For 98% of law firms marketing and business development are the responsibility of one or two lawyers. Perhaps the senior partners are the rainmakers and the associates and junior partners handle the day-to-day technical aspects of running a law practice, i.e., depositions, court appearance and trials. BIG mistake!
It should be the collective responsibility of your law firm to market your law practice and get new clients. Even with the most exceptional lawyers and staff in the world, if you don’t have a stream of new clients, your law firm will suffer a slow, agonizing death. Contrary to conventional lawyer “wisdom”, every lawyer, secretary, paralegal and receptionist in your law firm must make it their number one priority to get new clients.
“If the most important goal within the organization is to increase sales, then every member of the team shares that goal. It isn’t just the responsibility of the head of sales.”
Patrick Lencioni, The Advantage
But let’s say you’re a small firm with only a receptionist and paralegal. No problem, my friend. Think of all of the ways you can make your non-lawyer team a part of your marketing machine. Here are just a few thoughts for your paralegal or secretary:
- Write blog posts and Frequently Asked Questions for the law firm’s website;
- Send handwritten thank-you notes on firm stationary and a box of chocolates to referral partners; and
- Share and tweet the firm’s social media posts and photographs on her personal Facebook and Twitter profiles.
Seems pretty basic, but how many law firms bring their support staff, or even their associates and junior partners, into marketing and business development? Pretty close to zero—and that’s precisely why you should.
