Well, you are not alone. Every lawyer wants to grow their family law practice. As you read this, you may be in the same place I used to be even if that was over two decades ago.
Here is the issue. Although law school taught us some stuff about how to read case law and a few other things, it taught us a big fat ZERO about building and running a successful and profitable family law practice.
There are countless lawyers out there, some are really good at what they do and others, well, not so good. The problem is that being a good lawyer, a great advocate for your clients who gets good results, is only an infinitesimal part of growing a successful law practice, whether that law practice is focused upon family law or another area of expertise.
The problem for so many of us is that we do not know where to start when wanting to grow our family law practice successfully.
If you've just started your own family law practice or you're planning on starting one, this article on the ten tips for avoiding mistakes includes all the questions you should ask yourself before taking the plunge.
Jump to read the strategies to growing your law practice
When I ventured out on my own, I did what most lawyers do when starting their own law practice. I got a business card made. I also got a logo. Once I had my business card and logo and found a space to rent, I thought I was off to the races and things would go along swimmingly after that.
Don’t get me wrong.
Having a business card and logo was great and fun to do, but it had virtually nothing to do with growing my practice or making it a success. This was one of many mistakes I made, that you can avoid by checking out my article on the 10 Costly Mistakes to Avoid when starting a law practice.
Running your own business can be hard, and I mean really freaking hard. Transparently, if I had known how challenging it would be, I do not know if I would have chosen to open up my own practice. It has been a helluva lot tougher than I thought it would be.
The truth is, I didn’t put a whole bunch of thought into starting my own family law practice. I was was just sick and tired of working for older lawyers who seemed to be taking advantage of me. I went from one “old boy” firm to another. Then I went to a third law firm whose managing partner promised me lots of things (great money, a great working environment, lots of legal work, etc.) and then did not deliver.
I left and “put up my shingle” because, really, I had nothing to lose.
Now it is years later, and finally, I am glad to say I made the choice that I did. Working for myself has allowed my entire life to expand in ways I never imagined possible over two decades ago. I run an ethical and profitable family law practice based upon my core values (family, connection, love, care and . . . . FUN! Did I mention FUN?! Gawsh, I love to have fun, but that is another story).
If you have taken the leap to open your own family law practice, or are thinking about it, ask yourself this very blunt question.
You gotta know that there is a lot more than knowing the law associated with your practice area. Building your own family law practice to be profitable includes many steps and processes.
Of course one of the first things you will require are clients. That is why you want to grow your family law practice with the use of family law marketing such as:
Strategies for Family Law Marketing Without Spending a Cent on Advertising!
And if you do decide to advertise your law firm, these are the top 10 mistakes to avoid.
You are going to want to utilize family marketing strategies that do not waste your valuable resources, that is, your time, and your money.
As if that is not enough, as you are growing your family law practice, you must ensure you are taking care of the business-side of your law practice.
Make sure you take care of all matters relating to administration, payroll, management, holidays, and computer systems and know where to start. It is a lot, I know.
Plus, if you're serious about starting your own family law practice, you'll want to check out this article about the potential risks and questions you should ask yourself before starting your practice.
You probably already know that becoming a successful lawyer is about a lot more than discovering how to grow your family practice. It is also about being exceptionally efficient, taking charge of your time, and having stratospherically satisfied clients.
Law school taught us a big fat nothing about becoming a successful lawyer - whether running a business or serving the clients in a way that is best for them.
The most successful lawyers are not only smart, hardworking, and know a ton about the law in their area of expertise, but they also are diligent about applying business strategies to their law practices. Discover the full list of qualities a family lawyer should possess.
Because you have taken the time to read this far, I am going to let you in on a little secret that will help you market your family law practice efficiently and fast.
This sure-fire 3-step strategy takes very little time to set up and pays you dividends. This is what you do!
Val Hemminger's 3-Steps to Grow Your Family Law Practice: