How to propel the growth of your Small Legal Firm?

Legal firms are similar to other businesses in many ways, despite their obvious and technical differences. It is expected that at some time, Small Law Firms will want or see the necessity to expand their business as well getting more clients and improve their reputation. For many Small Firms, the obstacles to expansion, however, such as acquiring new customers, competing with other firms, and not having enough time to focus on the business side of things, can become so complicated that law firm growth stagnates.

In this article, we’ll lead you through recommendations for growing your legal business.

1. Make Customer Service a top priority to retain clients.

Existing clients are significantly easier to sell to than new ones. That is a proven fact. The solicitor-client relationship is taken for granted by most companies, yet we now live in a consumer-driven world with more choice and competition than ever before. Clients are more inclined to shop around nowadays than they were in the past when merely holding a Will in your safe meant you had a client for life. As a result, it’s key more than ever to work hard to keep clients.

How many times have you chosen a service provider because they made you feel heard, respected, and wanted? The same may be said for your customers. Poor call and enquiry handling is the single most significant impediment to law practise expansion (apart from the lack of a website). Furthermore, focusing on providing good service to your customers will help you acquire more return business. Focus on retention, cross-selling, and upselling.

2. Make efficient systems – Make a list of your procedures and work to enhance them.

If you are in a position of leadership or decision-making in your company, you should strive for operational excellence for the following reasons: to expand your company; to get the most out of the resources you’re paying for (employees/contractors) — you don’t want to overpay for resources because of inefficiencies in your procedures.

Focusing on enhancing operations will also enable you to focus considerably more on the data so that every crucial decision you make is based on facts and figures rather than guesswork.

One useful exercise that you can start practising today is also not asking too much of your employees; in doing so you will be able to visualise or and figure out where resources need to be shifted or brought in from elsewhere.

Remember, the main goal is to boost team efficiency to the highest potential level in order to generate the best possible return.

Read More: 6 Reasons To Start Investigating Case Management Today (threadsoftware.com)

3. Take care of your firm’s marketing and become the “go-to” firm.

In order to become a “go-to” firm for your areas of practise, Marketing your firm correctly is a key thing to pay attention to.

The importance of having an internet presence for a small legal business nowadays cannot be emphasised enough. As a Small Legal form owner, you want to appear on the list of potential clients who are Googling law firms with your speciality in their area.

In order to do that, content marketing is beneficial to law firms, as it is to other organisations because it allows you to demonstrate your professional expertise on a topic. Potential clients will be impressed by your interesting, informative, and engaging content and will take the leap to contact you for a session and for more detailed legal advice.

In addition to an optimised keyword, optimised websites, critical calls to action, pay per click advertising or PPC, and a well-planned social media strategy will allow you to rank the highest in Google search and will position you as the “go-to”, knowledgeable firm you want to become.

4. Make an investment in modern technologies.

To eliminate paperwork, track billable time, and keep varied information and materials organised, a case management software is essential for small firms. When implemented early, it could help you expand at an exponential speed. There is specific software for law firms, as well as a plethora of more general solutions, such as HR software, that can assist a small firm in staying organised. Using technology to ease routine office chores frequently leads to additional billable time for your legal assistants, attorneys, and office personnel. Why should your paralegals waste time searching through real law libraries when they may instead use an online database?

Many law firms are transitioning to Thread Case Management Software because of its long history with the legal business and the capabilities it offers that are tailored to law firms. Thread is the only Legal Case Management Software in the market built with the Microsoft 365 tools that most people are familiar with.

Software’s like Thread Legal, can take all that burden out of your back and help you manage and operate documents, cases, files, etc in a simple and comprehensive way. This helps propel Small Firms’ growth as it allows companies to free up at least 3-4 hours per day in Admin Time so that firms can concentrate on growth.

Read more: Thread.Legal – the Missing piece of Microsoft Office 365 for Lawyers (threadsoftware.com)

5. Keep an eye out for online searches & trends for the most required practise areas.

Despite well-founded fears that work would dry up for law firms after the pandemic, the data seems to point to the fact that people are still seeking out legal services. Expand your knowledge as much as you can in other areas of law such as: Conveyancing, Divorce, Crime, Personal Injury, Private Client, and Employment, as they are the ones gaining more popularity with time.

6. Develop your personal brand.

Small Legal firms, like many other businesses, should concentrate on their branding efforts. Your brand is who you are and what people think of when they think of your company. Finding your niche is one way to do this. Most legal firms specialise in one or a few areas of law, but it is usually desirable to be renowned for serving a specific sort of client. You could, for example, concentrate on discrimination lawsuits in the context of employment law. A strong brand will help potential clients think of you when they need legal representation or guidance, and having a speciality makes it easier to attract your preferred clientele.

7. Set a fair price for the value you provide and be open about it.

When talking to current and potential clients, the topic of publication costs is always brought up. For a variety of (excellent) reasons, lawyers have traditionally decided not to advertise pricing.

Is it a mistake to not publish pricing in today’s digital world? Users can now compare products and services like never before thanks to the opportunity to do research and shortlist possible suppliers. We expect to be able to find the information we require in a matter of seconds, including pricing. What if we aren’t able to? We go on to a location where we will be able to do so. “How much will it cost me?” is a question that comes up in pretty much every transaction.

Legal services are notoriously difficult to price. Despite a trend toward commoditizing some legal services (fixed fees, flat-rate Wills, for example), time and line billing continues to be the norm. Transparency, in our opinion, is keyhouse, and will assist our clients to prevail in competitive scenarios. Prior to devoting time and money to consultations and the sales process, publish pricing to help qualify customers.

Indeed, when we engage with existing clients, we frequently discuss how we might assist them to obtain fewer – but higher-quality – enquiries. Improving your conversion rate for desired business is obviously more profitable and efficient than dealing with a high amount of unqualified enquiries. The road to a more effective, streamlined, and lucrative firm is to have your website dismiss unprofitable enquiries.

8. Wherever possible, outsource.

Hiring full-time employees aren’t the only method to keep your firm afloat. Legal process outsourcing is a technique to assign tasks (such as document review, scanning, and non-substantive court appearances) to outside specialists, freelance lawyers, or other competent professionals.

Outsourcing can reduce your firm’s workload by removing these responsibilities from your plate, allowing you and your team to focus on other important tasks.

9. Finally, you can’t do everything yourself, so delegate more effectively.

While having a strong work ethic is admirable, it isn’t necessarily in your (or your company’s) best interests when it comes to growth—especially if you’re too busy to reply to potential clients or market your services. You’re probably doing work that doesn’t need to be done by you. Delegating can save up a lot of time while also providing prospects for advancement.

Examine your work responsibilities and ask yourself if you’re the right person for the job. Make a list of questions to ask yourself if you’re not sure whether or not a task can be assigned. Make a list of them and come back to them.

Read more: Effective Collaboration for Law Firms (threadsoftware.com)

To sum up…

Getting more clients, expanding your Small Legal Firm, and becoming a success storey takes effort, planning, and perhaps a shift in mindset—but the payoff will be well worth it. Much of Small Law Firm growth comes down to strategic delegating, so start by devising a framework to help with expansion and prioritising marketing to attract new customers. Be proactive and responsive when it comes to your client interactions. Don’t be hesitant to hire or outsource employees, and use technology to automate when possible.

Please contact us if you believe we can assist you in making your Small Law Firm successful. We’re not pushy, and on +353 1 8704 949, we’re always pleased to talk things over.

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