. That way whenever I post anything you'll automatically get it.

The One Thing You Need to Have a Successful Law Firm

Although I've got a bunch of new stuff I want to talk about, and a bunch of new stuff I want to use this year (think the book - finally, video posts, podcasts, interviews, and more interactive things like that), I got a reader comment this week that I've been wanting to talk about, as it gets to the essence of starting a law firm and what it really takes to be successful.

Here's the comment:

One attorney that I read stated that really all a lawyer needs to start his or her own firm is a computer, phone, fax, and business card. Is there anything that you would add to or subtract from that?

My answer is, yes, there is definitely something I would add to that. It's probably the thing that's going to make the difference in the success of your law firm.

One of the great and terrible things about starting a law firm is all of the decisions you get to make. What type of computer to get. Should you get a scanner? Should you get embossed business cards? What's the best phone system to use? Should you have a virtual office or a brick and mortar place? The possibilities are endless. And endless possibilities are safe.

If you let yourself, you can spend months making all of these decisions. The thing is, though, at the end of the day, none of that matters.

IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL LAW FIRM, YOU NEED TO HAVE A PLAN.

That's really all you need. A plan. You need to have a plan for the type of firm you want to have (what type of law do you want to practice, and if it's more than three areas, you need to rethink it). You need to have a plan for how you are going to handle clients from start to finish. And most importantly, you need to have a plan to get clients.

Let me repeat - you need to have a plan to get clients.

If you don't have that, you don't need anything else. And until you have that, you don't need to worry about anything else. So, my advice to you, today, is to stop thinking about what kind of computer you need or what kind of phone system you want or what kind of business cards you should get. Instead, sit down, and think about these things:

1. What kind of law do I want to practice?

2. Who are my ideal clients for this type of practice (be as specific as possible)?

3. Where are these ideal clients at? I.e. how can I get in front of them?

4. What am I going to do to get in front of them?

5. What am I going to say once I get in front them (what's my value proposition)?

Answer those questions and execute the answers and you'll have a successful law firm.

As always, thoughts, comments, and questions are welcome. The more you talk, the more discussion we have, the more we all benefit. Don't be shy!

Starting a Law Firm | Experience Requirements and Dealing with Haters

noreply@blogger.com (CMS) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:03:00 +0000

Here we are again with our weekly blog post about starting a successful law firm. The first week of 2012 is upon us, and I hope through 4 days everyone has held firm with their New Years resolutions! Studies show it takes 28 days to form a habit, so, if you've kept it up so far you only have 24 more days to go until that positive action is ingrained in your soul.

I received a few comments on last weeks post and I mentioned that I'd answer one of them as the blog post here this week (there's plenty to be said on the subject). Here's the comment:

First of all, thank you for blog - it has given me much inspiration and motivation over the past few months as I have started to plan the move to go out on my own. My goal for 2012 is/was to "open shop" hopefully around the middle of the year.

The reason I say "was" is that I have quite a lot of negative feedback from other lawyers about going out on my own so early. By mid 2012 I will have been practicing for two years (in Australia we can only practice law in a supervised position for the first two years). Prior to admission I was a legal secretary for two years. From my research (albeit limited) it does seem most Australian lawyers have significantly more experience before going solo.

So my question twofold - how much/what kind of experience do you think you need as a minimum? And how much credence should you give to the naysaying peers and colleagues?

And here's my answer.

How Much Experience do You Need to Start a Law Firm?

You're going to hate my answer to this one, because the answer is I don't know. It depends. Some people (and practice areas) require a little more experience and some don't.

Not good enough? Okay. Here's what I think. Do you need experience to get going? No. You need a law license to practice law. Is it a good idea? Sure, if you can get it. Are there other ways of getting experience other than working for someone else? Yes there are. You just have to decide what is best for you.

Before I really get going anywhere on this topic though, I want to say one thing. Never ask a lawyer if you want to do anything that involves risk. They are never going to go for it. Most lawyers enjoy being on the sidelines, watching the action and judging it from afar. The idea of actually being a player scares them to death. In reality, it doesn't matter how much experience, or money, or clients, or anything you have - they are going to be hesitant about starting a business. The great thing about trying something is that if you fail you get to keep trying.

Our ethical rules require us to provide zealous, competent representation. Competency can be acquired via experience. It can also be acquired by observing, by reading, by practicing, and by mentoring. Find some people that you respect as attorneys and start talking to them. Find out when they have things going on that you can watch. Find out what their cases are, go down to the courthouse, and get copies of their briefs (and the other side's briefs) and read them. When those briefs cite cases, go read those cases.

It's impossible to know how much experience you specifically need. It's different for everyone. No matter who you are or how long you've been practicing, don't ever be afraid to ask dumb questions to people who know the answers. Better to look dumb behind closed doors than in a courtroom.

How Much Credence Should You Give to Naysaying Colleagues?

The answer, not surprisingly is, it depends. But most of the time it's "none." There are certain people that I admire and trust, that know me well, not only from a legal perspective but from a personal perspective. It's those people that I would at least listen to if they had some opinions on the career choices I was going to make. Everyone else I would just smile at and dismiss.

The fact is, as a society we hate to see people succeed. As you look through the news, there are very rarely stories about people succeeding. Most stories are about successful people that have done something wrong to fall from grace. I think as humans it just makes us feel better to have confirmation that no one is perfect.

When you start this law firm you are going to have a lot of people tell you you aren't going to be successful. Some of those people actually think that to be the case. If they present you with some specific information related to that opinion, listen to it, and then plan accordingly to avoid that problem. Most of those people, though are in reality envious or jealous of you. They may have no desire whatsoever to start a law firm, but seeing someone with the guts to take a chance on an unknown is depressing for some, since they know deep down they'll never ever do anything like in their life (whether it's related to work or hobbies or love - they'll always do the safe thing).

I hope you decide to open your law firm. I hope you sit down and think and plan before you do so (job number one - figure out how to get clients). And when you open I hope you stick with it and create an extremely successful business.

Questions and Comments Welcome

I know you have thoughts about this. Please share. I know you have other questions. Please share.

Have a great weekend.

Profits or Growth? | Lessons from Monopoly | 2012 Goals

noreply@blogger.com (CMS) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 20:57:00 +0000

Well, we've finally reached the end of 2011, and I must say it was a pretty good year. The business is humming right along, family life is good, and there's only sunshine on the horizon. But enough looking back, let's look forward.

As you can see from the title of this post, I've got a few things I want to talk about today related to starting a law firm. The first is whether or not you should be working toward profits or growth. The second is a lesson I learned from Monopoly this last week while I was at home visiting family. The third is a true breakdown of my professional goals for this coming year.

Profits or Growth

I read a lot of stuff. I read books, I read magazines, I read articles on the internet, and I read blogs. One of the blogs I read is called "A VC." It's written by a guy who's a venture capitalist in New York. As you might guess, this is one of the business blogs that I read.

The other day I was scanning through my blog reader when I came upon a post on A VC called "Profitable: To Be or Not to Be?" It was a great read and it got me thinking a lot about my law firm and the decisions I need to make moving forward to get to where I want to go. You can read the post here.

The paragraph that got me thinking was this one:

Many high growth companies can be profitable. They have enough revenue to cover their essential costs and could easily decide to show a profitable income statement. But they don't make that choice. Instead they invest heavily in the business with the expectations that those investments will produce more revenue (by hiring salespeople), or additional products (by hiring engineers and product managers), or additional geographies (by hiring an international team), or any number of other value enhancing aspects of the business. The result of that decision is that the business loses money or simply breaks even (I prefer the latter approach)

Sure, it's geared toward high growth companies and larger companies, but it also applies to businesses like yours and mine. At some point hopefully the money we are bringing in is more than the money that is going out. At that point we have a decision to make: do we put the money in our pockets or do we put the money back into our business?

Now, I know it's not an either/or decision. The answer is probably a little bit of both. But you can definitely skew that one way or the other depending on what your business philosophy is. The important point I'm trying to make here, I guess, is that whichever way you decide to go, make sure that it's at least a conscious decision. If you take all of the money out of your firm you're going to feel like you're spinning your wheels when it comes to growth. If you leave it all in you may feel like the business isn't reaching its true potential (because you're broke).

What's my philosophy? We're going to talk about that next.

Lessons Learned from Monopoly

I love the game of Monopoly. I've been playing it for about as long as I can count money. What I love about monopoly is that it has rules, but those rules include the ability to negotiate just about anything you want. It's kind of like real life in business - if you can get someone to take your offer, then you've got a deal.

Although I love the game of Monopoly a lot, I don't actually get to play it that much. First, it takes forever to finish a game. Second, there just aren't a lot of people around that really want to play. But, over the Christmas holiday, I found a few willing players, and I learned (or was reminded of) some great concepts related to starting a law firm, including the idea of growth or profits. I'm not going to tell you who won the game, because it's not important. But I will tell you I had a blast playing.

The game started out like many games do - everyone is trying to grab as much property as they can, hoping to either get enough properties of one color to expand, or to put together a portfolio big enough to make some deals and then expand. Over time it worked out where one player had all of the railroads and utilities plus Park Place and Boardwalk, the two most expensive properties on the board. One player had many different properties spread throughout the board, including one entire side of the board (minus the railroad, utility and chance spots), one had two properties on opposite sides of the board, and one didn't have much (worst luck rolling the dice I've ever seen).

At this point people have options on what they want to do. They can try to get more properties from people, the can expand their existing properties, or they can do nothing. We'll call the first two growth strategies and the last one a profit strategy. For about an hour I was probably in the profit strategy camp. I'd just go around the board biding my time, hoping to put together enough money to someday expand my existing properties. I wasn't active at all. But I stopped that once I saw what was happening as a result of that - I was spinning my wheels.

I wasn't losing money, but I wasn't really making that much either. People would land on my properties and pay but then I'd land on one of theirs and have to pay. Sort of the same way you get money in from clients and then have to pay it out to vendors or for other expenses. It was frustrating for me because I was eager to get ahead of the game but I just couldn't.

It took me an hour to realize I'd been employing the wrong philosophy.

After that hour I started investing my money in growth. When I had extra money, I bought a house or put up a hotel. There was some worry about landing on Park Place or Boardwalk and having to pay a big rent (incurring an unexpected large expense) but it happened so rarely that I had enough money to take care of it. And if I didn't then I knew I could leverage some of my property to take care of it (credit card - line of credit). All of a sudden my profits started soaring. By putting the money back into the business, in places that yielded good returns, I was the benefactor of those returns. A little aggressiveness went a long way.

