Bill4Time

Legal Time Billing Software

Andrew McDermott

Lead generation for attorneys: how to attract 53% more clients

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Your law firm could increase revenue by 53 percent or more by selling both products and services to clients—attorneys billing hours by the day, selling legal products by night.

According to Mark Cohen, speaker on law firm innovation at LegalMosaic, “The traditional law firm economic model is predicated on high-intensity, high-priced labor as opposed to products, but nonetheless, this is something clients are increasingly demanding.”

Most firms haven’t embraced this model, but it’s a revenue model law firms can use to attract, earn, and win more high-quality clients consistently. Today I’m going to show you how this model can provide you with free advertising. 

Using products to attract more clients

The business model is simple, and it doesn’t require a whole lot of babysitting. It needs some upfront work to set things up, and a willingness to maintain the revenue model, so it continues to perform well for you. 

Here’s how this model works:

  1. You advertise on a specific platform. I’m recommending pay per click advertising (e.g., Google ads or Bing ads) to start. 
  2. You send customers to a specific landing page with an irresistible quid pro quo offer (i.e., trading education for an email address). 
  3. You offer the subscribers an irresistible, low-cost product to gauge interest levels and segment prospective clients.
  4. Clients subsidize your advertising; they pay you to promote your law firm. 

Here the ingredients you’ll need.

  • An irresistible offer
  • A strong value proposition
  • Money to advertise ($300 per mo. minimum)
  • An email service provider
  • A website or landing page (and all that comes with it)
  • Strong educational content
  • Social proof, credibility, and authority markers
  • Product risk-reversals (you’ll need to verify the legalities)

You must invest the time needed to get these details right. Shoddy website design, an unreliable email service provider, or weak educational content, will sabotage the results you receive. As the saying goes, garbage in, garbage out.

The product you offer depends on your goals

Lead generation for attorneys involves planning and you’ll need to determine what your goals and objectives will be ahead of time. Are you merely looking for a way to generate more leads? Would you prefer to transition fully to products? Maybe you’re interested in creating a hybrid firm — 70 percent of the revenue comes from billables, 30 percent from products.

It’s entirely up to you. You must identify these goals ahead of time, so you aren’t distracted by offers that take you away from your goals and objectives. Which products should you sell? You can sell:

  • Books
  • Courses
  • Workshops
  • Seminars
  • Events
  • Initial consultations
  • Productized services 
  • Tools
  • Apps
  • Connections
  • Access

There’s more ways to increase revenue without sacrificing billable hours, but I think you get the point. Using these resources, you can generate a significant amount of revenue for your law firm and attract new clients simultaneously. 

Let’s take a look at our fictitious firm, Goldsmith, Price & Cooper, who wants to expand lead generation for attorneys and test this model. Goldsmith, Price & Cooper specializes in business law. They’re particularly interested in startups and small businesses. They’ve noticed that prospective clients have some common misconceptions about incorporating in Nevada.

Their clients are worried about asset protection. They want to provide their clients with the help and support they need, but they also want to make sure their firm is profitable. They gather their ingredients together.

  • Two irresistible offers: (1.) An asset protection toolkit and (2.) They write a book on asset protection
  • A strong value proposition: Their firm offers battle-tested asset protection
  • Money to advertise: $2,500
  • An email service provider: Mailchimp
  • A website or landing page: (a.) A landing page for their asset protection toolkit and (b.) A sales page (with checkout via easy-to-use tools like Gumroad) to sell their book
  • Strong educational content: Thorough, informative content that exposes their need for help. 
  • Social proof, credibility, and authority markers: “As seen on” badges that highlight your firm’s expertise and recognition in the marketplace
  • Product risk-reversals: A 30 day, no questions asked refund policy for the book 

Next, Goldsmith, Price & Cooper arranges these ingredients in the right order. They set things up so prospective clients: 

  1. See their ad on Google or Bing
  2. Click on their ads
  3. Arrive on their landing page
  4. Enter their email address to receive the asset protection toolkit
  5. Views their irresistible offer and decides to purchase their asset protection book
  6. Are invited to set up an initial consultation with a partner (not an associate) at their firm

Using this structure, you can produce a consistent stream of high-quality clients who are eager and willing to invest the amount needed to receive your expertise. You create products that deliver a substantial amount of revenue for your firm, subsidizes your advertising (so it’s free), and generates leads — all at the same time.

