IndyBar: Run of the Mill: More Ways to Differentiate Yourself from Other Lawyers

By Jared Correia, IndyBar Law Practice Management Consultant, Red Cave Legal Consulting

It’s a whole new world for lawyers, but one thing hasn’t changed: there are still a lot of them.

Yes, there are a staggering number of attorneys in the United States, both in terms of raw numbers and when you look at per capita figures. Yet, most of the law firms are very poor at differentiating one from another. Law firm websites spout platitudes about customer service and competency and offer what amount to very weak reasons for a consumer to pick one law firm apart from another.

This is a long-standing issue, but the ongoing pandemic, while carrying with it lots of problems, also offers attorneys new and interesting ways to create unique sales propositions, especially relevant to their customers, like these:

If you’re one of a growing number of Americans fleeing major cities, you’ll find new opportunity being a community lawyer without a specific practice focus in smaller communities — just as local referrals are on the rise.

What practice areas are on the rise during the pandemic? What trends in your own practice are accelerating? Now is not the time to be timid. If you see a new marketing opportunity, jump on it.

Now is the time to convert all of the analog, in-person aspects of your practice to digital models. Or at the least, offer digital versions of analog processes. You can’t wait any longer to get virtual; it’s what clients expect and require.

Since more and more information sits online than ever before, you can double-down on your ability to safeguard data as a steward of client information. Convince your leads and clients of your law firm’s worth as a secure repository of their most sensitive information and you’ll garner both more leads and conversions.

Engage in alternative content options (like podcasts and video), and show a little personality. Without the benefit of offline meetings to get leads and referral sources to like you, you need to be able to resonate with those same folks online now.•

If you want your law practice to stand out, we can help. The IndyBar offers FREE law practice management consulting services through Red Cave Law Firm Consulting. To request a consult, visit indybar.org/lpm and start running your law firm like a business.