It was during that game (and later while reading a book I'll talk about later) that I realized I needed to employ some of this in real life. I'm a growth guy. I want this business to grow, and the best way to do that is by reinvesting in the business, by being aggressive in specific, calculated ways that I'm confident will help increase business (yes I'm talking about law firm marketing, but I'm also talking about other things).

Which brings me to my goals for 2012.

Goals for 2012

I know I've already talked about some of my law firm goals for 2012, but they were really just fly by the seat of pants. These are still kind of just coming out of my brain as I type, but I'm going to try to break them down a little bit more.

1. Gross Revenue of $300,000

I think in my last goal projection this number was higher, but this I think is a good goal for the year. It's $50,000 higher than my goal for 2011 and a little bit more than that for actual increase.

Breaking that down I need to make $25,000 a month. Just looking at that it seems like quite a bit of money. But, in reality, it's only about 8 cases a month (2/week). That's only a slight increase over what I'm doing now.

2. Hire an Associate in January

This is where that "growth" strategy comes into play. Right now I'm simply wasting too much time going from courthouse to courthouse doing the procedural dance that is a DUI defense practice. I need someone to come on board that can not only cover those hearings but learn DUI defense from the ground up. I need to invest in the future of the firm.

This is not just a 2012 goal but a January 2012 goal. I plan on posting the job tomorrow on the law school job listserves and see what's out there. There's no reason to put it off anymore. Once I get someone helping me out I can devote more time to reaching goal number 1.

3. Join Toastmasters

Yes, I know, this was a goal for 2011. I don't have any excuses for not making it happen. It just didn't. But it is this year.

Why? You might be asking? Simple - communication is the lifeblood of my work. If I can't effectively communicate, particularly through the spoken word (think jury trial) then I'm not going to get the results I want. Toastmasters helps you work on those skills.

4. Redesign My Websites into a Coherent Whole

This one speaks for itself. My websites right now don't share the same message. That needs to change. I've already started working on it, but I want everything to be set in place so no matter which one of my websites you land on you're getting the same message (that we'll do whatever we can to win your case).

5. Satellite Offices in Nearby Cities

For the last year I've been expanding my internet presence by spidering out to the surrounding communities. For example, if I'd started with Salt Lake City DUI attorney or Houston Criminal attorney, I'd now be focusing on West Valley City, West Jordan, Sandy, or Missouri City, Pasadena, Aldine, or Sugar Land. But now that I have an internet presence there I need to have a satellite office there - a physical address I can use to meet clients, conduct meetings, and put on my website. So I'm going to do that. I think I've got one place I can use for super cheap, and finding another shouldn't be too hard. As I expand in other ways I'll add satellite offices there too.

6. Finish the Office Design to Project Our Core Values

In a business like ours, first impressions mean a lot. There are at least 10 other people out there competing with you for business, no matter what city you're in, and if you don't make people feel safe and exude a sense of confidence you are not going to win those potential client battles.

One way to do this is to have an office set up that projects what you are selling. You are successful or will be successful, so make it look that way. Make sure your office is clean. Make sure it is well lit. Make sure your artwork projects the feelings you want it to. Make sure your office set up makes sense.

Right now my office looks nice, but it could be so much better. I'm going to stop thinking about it and start doing some things to change it up. And I'm going to do them sooner rather than later.

Okay, that's it for goals for 2012. What do you think? What do you think about growth versus profits? What do you think about Monopoly? What are your goals for 2012? Let's talk about it. Send me a message in the comments.

Starting a Law Firm | "The Flinch" Review, and What Makes Me Flinch, Among Other Things

noreply@blogger.com (CMS) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:38:00 +0000

Update to this post before it's even posted - I wrote it about 10 days ago - doesn't make it any less relevant, just means I'm not actually in a plane right now

Right now I'm sitting in an airplane at thirty-five thousand feet or so, headed from Seattle to New York. I've never been to New York before (can you believe that?!) but I guess this is as good a time as any to go. The University of Washington is playing Duke in basketball on Saturday in Madison Square Garden. I plan on being there. But it's not all fun and games. The plane ride, though a direct flight, has given me five or so hours to get to work. And you are one of the lucky beneficiaries.

I'm not going to answer any questions about starting a law firm or marketing a law firm because I don't have access to the internet. Yes, the plane has wifi, but I don't want it - it's amazing how much work you can get done when you don't have an internet connection.

But I haven't been working the entire time - I've been reading too. Today I happened upon a book called, I think "The Flinch." It's a free book you find on Amazon. I was directed there by Jonathan Fields, a writer and blogger that always has something interesting to say. He recommended "Flinch," it was free, so I uploaded it to the handy iPhone to read when I had some spare time (i.e. train ride to the airport and waiting to board the plane). It's a short book, and I've already read it, so I thought I'd review it.

The Flinch | A Book Review

"The Flinch" by Julien Smith, is a motivational book. The purpose of the book is to get you to realize all of the things you are afraid of are dumb and to get over it, get out there in the world, and start mixing it up. It's a great book and really hit home for me.

The idea behind the book is that we all know what a flinch is. Someone acts like they are going to punch you or you think you are about to get hit by something, and you flinch - it's a recoil based on the fear of what is to come. This book points out a very eye opening fact - every day we flinch, we back of things we should do or want to do, because we are afraid of getting hit by some imaginary object (failure, ridicule, etc.).

Flinching, as the book so eloquently points out, is an instinctive reflext that used to have a lot of value, and has some value today. If you are actually in a dangerous situation, there's nothing better you can do than flinch. It protects your vital organs. It keeps you out of harms way. But there's a problem - we don't have many truly flinch inducing events in our lifetime. But the flinch reflex wants to act, so it finds situations where fear can be created, and it causes us to flinch.

The whole premise of the book, in short order, is to stop flinching. It's not going to hurt. You are going to survive.

My Own Flinches | Things to do Immediately

As I am wont to do, I thought I'd share some of my flinches right now.

1. Hiring an Associate

For me to get to where I need to go I need an associate. I need someone to do some of the technical work (lawyerly work) work so I can focus on other things (growing the law firm). But I'm scared because I'm concerned the person I'd hire wouldn't be good enough. That manifests itself in my constantly thinking and talking about finding help but never actually actively looking for any help.

2. Growing the SEO Business

I know I've talked about this a lot here, but I've got some skills that could really change the lives of the attorneys that want to to take advantage of that. But doing that means taking another chance, it means more work, it means hiring more people, and it means more chances to fail. No one likes to fail. I hate to fail. And, honestly, even though I know I won't fail at this, something inside of me is telling me to flinch, to hold back on this, for no rational reason.

But I'm going to fight the flinch. I'm going to get started on both of these things, today. And I'm going to make your life better (potentially) and I'm going to make my client's lives better.

This is all I've got for now. Read the book. Think about where you are flinching in your life. Then stop. Hop in the cold shower (read the book), make yourself uncomfortable. Start a law firm. Until you start doing that you can't reach all of your goals.

Starting a Law Firm | Thanksgiving Edition

noreply@blogger.com (CMS) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 08:15:00 +0000

It is officially Thanksgiving, at least in Seattle. At 12:16 a.m., we've officially entered the day of thanks. Some would say this day of thanks is a slap in the face to the indigenous people of the United States. I get that. But for me, it's a day to eat great food, mingle with my family, and, this year at least, watch some decent football.

But it also means something else. It means I don't have any court tomorrow, or Friday for that matter. It also means that right now I am waiting for my pumpkin pie to finish cooking - that's what Thanksgiving is all about right - late night cooking? And it also means that I have the time to write a ridiculously long starting a law firm post. I'm going to try to answer the questions I could find, review a book, and talk about what's going on in my firm. If you're interested in reading a ridiculously long post, you're in luck!

Mark Cuban's Book Review | How to Win

I bought this book two days ago on amazon.com. It cost me 2.99. Did I learn anything from it? No. Would I buy it again? In a second. It's the type of book I love to read from a successful businessman - it gives at least a partial glimpse into not only what it took to come up with a successful idea but what it took to turn a successful idea into a successful business. Here's a spoiler alert - it takes a ton of freaking work.

If you like to read go out and buy this book. If you don't like to read, go out and buy this book. And then read it. It's a crash course on success. It reads like this:

1. Get an idea in your head;

2. Pursue said idea with passion;

3. Work your ass off;

4. When you think you've outworked everyone, work some more;

5. Rinse and repeat.

What you'll learn from Mark Cuban is what you'll learn if you read any successful person's manifesto on success - work hard, then work harder than anyone else and you'll succeed. Don't do that and you can be mediocre. You can skate by and be comfortable. But if you want to be great, you've got to go for it every day.

Bottom line, read the book. Okay, now on to other stuff.

What Am I Up To Re Starting My Law Firm?

No one ever really asks me this, so I thought I'd ask myself. I've got a couple of things in the works right now. Here's what's going on.

First things first, I'm looking to expand a little bit. I love being a lawyer. It's great. But one person can only do so much work. Two people can do at least twice as much work. Three people three times - you get the idea. In the past couple weeks I've formed an of counsel relationship with a colleague to take care of some of the cases that I know he's good in. And I'm looking for someone to help me out with my DUI case load. Know anyone that can help? Lemme know.

Second, I'm putting together a video for my website. This isn't going to be one of those boring "if you've reached this site you've been charged with a crime. Our law firm is super boring and looks like all the rest but you should hire us" type of stuff. Hopefully it will have some production value. Hopefully it will be interesting. I've got some video people working on it and we are planning on shooting next week.

Third, and finally, I'm tweaking the website again. The current design is okay, but it's just not right. And if it's just not right, then it's wrong. I've got a new designer helping me out and I think the new look is going to be amazing. It's pretty much finalized, so it should be rolling out soon. I think it does a much better job of promoting our message than what I've got now. Hopefully potential clients feel the same way!

Revenue Goals and Projections

This is a two-fer question. The first question I got was related to this year income projections - what was I projecting. The person was asking because they were curious and because they wanted to put it into context with what I was asking for for my search engine consulting business. The second question was where I got my goal number for 2012.

For 2011, I think I'm going to be somewhere above $200K and somewhere below $250K in gross revenue. That's the best I can give you right now. I do a terrible job of keeping track of exactly what's coming in month to month. I just did my quarterly taxes and I was close to $20K a month, which puts me in the realm of where I just said.