Selling legal products boosts law firm profitability

Your law firm can increase revenue by 53 percent or more by selling both products and services to clients. As we’ve seen, the issue with lead generation for attorneys isn’t whether this strategy is viable; it’s about structure. 

Most firms haven’t embraced this model but it’s a revenue model law firms can use to outperform their traditional-minded competitors. Using the structure I’ve presented, your firm can generate a significant amount of revenue for your law firm and attract new clients simultaneously.
But it all depends on structure. Solve your prospective client’s problems, and you’ll find they’re eager to invest in the products and services they need to protect their interests.

A legal billing software guide for law firms

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I didn’t get the outcome I wanted, so I’m not going to pay you.

Sound familiar? Law firm McCarter & English sued their client to collect $2 million in legal fees from a client who lost at trial. It’s a scenario that’s replayed daily throughout the country. 

When it comes to legal billing, many firms are focused on a variety of details. What should be included in our billing template? Which billing increments should be used? Are write-downs necessary here? These questions are important but they’re not as important as the high-level details that dictate whether you’re paid for your hard work or not.  

Successful legal billing begins with consistent communication 

What does communication have to do with realization rates or getting paid? According to the Legal Trends report, 44 percent of law firms list a client’s inability to pay all at once as the most common reason for nonpayment. Firms also state that 31 percent of clients pay late even when they have the funds. 

Patrick Lamb, Partner at ElevateNext Law, shared his thoughts on this phenomenon.

“Firms increased their rates and clients responded by paying less. This finding reflects a fundamental disconnect between firms and their clients. Clients obviously do not believe they are getting fair value for the fees charged.  Increasing rates is not going to change that view: indeed, continued price increases will only exacerbate the problem.”

The real problem? Neither party wants to communicate. Clients are skeptical that communication will produce any meaningful change, so they ignore their firm’s invoice and pay what they want. Firms continue to increase their rates to reduce the overwhelming pressure they face. 

What pressure? 

  • Competition. Competing law firms are looking for a way to steal business. In times when demand is down for law firm services, firms begin fighting for a shrinking piece of the pie. 
  • Disloyalty. Partners choose to hoard their clients, matters and files in an attempt to control the amounts they’re able to bill. Some firms attempt to increase their rates in an attempt to compensate for partners with a significant amount of leverage. 
  • Poor utilization rates. Research shows attorneys bill for less than 30 percent of their workday, but they only collect on 20 percent of their time. 
  • Financial loss. Many firms increase their rates to compensate for losses due to poor realization, billable leakage, reconstructive billing and nonpayment. A consistent trend of discounts, write-downs and write-offs has taken its toll. 

Allison Shields, consultant at Legal Ease Consulting, reinforces my point about communication and explains why realization should be your firm’s focal point. 

“When lawyers write off or write down their fees — or when clients pay only a portion of the lawyer’s bill, aren’t both lawyer and client saying that the hourly fee really doesn’t mean anything, and that there is a particular (fixed) fee that is ‘fair’ for the work?”

How does communication solve this problem? Clients and firms are afraid to tell each other the truth. For example, firms are afraid they’ll lose profitable or marquee clients by stating they want more money. Clients are afraid they won’t receive help from anyone if they’re honest about the amount they’re willing or able to pay. 

Why law firms need a legal billing checklist

A legal billing checklist is a helpful way to boost realization rates. A checklist gives you the upfront time you need to identify the strategy, tactics, tools and resources needed to produce the outcomes you want, even if clients are unwilling to state their needs explicitly. Wait a minute, wasn’t this post about legal billing? Absolutely. 

A legal billing checklist helps your law firm: 

  • Identify (and reset) client expectations ahead of time
  • Provide you with the intel and leverage you need to keep clients happy and realization rates high
  • Troubleshoot billing and realization problems ahead of time 
  • Spot legal billing headaches and problems before they metastasize into delinquent payments

Solve these problems ahead of time, and you increase your realization rates naturally. Let’s take a look at the various items in this 16 point checklist. 