To put that into the context of my search engine business, what I'd be paying right now would be about $1,000 a month. But, now that the question's been asked, I think that's about to go up. The reason for that is several fold. First, I'm not even close to maximizing the potential clients I'm getting to my website (that's why I'm putting on a video and revamping my website). And even with my lack of success I'm still doing better than most. Second, that number just doesn't reflect the value I'm providing. $1K per month to make $20K? Someone's getting the short end of that stick and it's me. Third, and finally, you all had the chance to get in on this early and you balked. This is an exclusive offer - when you sign up you automatically freeze out the competition. That means this service is extremely valuable.

Okay, now onto my 2012 numbers. I just looked up what I think I said, and I think I said $350K. Someone wanted to know where I got that number from, so I'm going to tell you. Last year I thought $100K was unreachable, so I made it a goal. This year I thought $250K was unreachable, so I made it a goal. For 2012, $350K seems like a lot - it make me uncomfortable - that means it's a good sign I should go for it.

Wrapping it Up

The pie is done. I'm finally tired. I've probably bored you. Happy Thanksgiving. As always, if you have questions or comments, let me know.

Starting a Law Firm | Marketing a Law Firm

noreply@blogger.com (CMS) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 18:12:00 +0000

I know I've talked about marketing a law firm many many times, but I just think it's something you can't talk about enough. I met with a guy yesterday who's just opened his practice up here in Seattle, and as I was talking with him I heard over and over what I'm sure many of you are saying when you have conversations with yourself.

Me: What are you doing for marketing?

Him: Not much. I've finally got a couple of paying cases so I'm just trying to work those up.

Me: (Sigh) You've got to come up with a plan to start getting clients. (I tell him what I do).

Him: Yeah, but I hate doing that stuff. It's not fun.

Me: I know it's not fun. But you know what is fun? Having clients to help is fun. Counting money is fun. You don't get to have fun without doing stuff that isn't fun.

Him: I guess...

I'm sorry if this isn't all roses and lollipops for you, but nothing ever is. You've got to be good at something, right? Some sport, some craft, something. Did you just start off good at it? No. And if you say you did you're lying to yourself - ask someone that saw you when you first started out and I bet they'll tell you you sucked.

One thing I'm good at is sports. I'd say I'm pretty good at basketball and okay at golf. But you know what? When I first started out I sucked at both. I had to practice for hundreds of hours at both before I was even mildly good. Think of this marketing work as your practice for being good at starting a law firm.

That's all I've got today for the come to Jesus hard knocks motivational speech. Now let's talk about marketing from a practical perspective.

Before You Start Your Law Firm Draft a Marketing Plan

If you don't do one other thing before you start your law firm draft a marketing plan. You can do it in an hour easily. Here's what you do:

1. Make a list of all the qualities your ideal client has;

2. Think of all the places that person hangs out;

3. Think of all the people that person talks to when they have the problem you can help them with;

4. Make a plan to create a presence in those places your ideal clients go and to create a relationship with the people they talk to;

5. Create a website - and make it not only functional but visually appealing;

6. Start letting people know what you do.

Easy, right? Fun? Not all of it, particularly if you're the "I want to practice law" type of personality. At some point in the day you're going to have to take off your lawyer hat and put on your business hat. It's just a fact.

Some New Marketing Things I'm Doing

Since we're talking about marketing I thought I'd tell you about some stuff that I'm doing to execute my marketing plan.

First, I'm adding an intro video to my website. No, it's not going to be your old stuffy traditional video (think something like this - without the long intro that makes you want to click away before you even hear what the guy has to say). I'm thinking something that's more along the lines of something like this (though obviously made for what I do - and this video is a breakdown of the video I'm talking about - watch the whole thing, you'll learn something, guaranteed). Do you see the difference in the way the videos make you feel? In this business, no matter what type of law you practice, the key to success is showing people not only that you're good at what you do but why they should choose you (and pay you more) than the hundred other attorneys out there doing the same thing.

Second, I'm revamping the website. The look is okay, and it's been working, but it isn't exactly what I want. I think it can be better. So I'm going to make it better. It isn't so much about changing the content (though some of that will be changed) but changing the feeling of the site. Right now it just feels a little too passive. I want people to feel like when they hire us they are getting a champion for their cause.

Third, and finally, I'm doing more to reach out to people physically. I'm sure I've talked about my bar owners plan on here several times, so hopefully you remember what that is. But I'm going to actually pursue that with the vigor that I have my online efforts.

The End of the Year is Near

It's already November. That means several things. First, the holidays are coming up, which is always fun. Second, and most importantly, it's time to start wrapping this business year up and start thinking about next year. It goal making time! I've been making some notes for possible goals for me next year, and you should be doing some of the same. Here are mine (these are both personal and professional - in my mind they are one and the same).

1. $350,000 gross revenue;

2. Get a new car;

3. Pay down current car by at least $10,000;

4. 5 clients in SEO work;

5. 4 trials;

6. Baby;

7. Hire an associate.

These goals are not finalized yet, but should give you an idea of what I'm thinking about. In all honesty, I think the goals aren't ambitious enough. But we'll see what the final ones look like.

Questions, comments? I'd love to hear them.

Steve Jobs' Biography and Starting a Law Firm | SEO Spot Available | Overcoming Fear

noreply@blogger.com (CMS) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 21:54:00 +0000

As you can tell by the title of this post, this might turn out to be a long one. I've decided to go from two posts per week down to one, so the one per week could turn out to be longer than usual, if I have something to write about (which I do this week). If you don't like it, too bad. Just read the post slower to stretch it out over a week.

I'll give you a brief overview of what I'm going to write about in case you want to skip something or jump around. First, I just finished reading Steve Jobs' biography and I'm going to tell you what I thought about it and what lessons, if any, I plan on trying to take with me moving forward. Second, a spot has opened up for SEO services if anyone wants them. One of the people I was helping, though they'd just gotten on the first page of the search results for their term, decided they didn't have the funds to move forward. Bad for them, good for you. And finally, I'm going to talk about overcoming fear and getting out of the loop that we all find ourselves in from time to time. Here we go!

Starting a Law Firm and Steve Jobs | What You Can Learn

First things first, I'm not going to keep you in suspense - I thought the book was fantastic. As I'm sure you know this book is a full run through of Jobs' life, from start to finish, with everything in between. Although I don't know Steve Jobs, I believe the book is a good recitation of his life, and did a good job capturing who he was as a person and as a businessman. The author was instructed to include all the good and the bad that make Steve Jobs who he is, and that comes through. And included in that life story are a bunch of great lessons we can use to help our business moving forward.

This Book Shows You the Hard Work that Success Requires

One thing I love about this book is its refusal to gloss over the early years, the hard work, the late nights, and the sacrifice that are required to have a successful business. Too often authors decide to glamorize a company as some instant success, some sure thing, when in reality it's anything but that. Okay, now on to some things I thought were cool and interesting.

Differentiate Yourself with User Experience

As you begin to work on your practice and think about ways to get clients (you will spend a lot of time thinking of ways to get clients when you are starting your law firm and when you are growing your law firm) you'll soon come to realize that if you could just show other people what makes you so special then you'd be half of the way there.

One way to do that is to create the best experience out there for your clients from start to finish. And the best thing about this is that it's possible - you can control their experience from the moment they find you or are referred to you for the rest of their interaction with you. It just takes some thought, some planning, some attention to detail, and a commitment to stick to it. If you want, you can create an experience that makes it nearly impossible for a potential client to say no to your services.

Great Expectations Get Great Results

Throughout the book many different people talk about Jobs's "reality distortion field," or his ability to will project to succeed in ways people didn't think were possible. The way he would do it is, for the most part, tell the people working with him that the way he wanted it was the way it had to be, so if it was impossible right now, find a way to make it possible - and most of the time they did.

That lesson carries over to the practice of law in several ways, but for purposes of this blog it's the idea that it's okay to expect success - see the the outcome you want and then go work at it until you make it happen. If you give up before you even try you've already failed.

If You're Standing Still You're Moving Backward

Toward the end of the book Jobs mentions a couple of times reading a book called "The Innovator's Dilemma" which discusses successful company's tendency to languish in their success and miss what should be an obvious shift in the dynamics of their business (see Borders and Blockbuster for concrete examples). He never wanted that to happen to Apple so he was constantly looking for ways to innovate, to stay ahead of the curve. Those lessons can be applied to law firms as well.

No, I know we're not working against the newest technology, trying to find the next big thing, but there are changes to society, to the way we live, to the way we think, to the way we consume information, and to the way we look for lawyers that are dramatically different than they were ten years ago. If you aren't constantly looking around and adjusting your business plan to take advantage of these changes and adapt to these changes, you're going to find yourself at the back of the pack.

It's Important to have "A" Players on Your Team

On of Jobs's core beliefs was that "A" players get you "A" results and everybody else gets you crap. In Jobs's eyes, if you weren't an "A" player, you might as well be an "F" player. He got rid of several people because he just didn't think they were up for the job.

This lesson is maybe the most important lesson of all. The people who work for you, the people you work with, if they aren't the best, they're bringing your work product down. And, likewise, if you aren't bringing your best, you might as well be giving nothing.

Go read the book. You won't be disappointed.

SEO Spot Available

If you remember a while back I let all of you know that I was going to start doing some SEO work for law firms and lawyers that needed or wanted my help. I've had some great success with my own law firm and I wanted to pass the opportunity to get the exposure to potential clients that comes with organic search results on to other people.

I decided to take on two clients, because that's all I had time for. And I did. That was a few months ago. Today, one of them decided they couldn't afford my help anymore. This person, by the way, was already on the first page of Google for his desired keywords (it had been about 10 weeks, which is pretty darn fast). I don't think he had all of his ducks in a row and needed to take care of some other, more basic things first.

His loss is your gain. If you are interested, please email me and we'll chat. I will tell you though, the right person for this has at least one thing in place - a website. It doesn't have to be the best website, but it needs to be up, it needs to be functional, and you need to be willing to make a few minor tweaks to really make it pop. As I said, it can take a couple of months to take effect (and depending on the keywords it can take a little bit longer than that), but once you're up on the top of Google you've got priceless real estate, and that's going to be reflected in your bank account.

Email me if you're interested. If I don't hear any responses I'll ask some other colleagues I know that would be interested in the service.

UPDATE: Spot is filled. Thinking about expanding to add a couple more people - this service is just too important if you're starting out. I'll keep you posted

Starting a Law Firm and Overcoming Fear

If you read this blog at all then you know by now, two and half years into this gig, I consider myself to have moved out of the starting phase of law firm growth and into the growing stage of law firm growth. What that means for me is that if I wanted to tread water, if I wanted to just stand still, I probably could for a while, and I probably have been for a few months. Once you get to that point you have to start doing new things, start branching out, start spreading your wings - but that's scary.

Now, I'm not talking about going into a new practice area or anything like that. I'm a DUI lawyer, and that's what I'm always going to be. What I'm talking about is taking advantage of the marketing systems I already have set up and building additional layers on that to open up my services to more clients. These new layers, though, they're not just new, they're unfamiliar. They're scary.

But you've got to overcome that. That's the fun part of this entire experience - doing things that you probably never thought you'd do. And I'm doing that in three ways:

1. Recognize that the fear isn't rational, that it's made up in my mind.

2. Know that the worst that can happen is you fail - then you just go try it again.

3. Set up real deadlines with real consequences just in case you have a harder time with number 1 and number 2 than you anticipate.

So that's what I did. I had a meeting with my business coach today and we set a hard date to do a couple of things I know I should be doing. And if I don't make that date I'm going to take a $100 bill and burn it up.

The way I see it, I'm letting a lot more money leave my office every month than $100. That's a small price to pay, if necessary, to motivate me to do what I need to do to make my law firm better.

What should you be doing that you're afraid of? Get over it and get started.

Lead, Follow, or Get the F&*! Out of the Way

noreply@blogger.com (CMS) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 18:48:00 +0000

I wish I'd come up with the title of this post, but I didn't. I stole it blatantly from "Both Sides of the Table" an entrepreneurship blog that I frequently read. I stole the title because I think it says everything that needs to be said on the subject (although I guess, not really, since I'm saying more about it right now). The post had some great insight into what we do as business owners that I thought I'd share on here.

Leadership Isn't Easy

Two paragraphs about leadership that I thought were great for us to think about:

It’s hard to be a real leader. To do that you need to be saying & doing what most people think is wrong. If you think you’re on to a really big idea and everybody else thinks so, too, then most likely it’s already conventional wisdom and you’re too late. When Steve Jobs decided to open retail Apple stores people thought he was crazy. When he launched the iPad many people were saying, “I don’t get it, it’s just a big iPhone” or similar.

Leaders need to be early, have conviction, be persuasive and get others to follow when rational people should not. And trust me, the world is FILLED with naysayers. Whether they succeed or not does not defeat their leadership and willingness to try.

I really like these two paragraphs because that's where I want to be with my firm. I want to revolutionize the practice of DUI defense. I want to change the way that things are done so that my clients get better results, so the cop's jobs are harder when they are out on the street, so innocent people aren't charged and forced to fight a DUI charge they never should have received.

It's easy to want that, but to actually go out and do it is an entirely different story. I've got some ideas for some things to do, but they are a bit controversial. At the end of the day my ideas center on educating the public before they find themselves in their car with flashing lights behind them. They also center on streamlining the DUI defense process so that all of my clients get the kind of representation they deserve (which often requires expert witnesses).

When it comes to just starting a law firm in general, there are always going to be naysayer. "You're going to do what?!" is a typical response from people. You've got to have some conviction for what you are doing, some drive to be better, and then you've got to go after that with passion. And remember, just because people think you're crazy doesn't mean you have a bad idea.

Being a Leader Means Getting Some Followers

Another great paragraph from the article on followers:

There truly aren’t many leaders. It’s a thankless and stressful job. And leaders aren’t always right of when they are they don’t always win. But in every team you need the majority of people who excel at their job functions. They are great at their respective fields whether they be marketing, sales, programming, PR, whatever. People in these job functions are also leaders – don’t get me wrong – but on each team you still need leaders & followers. You simply can’t have a team of people all pulling in different directions.

When you read that paragraph, it becomes clear that being a follower isn't a negative label. In any business you have certain roles to fill. Not everyone can be the person that directs the company in the future or is charge of the vision for the company. People need to be there to execute this vision. In the law firm context, this is your team.

When I first started, my team was me. I did everything. But, as I've become more successful I've begun to see the value in having people that can fulfill certain roles and fulfill them extremely well. For example, I don't do the books anymore - I have an accountant that handles that aspect of the business. Very soon I'm going to have someone acting as a CFO (not just for me but for others) to help direct me on the state of the firm from a cash flow and growth point of view. Just last night I talked to a new website guy who's also got a great background in marketing, website design (from a user standpoint), and website analytics. He's going to help me make sense of what I've got going on with my marketing. And obviously I've got my assistant, who keep the ship running.

The great thing about these people, these "followers" is that they are all able to be unleashed to fulfill their roles in great ways. All successful law firms have these roles to fill, and the more successful you are at filling those roles with people suited to those roles, the better off your business is going to be.

Get the F@$! Out of the Way

Here's his take on these type of people:

But too many people are “back benchers” – the people who are in the back of parliament and get to throw out their opinions in public time but aren’t having to lead. I learned early in life about the destructive nature of back benchers.

Throughout life I’ve realized that many people are back benchers. “That will never work” is their motto. They like to criticize but they don’t have strong ideas of their own. They “know” what’s wrong but they never do anything about it. They never lead. Yet they don’t follow.

When you spot people like that in your company you shoot them. If you wake up one day in any organization and you realize that you’re no longer “part of the solution” it’s time to get the fuck out of the way. This is especially true when you’re senior and too many people are looking at you or when your disbelief undermines the confidence of others.

In work I find nothing more irritating than people who always have their three critiques of your plan but never do anything themselves. I don’t hide it well. I have “get the fuck out of my way” written all over my forehead. It can be a weakness, sure. It makes me less of a politician. But I sleep better at night.

Here's the thing about criticism - I'm all for it. Critique my ideas. Tell me they suck. But if you tell me they suck, you better tell me why you think so and what you think will work better.

In some ways these are the people that fall back on the old "this is the way we've always done it" when new suggestions for things are made. I don't care how it's been done forever - maybe it's been done forever wrongly. If you have these people around you, get rid of them. They aren't giving anything to you, your business, or those around you.

I strongly urge you to check out the whole article, it's really good. And then get moving on your own company - there's always work to be done!

Starting a Law Firm | The Attributes of a Successful Entrepreneur

noreply@blogger.com (CMS) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 16:40:00 +0000

I don't do this very often, so I don't feel bad about doing it today. I'm going to talk a little bit about a post I read on another blog, send you to that post, and then call it a day. It's a good enough post that it speaks for itself, and I've got other stuff to do today - for the most part, starting a law firm has nothing to do with this blog!

The article comes from a blog called "Both Sides of the Table." It's written by a guy who used to be an entrepreneur but who now owns a venture capital business (though I guess technically he's still an entrepreneur). He wrote a post entitled "Entrepreneur DNA" (the link takes you to the post where he listed out 12 qualities that make an entrepreneur. I wanted to just talk about a couple of them.

1. Tenacity

Right after listing this word, the author says:

The most important aspect of an entrepreneur is never being willing to give up.

Couldn't have said it better myself. There will be times when you will be challenged here. There will be times when it will be easy to give it up and go do something else. But if you really want to start a law firm you'll push through that.

2. Perspiration

At the end of the day, what's going to make your business a resounding success or a dismal flop is the amount of work you put into it. People don't just wake up one day with a million dollar practice. They bust their butt every day to build it. And you are going to have to do the same thing. If you want something easy, go work for a law firm, they'd love to have you. If you aren't willing to see a challenge in front of you, accept that challenge, and get to work on it, then starting a law firm probably isn't right for you.

3. Willingness to Accept Risk

This is probably the most important and the hardest one for lawyers to get over. From the first day of law school until we retire, we spend every waking day of our lives dealing with and trying to fix or defend the problems other people have created. We see time and time again how one minor error can result in utter destruction. And that scares us.

But if you want to be an entrepreneur, if you want to start a successful law firm, you've got to be willing to accept risk. This is how the author of the article puts it:

I'm not talking about crazy risks, but entrepreneurs are people who are willing to start a business on a leap of faith. They don't wait on the sidelines forever doing "side projects" until the day when they are ready to start a company. If you aren't willing to take a shot by going full time on your startup it tells investors you aren't confident enough in the idea or in yourself.

Scary, right? "Leap of faith" is a term lawyers don't often throw around. It's probably followed closely by "litigation." But if you want to start your law firm, you're going to have to step off that ledge and just go for it.

Go read the rest of the article. It's worth it. And tell me what you think the attributes are of someone that can successful start a law firm.

Building a Law Firm | The Next Steps

noreply@blogger.com (CMS) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:56:00 +0000

I think the time has finally come to make the transition on this blog from starting a law firm to building a law firm. I'm two and half years into this wild ride and it's time to make the next step. What is that next step, you might be asking? Well, I'm about to tell you, and, in my mind right now, I think there are approximately four parts of the plan. As always, if you can think of more, let me know.

Step 1 - Online Marketing

If you've been reading this blog then you know I love online marketing. I'm actually helping a couple of you out to improve your own search engine ranking. But, as I've talked about here, it's not just about being able to get to the top of the search rankings. Once you're there, you've got to have the kind of message that resonates with people and gets them to call you. For me, that message needs to be tweaked. I'm not getting nearly the calls that I should from my website and I want to improve that.

Here are just a few statistics (taken from my Google Analytics account). The search numbers are going to be a little bit skewed, but they I think paint a realistic picture of what I'm working with.

In the last 30 days (from September 13 to October 13) I've had 351 visits to my DUI website. 304 of those visits were unique. Of those total visits, 696 pages were viewed, or 1.98 pages per visit. The average time spent on the site was 1 minute 42 seconds. The bounce rate is 65 percent, and 81 percent of the visits were new visits.

Of those visitors, 156 came from Google, 46 came from my main website (a click through), and 21 came from this blog (probably to just check it out). Seattle DUI attorney was used 24 times to get to the site, dui attorney seattle was used 22 times, dui attorney was used 12 time, dui lawyer was used 10 times, seattle dui lawyer was used 7 times, and bellevue dui lawyer was used 5 times.

Okay, so what does all of this mean?

In a nutshell, what it means is I'm getting about 80-100 visits to my web site each month from people that are looking for something to do with DUI attorney. I can tell you with certainty that I am not getting 80-100 potential calls per month. In fact, I'm getting a small fraction of that. That means something is wrong with my message. So, we need to tweak the message.