Task/to-do Why it’s important
Client screening protocolsSome clients won’t be interested in paying for your services at any cost. These protocols identify and sort your ideal and dysfunctional clients. This simple step is taken for granted, but it’s an easy way to boost your firm’s realization rates.
Set billing point of contact(s)You’ll need to identify key decision-makers, influencers and promoters who can get things done in your client’s organization. 
Identify relationship buildersThe more you invest in a relationship with your clients (and key people in their organization), the easier it will be to address billing problems and improve your realization rates. 
Identify billing expectationsYour clients have a hidden set of fuzzy, implicit and unrealistic expectations. Identifying these expectations gives you the leverage you need to ensure they’re happy. Why do expectations matter? Missed expectations are the root of all unhappiness.  
Reset/update billing expectationsAn awareness of your client’s expectations provides you an opportunity to reset/update them (via your fee agreement), so they’re in-line with reality. This reset prevents the relationship from going sour due to financial misunderstandings. 
Create AFA matching protocolsIf you’re consistently discounting your fees, a fixed fee arrangement may help restore profitability in your firm. Client misbehavior is often an indication of an AFA mismatch. AFAs can be used creatively to boost client responsiveness, boost firm realization rates and increase profit per partner/employee. 
Set unexpected billing protocolsSending clients a large bill with an unexpected dollar amount is a surefire way to trigger a billing dispute. Unexpected billing protocols outline how you go about making the unexpected easier for clients to handle. 
Create a discount reduction planDiscounts erode law firm profits. The reason is simple. Clients want your services. They don’t want your bill. A discount reduction plan provides you with helpful tools you can use to increase realization rates across your firm. 
Add nonfinancial payment incentives If you’re looking for ways to motivate clients to pay on time, nonfinancial incentives (e.g., bonuses, events, workshops, connections, luncheons, favors, etc.) are a great place to start. These incentives provide you with the precious income your firm needs by addressing non-monetary wants. 
Set communication intervals How often should you communicate with your clients regarding their matter? Regarding your bill? (hint: a 5:1 positive/negative ratio is ideal) However, you’ll need to identify the communication interval that works best for your firm.  
Contemporaneous tracking toolsYour timesheets should be treated as inventory. Every line item is a unit of revenue for your firm. You’ll need to identify the time tracking tools that enable timekeepers in your firm to track their time as-it-happens. 
Verify timekeeper entries [daily]Are your timekeepers following best practices? Which timekeepers are tracking their time (billable and nonbillable) daily? Are their time entries descriptive and accurate? Are they adding time entries as-it-happens or at the end of the day? Accurate time tracking is crucial for a variety of reasons – it’s how most firms are paid, it helps firms measure their utilization rates
Outline billing confirmation/compliance Complying with your client’s billing guidelines is an easy way to ensure your invoices are paid fully and on time. Client billing guidelines can be hit or miss. 
This means you’ll need to supplement client billing guidelines with your own. You’ll want to track actions that are required or forbidden. You’ll also want to identify stop words that flag your invoices for review. 
Create billing follow-up systemsWhen are clients reminded about your invoice? How many reminders are sent? Are they sent via phone, email, text? You’ll want to outline the follow-up systems needed for your invoices. It’s also a good idea to identify the point of contact responsible for reaching out to each client. The attorney handling their account is ideal, but you’ll need to determine what’s best for you. 
Set client termination protocols When should you terminate your relationship with a client? How many payments can be missed? What are the conditions or criteria that need to be met before termination takes place? You’ll need to identify key dealbreakers ahead of time. 
Set collection activity protocolsWhen and how do you initiate collections activity? What specific steps should be taken? How do you notify your client? Determining the when and how of collections activity removes much of the emotion from your client relationships – especially if you provide clients with written, upfront communication.  

Wait a minute. This list of to-dos, they’re all focused on processes rather than legal billing! Why on earth would it be important for law firms to focus on their process rather than billing? 

A well-designed process prompts communication 

Communication is the common thread with each of these to-do items. Here’s why it’s important. Your prospects and clients expect your communication, billing and fee breakdowns to meet these four criteria.

  1. Financial alignment. Your clients want to see that your financial interests are aligned with theirs. It’s hard to maintain trust if your firm gets paid regardless of your client’s outcome. Alignment equals trust. 
  2. Transparency and communication. Surprising clients with a significant variance, relying on block billing and other dishonest practices create ambiguity, increasing distrust.
  3. Expectations calibration. Are clients looking for an hourly, fixed fee, or retainer arrangement? Do they have the upfront funds needed to pay for your services? You’ll need to calibrate your client’s expectations before.
  4. Value over price. When clients ask about price, they’re often actually asking about value. They’re often looking for a value breakdown, a demonstration of your firm’s exceptional ability. They want an answer to the question, “are you giving me more than I’m paying you?“

Using this checklist, your firm can troubleshoot billing and realization problems ahead of time, before they metastasize into excessive discounting, consistent write-downs or delinquent payments. Your profit and realization rates go up naturally as a result of the upfront preparation you’ve done in your firm.