Here's what I plan to do in the next 30 days with my website:

1. Revamp the message so it's more powerful than it currently is;

2. Incorporate video on the front page, of me, explaining what we do and how we do it; and

3. Testing to see what works and what doesn't, and going from there.

And, although I gave you just he numbers for the DUI site, I plan to do these three things with all of my websites.

Step 2 - Offline Marketing

Right now my offline marketing is minimal. And there's one reason for that - it's outside of my comfort zone. No, I don't really have any problem meeting people and bullshitting with them, but I like to have a plan to make progress toward a specific goal. And I'm having trouble putting that together with my offline marketing.

At the end of the day I know there are a dearth of potential referral sources out there in the form of bail bondsman and those that work in the entertainment industry (I'm talking about bar owners and bar tenders, waitresses, etc. - get your head out of the gutter!). But I don't have a specific plan to reach out to them - until now.

Here's the plan for the bail bondsmen:

1. Reach out to the one's I know and the one's I see in court and take them out to coffee;

2. Find out who they refer business to and why;

3. Find out their primary means of getting them business;

4. Get their information and get them on our newsletter list;

5. Find out ways I can help them get new clients;

6. Set up a quarterly event for bail bondsmen to come and do something fun sponsored by the firm;

7. Become the person they refer business to.

That sounds like a pretty good plan, right?

Here's my bar owners plan:

1. Reach out to the bar owners I know (a couple);

2. Offer to do a presentation for them and their staff that is two parts. Part one is an overview of dram shop laws - what to do to keep the bar from getting sued. Part two is an overview on how to avoid a DUI conviction.

3. At each event get contact information of everyone present - add them to mailing list.

4. Sit down with bar owner after and ask if they like presentation - get them to set up my cards somewhere in their bar (preferably behind the bar for staff to hand out if the need arises);

5. Ask them to call two of their bar owner friends and tell them about this great presentation I did so I can do the same thing for them;

6. Rinse and repeat.

I'm sure there are some steps missing in between, because I'm doing this on the fly, but that's the gist of it. Doing that alone will increase my exposure to the market immensely, and will help me make some true connections with people out and about.

Step 3 - The "Building" Part

The "building" part of building a law firm includes the first two steps, but this is where the rubber meets the road. It's time to get some more people working for the firm.

Yep, that's right. It's time to expand. But, and you know this if you read this blog regularly, I've got some money issues (personally). I don't like to spend money needlessly, and I don't like the idea of taking on a full time associate (at least right now). So, what else is there to do (besides hiring an associate)? Glad you asked.

And, before I explain what I'm going to do, I wanted to give a shout out to RJon, my business coach (and resident law firm management guru), for talking through this with me. And, in case this all just sounds so easy to do and I make it sound like it's just been a joy ride to even come up with this plan, it hasn't been. This is a scary step for me. It's almost just as scary as opening up in the first place. I am taking another step into the unknown, and I'm a little intimidated by it, to be quite honest.

I've had this plan in my hands for at least 6 weeks. I've talked to several people about it, but I just haven't been able to pull the trigger on it. Well, now's the time to do it.

The plan is this - hire someone of counsel to take care of some of my cases. Yep, that's it. Pretty easy, right? My hang up, though, is that I don't want to lose any quality of representation. In the law, as you know, your reputation is everything. Mess up enough cases and people will start telling others how bad you are. I don't want that to happen with my new associate attorney.

And it won't because I've come up with a plan. Here it is:

1. Find a solo practitioner that is a good lawyer but could use some more work;

2. Check up on them to make sure they are as good as you think they are (licensed; no bar grievances of substance; know how to work a case; know how to handle themselves in court; etc.);

3. Get them on board to help you out with a case from time to time (help them understand that these cases have certain perks - they are guaranteed payment, they don't have to sign them up, they get to be true "lawyers" - all they have to do is abide by a few rules);

4. Next case that comes up give it to them as a test case;

5. Here are the ground rules: meet in my office or in court (not at their office); when correspond with client, done on our letterhead or via our email address; bi-weekly status reports to see what's been going on; all work on case logged in case management software;

6. If they suck, they don't get another case. If they do well, they get another case.

The advantage of this type of arrangement is the solo practitioner gets to keep pretty much all of their autonomy. I don't care when or how they do the work, just that it gets done and gets done well. The advantage for me is it frees up more of my time to work on building the business.

I'm already in the process of making a move on step three. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Okay, that's all for today. As always, your comments and questions are welcome. If you think I've left something out let me know. If you think one of my ideas is brilliant let me know. If you think one of my ideas is dumb keep it to yourself (just kidding - let me know). Until next time...

Marketing a Law Firm | Marketing Mailbag

noreply@blogger.com (CMS) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 20:32:00 +0000

I love Bill Simmons. If you don't know who he is, that's okay. He's just the greatest sports columnist of all time. Anyway, he does these mailbags every month or so where he posts real reader's emails and then responds to them. Because I'd love to be him, I'm going to do my own mailbag today. It's not going to be nearly as funny or entertaining, but you'll probably like it. Here we go.

Hello again,

I wrote the following email to you in July regarding my practice and never received any response. I would appreciate if you could read my story and get back to me. You regularly feature start up offices on your website and I was honestly surprised that my email was ignored.

I understand if it was just an oversight and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Thanks,

Patrick, New York

I was debating for a long time whether or not I'd respond to this. I never sent an email back to this guy, because the first time I read it I was a little pissed off. Here's why. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but I am not writing this blog for you. I am not here to meet your every whim and fancy. I am writing this for me. I like to talk about this stuff, and it's a great place for me to organize my thoughts and talk about a subject that interests me.

When I offered to do post start up stories here it was because I thought it would be interesting for everyone to read and see what others were doing. It was not to promote anyone's practice, nor was I obligated to post anyone's story. If you got your story posted, congratulations, you said something that I thought was cool. If not, try again. I promise you if you write something interesting, I'll post it here - if you don't believe me, use your second email as proof.

How is it going? I dont even know if you check this, so Ill keep it short. I read your entire SEO blog and I am trying to follow it as best as I can.

I am a criminal defense/immigration attorney in Houston. My website just went live 2 days ago and I have my blogs/articles set up. I read somewhere in your blog that I shouldnt start writing blogs (and backlinking) and articles (and backlinking) right away or else google will think something fishy is going on.

So should I stop? I have written 3 blogs in 3 days on each blog and I have submitted 1 article on goarticles. All of the blogs and the article have backlinks to my site. If I should stop....when is it ok to start up again? Thanks a ton! LOVED the blog!

Eric in Houston

See, this is the right way to ask a question. The tone here is completely different than the first question. But I digress. Here's the answer.

One post per day is great for your blogs, but for your own sake, you might want to slow it down a bit. What I'd suggest is two posts on your blog per week, and one article per day (Monday through Friday) linking to your blog and one linking to your website. What you don't want to do is have your site go live and then throw up 1000 links. If links were meant to be votes for your site, and you were some independent judge, wouldn't you think that was a little fishy? I would to.

So, you've got your posts done for this week, now go out and write some articles and link them back to your website and your blog. If you are going to err one way I would say more articles with links to your sites than articles on your sites.

I have a question about how you approach this keyword marketing. When you are targeting multiple keywords per site and doing 2 articles a day (4 keywords) how often do you use the same keyword? Twice a week? Once a week? I don’t want to use the same one everyday because I feel like it will have diminished returns, but I want to use it enough to boost my search ranking as fast as possible. What do you think? I am going to make a monthly spread sheet and mark off which words I use each day but I need to know how often to use each word.

Thanks and hope your practice is still going well.

Robert, Seattle.

Here's what I do. For each page (website or blog) you want to make a spreadsheet that lists five or six keywords that you want to target. For example, if you are doing criminal defense in Seattle you might think of Seattle criminal lawyer, Seattle criminal attorney, Seattle criminal attorneys, Seattle criminal lawyers, criminal attorney, and criminal lawyer. Every time you write an article and link to that page, make a note in your spreadsheet. If you cycle through those words every time you make a link you should be fine.

But I will tell you, when you are marketing your law firm on the internet it is important that you vary your keywords. You don't want to have a thousand Seattle DUI lawyer links and nothing else. That sounds weird to me and it sounds weird to Google.

And, one last note on a comment within the last question - "I want to boost my search ranking as fast as possible." This is not the mindset you should take into this. In many ways, SEO is a zen thing in that it will happen when it happens. All you can do is put the work in, keep your nose to the grindstone, and wait for the benefits to start rolling in. You have to take this approach because you have no idea how long it's going to take you to get where you want to go. If you are setting the timeline, you are likely going to be disappointed.

Okay, that's all for me. Have a great weekend. And again, thanks for all your emails, and thanks for reading!

Law Firm Marketing Book Review | Duct Tape Marketing

noreply@blogger.com (CMS) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 19:50:00 +0000

Another day, another law firm marketing post. This time I want to talk about a book I haven't actually finished reading yet, though I'm about to, called Duct Tape Marketing. And, before I even get started, I want to again point out that I am not being paid to talk about this book. In fact, I had to buy it myself. But it's worth it. And in about 3 seconds, I'm going to tell you why.

Duct Tape Marketing is not a law firm marketing book. And that's why I like it. It's about marketing a small business in general, which is what we all do.

Right away the book makes a great point, one I think I've made on here several times - we are all in the business of marketing. If you aren't promoting yourself, no one will be. After you open up your firm do me a favor and wait by the phone to see if it starts ringing. It won't. And it will continue to be silent unless you do something about it.

What I really like about this book (and by the way, in case I don't say it, you should read this book - it's got a ton of helpful information) is that it's low on philosophy and high on tools to utilize in your practice. That's not to say you don't need the philosophical books (you do), but this is a great book to actually develop a marketing plan.

One of the most important lessons I hope you take from this book revolves around standing out from the crowd. In our profession, it's really difficult to differentiate yourself from everyone else. And it's impossible if you don't sit down and take some time and actually think about what it is you want to do.

For example, let's say I Google Houston criminal lawyer. You get 836,000 results. Now, that's probably about 200 law firms that claim to be practicing criminal defense. Go look at their websites. They all look the same. They all say they are aggressive and determined and experienced. Because they all say that it washes out with potential clients. You've got to climb over that hurdle and come up with a dynamic message that is going to cut through the usual clutter. Getting yourself to the top of the search engines for Houston criminal lawyer is a big part of the equation, but you're not going to make as much money as you should unless you connect with people once they get to your site.

Duct Tape Marketing (link isn't to book but to website) gives you a plan for figuring out how you are different. They give you at least three ways to drill down into what your law firm is all about to find what sets you apart from everyone else. And that's what I really like about it.

The other thing that's great about the book is the outline it gives you to set up a fully functioning marketing system with your practice. If you implement the items discussed in this book you'll have a leg up on everyone when it comes to website and advertising performance, generating referrals, and creating happy customers who love to talk about you. I can't wait to start implementing the suggestions in this book.

And remember, that's the important part. Reading the book is not enough. Take what you can from the books you read and actually make them a part of your practice. They say it takes about 28 days to make something a habit. Today's a great day to start day number one.

Have any of you read this book? Thoughts, comments, suggestions? I always look forward to hearing from you.

Why Now is the Right Time to Start a Law Firm

noreply@blogger.com (CMS) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 22:19:00 +0000

Before I get too far, I want to tell you that we aren't doing the Mastermind on here with Anonymous. There was simply far too much information and far too much to get into. I shared some private email exchanges with them and hopefully they'll take the initiative to go out there and get a business coach (and if you don't like RJon go find someone else - he's not the only one out there).

Now, on to today's topic, "Why Now is the Right Time to Start a Law Firm." I'm going to let you in on a little secret, I do a lot of reading. Books and blogs are my two main vices. I read about all kinds of stuff. For example, right now I'm reading two books, one is about the formation and rise of the Hell's Angels motorcycle club, and the other is a book mixed with Eastern philosophy and business advice. But the post today was sparked by a blog post I read. I'm going to give you most of it here.

The blog is called "A VC: musings of a VC in NYC." In case you don't know, VC stands for venture capital. This guy invests in businesses. Here's his blog post, entitled "What's Going On?"

I talked to my mom yesterday. She was upset about the jobs situation and worried that Obama will not have any solutions when he addresses Congress on the issue this week. I'm worried about all of this too. But I have no illusions that Obama or anyone in government (including those who want Obama's job) can do much about it.

The most interesting piece in the New York Times yesterday was not David Carr's hatchet job on Mike Arrington. It was the piece about problems at the US Postal Service:
The post office’s problems stem from one hard reality: it is being squeezed on both revenue and costs. As any computer user knows, the Internet revolution has led to people and businesses sending far less conventional mail. At the same time, decades of contractual promises made to unionized workers, including no-layoff clauses, are increasing the post office’s costs. Labor represents 80 percent of the agency’s expenses, compared with 53 percent at United Parcel Service and 32 percent at FedEx, its two biggest private competitors. Postal workers also receive more generous health benefits than most other federal employees.
Right there you have in a microcosm the issue facing most developed economies, particularly western europe and the US. We are undergoing a big time technological revolution that is disrupting big industries and big companies all over the place. And many of these big companies (and societies) have in place huge entitlements that make it impossible to operate them profitably.

The US Postal Service story is not a unique situation. It is the situation. And we are going to be living with this situation for many years to come. We are crossing a huge chasm from an industrial society to an information society. And there is immense pain in that transformation. Obama can't solve the problem nor can any of his opponents. Time will solve this problem as new industries get built, people learn new skills and new jobs, and we dismantle entitlement systems that are not sustainable.

That is what is going on. I'd love to hear Obama tell the country that. But I doubt he will. But someone should.

Here's what I got out of this article, and why it's a great time to start a law firm - the legal industry is one of those industries that's being blown up by the switch from industrial society to information society. And you are here at the beginning to set your roots and take advantage of the opportunity.

When I think back to when I opened my firm, I see that I couldn't have opened at a better time in my life. In the last ten years we've undergone a huge transformation. No one talks on the phone anymore. No one uses the yellow pages. Everyone goes to the internet. Everyone wants everything done now. And everyone wants everything done as economically as possible. Okay, maybe not everyone. But a lot of people.

What the transition from industry to information has done is give everyone the freedom to ask "can we do this differently?" And, typically, the answer is yes. And, if you get started right now, you can be the answer to this question.

Technology allows you to start a law firm that is more efficient, better organized, better staffed, better run, and that gets better results than the old, established firms. You've got managing partners in law firms that don't even know how to use email!

Now is the time to take advantage of this great change. Now is the time to set your roots. Now is the time to take advantage of the opportunities out there so you can become the established presence in this new paradigm. All you have to do is get started.

Like Blockbuster and Borders, large law firms are going to start to go belly up. The infrastructure they've built and the traditions they live by don't apply in the information age. Sit down tonight, think about how you can take advantage of this blossoming new society, and get to work.

Starting a Law Firm in a "Bad Economy"

noreply@blogger.com (CMS) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:44:00 +0000

If you read any of the comments on this blog, you'll notice a pseudo discussion that broke out regarding Wednesday's post on the starting a law firm mastermind session I recently attended. It wasn't going the way I wanted it to (i.e. nothing productive was being said) so I issued a challenge to the commenter - tell us your story and let us see if we can help you past your problem. Hopefully they will accept the challenge.

One of the issues I had with the commenter's comment was the idea that things are tough because the economy is bad. Now, don't get me wrong, I know the economy is bad, and, honestly, it's probably going to get worse. But if I ever talk to you I don't want to hear the economy is bad, and here are just a few reasons why.

1. The Economy is Macro - Your Law Firm is Micro

When people talk about the economy they talk about it in one of two ways. They either talk about the country, like "the stock market just tanked again because a new jobs report came out and it sucks" or they talk about themselves personally, "the economy sucks because I lost my job and can't find another one."

The truth of the matter is, for most people, the economy is just fine. People have jobs. People work. People pay taxes. People buy boats. People buy houses. People go on vacation. These people are our potential clients.

When you start a law firm your goal should not be to take over the legal needs of every person in the United States. You pick a niche so you can focus on a specific group of people. Within that group of people I'm sure some people have money and some don't. Take an hour to sit down and think about where the potential clients with money are and then go get them.

2. The Economy Provides a Great Excuse to be "Special"

One of the things we talked about in our mastermind was the need to be special, and the need to get over that. Being special can happen in two ways.

The first way it can happen is by comparing yourself to others to make you feel like the better person. This can manifest itself in many ways, but the one we all know is the person you talk to that can never just say congratulations when you've accomplished something. They've always got to have a story that's better than yours. They've always got to be seen as the best.

The second way is comparing yourself to others to make you feel like the worse off person. This can also be known as the pity party. The idea is by making others see how much you are struggling, how much pain you are in, they'll feel bad for you and give you some attention.

This business about the economy is a great way to feel special by getting people to feel bad about you. By telling everyone you meet how terrible the economy is, you can get a lot of sympathy, a lot of well wishes, and a lot of pats on the back. The problem is, you're still going to be poor.

3. A "Bad Economy" Gives You an Excuse to do Nothing to Build Your Law Firm

If it's the economy's fault that everything is so bad, then I guess there's nothing you can do to change it. You'll just have to wait around until the economy improves to make any money. Hopefully it improves.

The truth is, there is money out there. There is a lot of money out there. You just have to go find it. And finding it is going to take some courage. It's going to take doing things that you have never done before. And the scariest part about this whole thing? It's not going to take a lot of money, but you're going to have to risk falling flat on your face.

Times have changed dramatically from even 10 years ago. Things are not done the same way they once were. People are walking around with smartphones and iPads. They are working from home. They are using their minds much more than their hands. They are partnering with people around the world. And they are becoming much more sophisticated from a marketing standpoint (and by sophisticated I simply mean a lot more skilled at weeding out information that is not important to them - i.e. advertising).

If you want to start a successful law firm you are going to have to step out of the box, set the box on fire, and start building a new box. For example, one of the things I do when I think about marketing is take a look at what everyone else is doing. If I'm doing that I stop and re-evaluate to see if I can come up with a way to do it just different enough (or completely different if necessary) to set myself out from the crowd or reach people in a new and exciting way. That is how you become successful, in the law business or any business.

Stop Talking About Your "Economy" and Start Getting to Work

Before I go any further, by the way, I want to make one thing clear - this post is not aimed directly at the commenter from Wednesday - it is aimed all of us. We all have our "economy" sticking point. We all have that thing that we fall back on to rationalize why we didn't do something or why something didn't pan out. We all have something to explain why we aren't reaching our full potential.

Today is the day that you should shed those crutches. Recognize and embrace that success beyond your wildest dreams is possible. Believe that you can be as successful as you want to be at this, and then attack this endeavor and your life with the excitement that it deserves.

I hope anonymous sends me that email.

In the comments, I want you to tell me two things:

1. What is your "economy?"

2. What can you do to get over your bad economy?

Can't wait to hear from you!

Starting a Law Firm | San Francisco MasterMind | Supplemental Income

noreply@blogger.com (CMS) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:39:00 +0000

It's been a whirlwind couple of days for me, in a good way. On Friday afternoon I hopped on a jet bound for San Francisco, ready to figure out how to take my practice to the next level. And I've got to tell you, it was a great experience. And it's exactly what I'm going to talk about today. In addition to that, I'm going to answer a reader's question about supplementing your income while opening your law practice. Here we go! Oh, and one last thing, after you get done reading I want your comments about MasterMinding. Do you think it's bogus? Would you do one? What's holding you back? Thanks in advance!

San Francisco MasterMind - Getting Out of Your Fuselage

Last weekend I was lucky enough to attend a MasterMind session put on by my business coach, RJon Robbins. You all know who he is. I've talked about him a lot.

The idea of the MasterMind, from my perspective, is this: we've all got messed up stuff running around inside of our brains, and for must of us, the stuff is different. There is one common theme though, with this messed up stuff - it works to sabotage our efforts to start a successful law firm. Now, this stuff I'm talking about isn't big stuff. It's not like we're all crackheads running around out there. It's more subtle than that. But that's what makes it so powerful and so dangerous. The goal of the MasterMind is to figure out what that messed up stuff is, how to work past it, how to recognize it, and how to move forward without it.

I can't go into too many details about the actual experience in San Francisco, and there's a reason for that - it's confidential. When we are in that room together we are sharing our most intimate secrets. We talk about our law firms, what is working and what isn't. We talk about out lives, what is working and what isn't. And, for some people most importantly, we talk about our pasts and how our experiences have shaped the way we view the world. It's the feeling of safety that allows for so much sharing, so much self-inflection, and so much growth in such a short period of time.

And, by the way, the best thing about the MasterMind is that we all walk away with a plan to triple our law firm revenues. At least. My plan, for example, if executed, takes me over one million in revenue.