Communication is the key to legal billing success

Standardizing a process holds your firm accountable to a specific and repeatable set of standards. These processes are important because most firms without them are in a race to the bottom. They increase their rates; clients respond by paying less — which only exacerbates the problem.

Focus on communication. Use a well-thought-out process to align your interests with those of your clients. Iterate consistently – focus your attention on overdelivering value. With a structured process and a clear set of guidelines to follow, your firm’s revenue and realization rates will climb naturally, no rebellious clients required.

2 Hazardous Vanity KPIs Law Firms Should Avoid

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“What gets measured gets managed.” Remember that saying?

It was credited to Peter Drucker, legendary management consultant, educator, and author. It’s typically used to promote an emphasis on measurement. As if to say, measurement is a good thing. You should measure the things you want to improve.  

Just one problem. Drucker didn’t say it. VF Ridgway, noted academic, did. In the 1950s. And he was taken completely out of context.

Here’s the quote again, in context.

“What gets measured gets managed — even when it’s pointless to measure and manage it, and even if it harms the purpose of the organization to do so.”

Most modern law firms love data. That love can become a slippery slope though, and often law firms swing from one extreme to the other. Either firms choose to ignore their KPIs and metrics altogether, or they obsess over a multitude of KPIs, giving themselves mental indigestion. 

Here’s the obvious question. What makes a KPI bad?

  • Too broad. Focusing on broad or generic metrics like sales and revenue without the appropriate amount of clarity, context, and disclosure.
  • Too narrow. Assessing the health of your entire law firm by measuring a single practice area or task (i.e., drafting real estate agreements).
  • Easy to manipulate. Our cognitive bias means we’re more likely to manipulate the KPIs we have direct control over. If your KPI is the number of new client meetings, you’re far more likely to inflate or manipulate that figure to meet your numbers.
  • KPI stragglers. Metrics that won’t be reflected in the business for several days, weeks or months aren’t immediately useful because they don’t provide you with the clarity you need to make important decisions now.

What sort of hazardous, vanity metrics are law firms focused on?

Hazardous metric #1: Sales

It’s common for law firms to focus their attention on rainmaking. Rainmakers receive a significant amount of benefits and rewards if they’re able to bring in business. If a law firm is struggling to make money, sales solves everything, right?

Wrong. Law firms can’t outgrow losses. Take a look at your law firm’s revenues for the last three years. Check that against your profit for the last three years. Are they in proportion to each other? Do they match? If they do, your law firm is doing fine.

What if they don’t? Your law firm may be in trouble. Is your earnings growth one third to half of the new business your rainmakers brought in? This kind of growth is dangerous. 

As firm rates continue to increase, realization rates decrease. Discounts, write-downs and write-offs increase proportionally. If you’re making lots of sales, but your discounts, write-downs and write-offs continue unchecked you have a problem.

You can’t outgrow losses. A recession, the loss of a major client, any sort of unexpected event is likely to put your firm into the red. As sales increase, your profits should increase as well.

Hazardous metric #2: Realization rates

Your realization rate tracks the difference between the amount you bill and the amount that’s paid to you, by your client. It’s an incredibly important metric to track. If you’re looking to build a successful law firm you must track your realization rate.

Here’s the problem. Measuring your realization rate is hazardous when it prevents you from focusing your attention on a KPI that’s far more important. Your total billables. It’s very common for firms to rely on reconstructive time entries. This is a dangerous practice which could cost you 50 to 70 percent of your income.

Tracking our time as-it-happens is the most reliable (and most profitable) method. The longer you wait, the more billable leakage you experience.

  • You lose 10 percent of your billable time if you record your time the day of, once a day.
  • You lose 25 percent if you wait 24 hours to record your time.
  • You lose 50 to 70 percent if you wait one week.

It’s common for attorneys to reconstruct their timesheets at or around 30 days. If you’re focused on your realization rates but you’re still relying on reconstructive timekeeping, you’re losing an astronomical amount of money.