Now that I've told you about the results, let me tell you about the process. We met in San Francisco at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. I was there, my wife was there, RJon and his wife were there, and there were about 8 other attorneys there (some with spouses, some without - the spouse was optional, I just wanted to include mine because I knew it would give her a great window into the way I think about my law firm). After dinner we watched a movie to kind of set the scene for the weekend and give us all a firm analogy to work with when either explaining our problems or helping people with theirs. Once the movie was over we talked about it, setting some ideas in our minds for the next day, and went to bed. Our homework assignment was to come up with one or two things that we thought were holding our business back.

Let me digress here for a moment. There are many things that hold our business back, and they fall into two different categories; mechanical and intellectual. The mechanical stuff is easy to fix - it's the stuff that processes and procedures can help with. For example, the way the phones are answered, the way that potential clients experience you and your staff, and the forms you use are mechanical. It's the intellectual, or emotional stuff that's hard to fix. Examples of this include the way we feel about money (our relationship with money), the way we view ourselves (otherwise known as self-esteem), and the rules that we've created that hold us back (that in actuality aren't rules at all). This is what we try to become aware of at the MasterMind.

When we get back into the room on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. sharp, we each take a turn going around the room. We record our experience (just our turn, not anyone else's) so we can remember everything. It starts by giving a little bit of background about us, talking about where our law firm is at, and then laying out our one or two "intellectual" problems. Then everyone takes a turn going around the room giving constructive feedback on what can be done to become more aware of the problem (otherwise known as fix the problem).

The great thing about this MasterMind specifically is RJon's presence. We don't do these every day. Some of the problems people have I can't identify with and have no idea how to fix. And someone needs to be there to make sure no damaging advice is given. That's what RJon does. He's got both creative and practical solutions for everything, and more importantly, he's got the experience to know how to flesh out the underlying problems. What that results in is you learning something extremely valuable on everyone's turn in the hot seat. Everyone's experience provides you with helpful things to take away and implement.

So, on Saturday we went from 9:00 a.m to 9:00 p.m. only stopping for about an hour for lunch. And it didn't feel like a long time to me at all. On Sunday we went from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. - no lunch. And again, I wouldn't have traded it for anything in the world.

One last thing about the MasterMind before I move on. The one I attended last weekend was free. All I had to pay for was airfare, hotel, meals. Normally when RJon does these things he charges $5000 a seat (and that's what he's charging for his next one). While we were there he asked us for help describing what happens at these things so that people can understand the value they are getting out of attending. And I can see why he asked, because it is hard to describe without actually being there.

Why You Should Consider Attending a MasterMind

Before I go anywhere with this, I want to point out that I am not being paid anything by RJon for this post. Not a dime. If you sign up for a MasterMind with him I will not receive anything except a thank you from RJon and a thank you from you when you're done.

I've got two reasons why you should attend a MasterMind.

1. It Will Make You Money

I told you when I walked out there I had a plan for a million dollar criminal defense law practice. And I can guarantee you when you walk out you'll have the same. The people I was with practiced all different areas of law: estate planning; corporate law; family law; immigration law; and business law. They all walked out with ideas to dramatically expand their law practices in practical, real world ways.

Now, like any other ideas, these ideas require execution, which is all up to you. But the advice you get here will be like you'll get no where else. And the advice you get will make you back your $5000 and then some (which should be the way you evaluate spending money - look at what you get, not what you put out - if it's more than the cost, intrinsically or extrinsically, then it's worth the price).

2. You Will Grow as a Person

One of the great things about owning a business is that it becomes a reflection of you personally. That's also one of the bad things. The way to succeed in business is to also make sure you've got your stuff together personally. Much of that just requires understanding where you are coming from and why you have the perspective you have.

What the MasterMind session allows you to do is work on yourself while you are working on your business. To give you an idea of what I'm talking about, in my session we discussed my relationship with money - it's an immature one. It's immature in the sense that I haven't yet fully grasped the potential and power of money for what it really is - a tool to get you the things that you want. In reading that last sentence that probably seems obvious, spending money to get what you want. If that were so, then RJons MasterMind sessions would be sold out. It's the concept of spending money to make money that is known as a maxim of business but is hard to execute in real life.

At our session in San Francisco I had the opportunity to see lights turn on in people's eyes as they made real personal breakthroughs. And if you don't think you're due for one of those then you are the best candidate to try this out and see just how many demons you're hiding inside your head.

Bottom line, think about it, find the money, and try something like this. I recommend RJon because I know he knows what he's doing. But there are others out there. If you aren't looking to grow in this way you and your business are suffering.

Supplemental Income and Starting a Law Firm

Here's a question I got http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.giffrom a reader last week:

This is completely off-topic, but I have a question for you. I recently went to a seminar with RJon, and he said that in order to be successful, you should put all of your energy into your new firm. What is your take on doing contract work to supplement your income while trying to establish your new firm? Thanks!

The answer to this question is simple - it depends. I don't think it's wise for anyone to just jump out there and get started without any kind of support. There's a real chance you won't make much money the first few months you are open. Having a support system, whether it's by a contract position, covering for other attorneys, or a loan from friends and family, is something to think about and figure out before you get started.

As for contract positions specifically, I'll only say this - be wary of using that as a crutch not to pursue your law firm. Starting a law firm is scary. Our subconscious doesn't deal well with scary. Instead of just telling you you're scared, it will do devious things to distract you, like convincing you how great the contract position is. If it becomes a crutch it's bad, if you use it as a tool to move forward it's good.

As always, I'd love to hear your comments and questions, particularly when it comes to MasterMinds. What is your hesitation? Is it the price? Is it the process? I'm curious!!

Starting a Law Firm | Steve Jobs and the iPad

noreply@blogger.com (CMS) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 23:48:00 +0000

I didn't really know what I was going to write about today, as my starting a law firm material is pretty low, and then I looked at cnn.com and saw that Steve Jobs stepped down today as the CEO of Apple (don't worry folks, he's still going to be the chairman of the board, so his design aesthetic should at least linger). Then I remembered that pretty much all day I've been thinking about getting an iPad, even going to an Apple store today and walking around, and I thought that would make a great topic for today's post.

Why Would a Lawyer Want an iPad?

I don't know why any lawyer would want an iPad, but I can think of several reasons why I would want an iPad. Here are a couple.

1. I am wasting way to much time in court waiting around.

In the world of criminal defense, you waste about half of your life just standing around waiting for things to happen. They call 50 people in for an 8:30 court date and start knocking them out. That means there are significant amounts of time spent sitting in a chair in a courtroom.

Until now I'd just carried my iPhone with me and made due. I can check email, read some stuff, and otherwise keep myself occupied. But I know that I could be doing so much more. With the iPad I could not only read cases and briefs and emails, but I could actively read them, which is so much better. The iPad gives you the capability to edit documents, work with PDFs, and a whole bunch of other stuff. I can actually keep working while I'm sitting around in court!

2. If I take some time to learn how, it can be a powerful trial tool.

I keep up with technology for the most part, and I've seen some of the things the iPad can do. And I'd like to be able to take advantage of them when I'm in trial. As a criminal defense attorney I need all the help I can get (the deck is often intentionally stacked against you). If this can help to even the playing field even a little bit, then I'm for it.

What Kind of iPad am I Getting? 3G or Wifi Only?

This question alone is what has been holding me back the most. There are basically six options you have for an iPad - 16, 32 or 64 gigabytes and wifi or wifi and 3g enabled.

I'm thinking of getting the 32 gig model, just to make sure I have enough room (I don't think I'll ever be able to use that up), but I was wavering on whether or not to get the 3g or the wifi only model. The 3g is more expensive - $729 versus 599 and you have to pay a monthly fee for the 3g service, but, you have the added safety net of always being able to connect to the internet, even if there is no wifi around. This is important for me because our courtrooms, like I'm sure most of yours are, are still living in the 80's when it comes to technology. That means even if they've discovered the wonderful world of wifi the signal is often weak and crappy.

So I think I'm going with the 3g 32 gig model. And of course I'm going with black. That's just my style.

I'll keep you up to date periodically with how the iPad experience is, what is working well, what isn't, what added benefits I've discovered, what drawbacks there are, and what applications I'm using. Hopefully it will help you out.

As always, love to have comments and questions. Been a little quite lately. Don't you all have anything to say? :)

Starting a Law Firm | Update on Law Firm Marketing | Mailbag

noreply@blogger.com (CMS) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 01:12:00 +0000

Before I get too far, I wanted to tell you I answered a couple of questions and updated my pricing schedule for the new law firm internet marketing service I'm offering. Click on the link to go check it out. I've already got one person signed up, there's only room for one more, and I'm not joking about this when I say it could be a game changer for your practice. But enough about that. Let's get on to the good stuff.
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
I got a couple of good questions from readers, so I thought I'd spend today answering them. I've found that this is a good way to talk about some thinks I might not have though about or to readdress an area I may not have been too clear on. If you've got a question, leave it as a comment and we'll talk about it on here. And, since these are reader questions, if you've got your own experiences, please share in the comments. The more the merrier!

Starting a Law Firm and the Phone System

Here's a comment from Anonymous, who says:

Great blog - enjoying the wealth of info.
One question - you have no physical phone lines in your office so is it safe for me to assume that you are using your cell service for Internet connectivity? What type of cell service plan do you have?

This comment came from the post on (link provided for quick reference), and I'll do my best to answer it, though I'm not precisely sure where the commenter wants me to go with it.

Yes, I don't have any physical phone lines in my office. I use a combination of Google Voice and Skype for my set up. Google Voice provides the phone number, Skype provides the feel of a physical telephone system (ability to forward, etc.).

As for internet connectivity, it is not safe to assume I am using my cell phone for internet connectivity. Where I live, we have internet delivered through cable, just like TV. I believe it's called DSL, or was called that. I have internet in my office, set up to a wireless router, that provides all of us with internet service. When a call comes in to Google Voice it is forwarded to my assistant's Skype number and she then answers it and deals with it as if it came directly to her. If I need to take the call she can forward it to my skype number or to my cell number (I typically have it forwarded to my cell in the office out of pure convenience to myself).

That's how it works.

To answer your specific question, I have an iPhone 4 through AT&T. I'm on the original data plan that has no limit for $30 a month, and my phone service I think is about $65 a month. That's it.

Starting a Law Firm and "Dressing for Success"

Another recent comment that I thought I'd talk about comes from Ian, who says:

Hi Jim,

I've been following your blog for awhile and I can honestly tell that you have a gift for it. Kudos to you!

Reading your latest post a question popped into my mind that you tangentially touched upon in the past when you talked about your buying an iphone when you started your firm in order to portray the right image with clients.

How important do you think the accoutrements of what people (and other lawyers) perceive as success in a lawyer (the Rolex, the BMW, the Gucci loafers, whatever) are in building up business? We all heard the adage "dress for success" but I'm curious to hear your take on things.

I'm coming to this issue as the driver of a Dodge Caravan (for me it doubles as family vacation vehicle), the wearer of an (admittedly Swiss) watch that cost about $250 and an occasional shopper at Jos A. Bank when they're running big sales, etc. I gotta admit that even in my mid size town (population 250,000) I sometimes feel a little put down at attorney meetings where the parking lot usually looks like an import car dealership, so I'm wondering what your thoughts were.

Cheers and thanks for all you advice,

Ian

This is a tough question to answer as it may apply differently to different people, depending on your practice area and things like that. But here's my take.

First things first, first impressions are everything. People are going to decide a lot of things about you, right or wrong, based on what they think of you the first time they meet you. The great thing about this is you have the opportunity to control pretty much all of the variables surrounding meetings. The bad thing is you have the opportunity to control pretty much all of the variable surrounding meetings.

When people meet an attorney for the first time they have a lot of stereotypical things built up in their minds. Some of these things are good, some of them are bad. The key is to sit down and think about what stereotypical things your clients will be thinking and accentuate the good and delete the bad.

For example, I'm in criminal defense. When people think of criminal defense lawyers they typically turn to what they've seen on television - well dressed, smooth talker, a "shark," untrustworthy, sneaky, and some things like that. So, when they first come to meet me they are immediately trying to size me up to see if I fit into their stereotypes - if I fit in the right way I get hired. If I don't, they'll "think about it."

So, I make sure when I meet with clients, almost all the time, I'm wearing a suit. And a suit that makes me look good. The idea is to present an aura of success, of confidence. That's what they need in their attorney, and that's one thing that will make them feel comfortable.

Second, I make sure my office is nice, not overly done, and inviting. I want them to feel at ease, feel like I have no problem paying the bills (which I don't) and feel like I'm sitting in my office slugging it out for my clients on a daily basis (I am). I don't want it to be over the top because I don't want them thinking about how I paid for all the stuff I've got in my office. I want them to listen to me.

Now, where first impressions aren't made - the type of car you drive; how much your suit costs (please, though, spend enough money on a suit so that it looks good on you - if you don't feel like taking on the world in that suit, move on to the next or get it tailored - there's no reason to look like a slob); and anything else you can think of.

I drive a 1997 Toyota 4Runner. It gets me from point A to point B. When I meet clients and potential clients, I don't typically show them my car. I also don't tell them the price or make of my suits. I don't own a watch. I have nice shoes, because nice shoes make for a nice suit, but I didn't spend over $200 for them.

I think at the end of the day, it all comes down to meeting client expectations. If you're worried about impressing other attorneys, I wouldn't worry about it (unless, of course, they fall into client expectations). Whenever I see some guy with a nice car I don't think he's better than me or more successful than me, I just think he's a car guy (they should see my golf clubs!).

When you're starting a law firm it's important to look established, like you're organized, but it's not important to throw off a fake air of success. Just put yourselves in your potential client's or current clients' shoes and go from there.

That's it for the mailbag today. What do you think about these two topics? Have a question about something else? Let me know!

Starting a Law Firm | Influencer: The Power to Change Anything | A Review

noreply@blogger.com (CMS) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 19:49:00 +0000

I was flying back from Kansas yesterday after visiting some family and I was reading a book that I thought would be relevant to discuss here. As the title of the post suggests, the name of the book was "Influencer: The Power to Change Anything." It is written by Kerry Patterson, among others, and was really quite an amazing book. Here's a review of it, and I hope you go out and buy it. (It's sad we have to put this here in today's world, but I'm not getting any payment for this - I didn't even get the book for free!).

Throughout our daily lives there are things going on that we'd like to influence the outcome of. We want our wife to let us go play golf (don't read anything into this honey!). We want our companies to be more efficient. We want to lose weight. We want to stop eating the things we know we should not be eating. But exerting this kind of influence over ourselves and others is difficult, and in some ways can seem to be impossible.

Well, it is possible, and this book, Influencer, gives you the tools to do just that. What the book does is break down influence into six different categories:

(1) Personal motivation (making the undesirable desirable);

(2) Personal ability (surpass your limits);

(3) Social motivation (harness peer pressure);

(4) Social Ability (find strength in numbers);

(5) Structural motivation (design rewards and demand accountability); and

(6) Structural ability (change the environment).

Then, step by step, the authors walk you through how you can use these categories to change the things you want to change (for the worse or for the better).

It's a great book because not only is it filled with a lot of theoretical information, it also provides a lot of great real world examples. The examples include changing corporate culture, losing weight, stopping debilitating diseases, harnessing the power of employees, and many others. It can be a great insight and provide great direction into improving any challenges you are currently facing in life and opening new doors that you thought might be closed to you.

It should be pretty clear to you how this book is relevant to starting a law firm. But just in case it isn't, I'll tell you personally how it's going to help me.

First, there are things that I have to do all the time that I don't necessarily like to do. It's not that they are bad things, I just don't personally find them enjoyable. What this book has allowed me to do is take a step back and reframe the way I look at things, in order to derive the satisfaction I should out of completing those tasks.

Second, there are personal goals that I want to reach that I know I am holding myself back from. This book has provided me with the tools to change bad habits into good, to make myself more productive, and enjoy every single bit of it.

Third, and finally, the book has provided a lot of insight from a managerial and entrepreneurial standpoint. There are ways to handle specific situations that are much better than others. There are specific steps to take in a specific order to garner the best results. And there are important things related to my business that I need to keep top of mind if I want it to continue going in the direction it is going.

Starting a law firm should be the best experience of your life. You should enjoy it. So take the time to think about why you are doing it, what it really means to you, and then get out there and do it. Oh, and read the book. I guarantee you'll get something from it.

Starting a Law Firm | A New Opportunity for You

noreply@blogger.com (CMS) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 15:28:00 +0000

UPDATE: Don't want to talk about this anymore here, though I've gotten several responses. For more information, go to lawfirmwebsiteseo.blogspot.com, my site that's more relevant to this.

I was at a DUI conference in Boston a couple of weeks ago and I had an interesting conversation with several people there. As we DUI lawyers are wont to do after we've had a couple of frosty beverages, we started talking about the respective strengths of our practices - how we're doing, where we are struggling, and what others might be doing that is working that we can use when we got back home.

A funny thing happened time and time again when I was having these conversations, everyone was paying a lot of money to try to take advantage of everything the web had to offer - and they weren't seeing great results from it. I would tell them about what I've done, how effective it has been for my practice, and I could just see their eyes light up as they asked me question after question about how to do what I did. And for pennies on the dollar.

One particular person I talked to said he wanted us to meet after the conference to talk about how what I knew could help their firm and their firm's business. I said sure, I'd meet with them, just like I've met with countless other people (and discussed on my blog) to talk about what I do from a search engine perspective. But he said something I hadn't heard before - he said "I want you to help us do this, and I want to make it right for you." That got the wheels turning. And here's why.

Anyone can do what I do to get higher rankings in the search engines. Literally anyone. But, it takes work. It takes grind it out work. It takes monotonous work. I'm just stupid enough and bull headed enough to do it - and over time I've gotten good at it. When I tell most people how to do it (the process will probably take you about an hour a day, every day, forever) they shy away from it, even though the rewards are huge.

So, I've decided to hire out my services to people that are interested in using them. What I will do, for a fee, is employ my strategies on your website to get them ranking at the top of the search engines for your desired keywords. I will do this and continue to do it as long as you see value in it, and I think you'll see value in it the moment we hit the top three results (which, depending on the competitiveness of your keyword could take a couple of weeks or a couple of months).

Since you all are my faithful readers I thought I'd give you the opportunity to sign up first. But here's the catch - I don't want to get overwhelmed with this, so I'm not going to just let everyone sign up. Right now I have no clients - none. Like I said, this literally was discussed three weeks ago with a DUI lawyer colleague of mine. I want to start slow and build over time, so right now I'm only going to take on two clients. That's it. So, after you read what I'm offering, if you're interested let me know quickly.

Here's what I'm going to do. When you sign up for me, whatever keywords you want, you have exclusive rights to those keywords with me. They have to be location specific, because that's all that matters anyway, so once you sign up, you'll get my full attention to your specific location based keywords. You get to pick two, and then as we grow, you can add more on for a nominal fee.

For example, let's say you practice divorce law in Kansas City. Two great keywords for you would be Kansas City divorce lawyer and Kansas City divorce attorney - that's what people type in when they are looking for you. You would have the exclusive rights to those keywords with me as long as you were a client - that means I would never sign anyone up in the Kansas City area for divorce law.

Don't know if anyone is still interested, but if you are, here is how the price structure is set up. I don't want to work for free, but I don't want to get paid for the premium value I'm giving you until you are getting it. So, the way I've set it up is a tiered fee structure. Every week I'll check your keywords and report to you the results. As long as you are not on the first page, the fee is $500 a month. Even if you get on the first page during a month, you don't owe any extra. Once you are on the first page, the price goes up to $1000 a month. That reflects the value you are getting - you should start to get more pageviews and hits on your website from being on the first page. Once you are in the top 3, the price goes up to $3000 a month, and it stays there forever.

I'm not sure if that sounds like a lot of money to you or not. If you are just starting out it may seem like a big commitment. But here's the thing, my guess is if I get you even one new client a month you have already paid your costs for the month (that's at the $3000 a month level). After that, everything is profit. To put it into perspective for you, the guy I talked to was paying at least $7000 a month for his search engine help!

This kind of search engine help probably isn't right for everyone. From my perspective, this service would be most valuable to people that have potential clients looking for their services on the internet - this means, for the most part, consumer based services. The one's I'm thinking of are criminal defense, bankruptcy (consumer), family law, personal injury, estate planning (maybe), employment law (from the employee side), and on and on.

I have no idea if anyone is going to be interested in this. I can tell you I could easily pay the price I've asked for with the business I've brought in using these techniques. I thought some of you might want some help from a reputable source that truly has your success in mind.

Remember, I'm only taking two spots for now, so let me know if you're interested and we'll talk further.