It’s common for attorneys to focus on realization while choosing to ignore contemporaneous (as-it-happens) timekeeping. Your realization rate isn’t a metric you should avoid. It is a metric you should avoid obsessing over.

Most law firms choose to either ignore their KPIs and metrics altogether or they obsess over the wrong set of KPIs, giving themselves mental indigestion. Focus your time and attention on the details that matter and you’ll have the canary in the coal mine you need to grow your law firm.

7 tips for your firm’s website to attract clients

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Your firm considers the pros and cons when taking on a new client. The same can be said for your clients when they’re choosing which law firm to use. Your clients all need the same ingredients to make their decision. When your website provides these ingredients, clients proceed to the next step. When they’re missing, clients raise objections or they walk away. This is, for the most part, universal. 

Your clients use this unspoken decision-making process to determine whether your firm is a good fit for them (or not). Work with them and you’ll attract the kind of high-quality clients your firm deserves. Ignore these ingredients and you’ll repel them. Let’s take a look at these ingredients. 

Ingredient #1: Target clients precisely

Your client isn’t everyone with money. If you’re a savvy attorney, you’re targeting clients who meet three simple criteria. 

  1. They want your services.
  2. They’re able to pay for your services. 
  3. They’re willing to pay for your services. 

Simple, right? 

Any client who fails to meet these criteria should be disqualified (i.e., removed from consideration as a possible client). Finding answers to these questions requires research – sitting down with clients, surveying clients, running split tests, etc.

How does your website fit in? Your website lays out the information that gets clients to qualify or disqualify themselves (i.e., real estate is our only practice area).

Ingredient #2: Amplify your client’s problems

Your clients have problems. Many of them prefer to ignore these problems, to put them off until completely necessary. When they finally arrive on your doorstep, these clients expect you to create miracles on their behalf. Sometimes you can, and sometimes you can’t.

When it comes to your client’s problems, your website should do several things well. 

  • Explain their problem fully. 
  • Grab their attention immediately (i.e., 90% of fathers lose custody of their kids when they make this mistake)
  • Outline the emotional weight, suffering and loss associated with their problem. 
  • Amplify the consequences of the problem (denial, for most clients, is a self-protective measure that needs to be addressed)
  • State the outcomes clearly if they do something vs. do nothing. 

Here’s why this is crucial. 

  • Problems create stress and anxiety
  • Hiring you gives them a solution and begins to relieve that stress and anxiety

You’ll want to lead with your client’s biggest problems. The problem/solution paradigm isn’t the only method, but it is one that gets clients to see their problems as you do; a serious issue that requires their immediate attention. 

Ingredient #3: Make the solution easy 

Do you provide cognitive fluency? Not sure what that is? You’re in good company. Cognitive fluency is defined as: 

“Cognitive fluency is the ease with which we process information to generate an understanding of what that information means. This ease or difficulty refers not only to the experience of a task or instruction itself, but the feeling people associate with that task.” 

Here’s what this means. 

Easy:

Three blind mice,
Three blind mice
See how they run. See how they run!
They all ran after
The farmer’s wife,
She cut off their tails
With a carving knife,
Did you ever see
Such a sight in your life
As three blind mice?

Hard:

A trio of sightless rodents, A trio of sightless rodents,
Observe how they perambulate, Observe how they perambulate;
They all pursued the agriculturalist’s spouse,
Who severed their caudal appendages with a carving utensil.
Have you previously observed such a phenomenon in your existence
As a trio of sightless rodents? 

See what I mean? 

The “easy” version of our three blind mice story worked well because it increased cognitive fluency. It made the story easy to read, so it took less effort, mental energy and processing power. This applies to visual, written and auditory content. 

Communicating with simplicity, clarity and preciseness means your website is easier to process. 

Ingredient #4: Answer client objections 

It’s common for firms to run from their client’s objections. Questions like “How much does this cost” or “What’s your hourly rate” seem to be avoided by firms until it’s absolutely necessary. Many firms do their very best to avoid client objections until they’re able to get them in for an in-person meeting. They hope they’ll be able to “close” them anyway. 

Most of the time, these clients move on, preferring to work with a firm that faces their objections head-on. 

Why does this happen? 

Objections are the inevitable part of business development and marketing that gets worse if you run. We all make objections to protect ourselves. Objections keep us safe. They protect us from making a mistake (and the embarrassment that follows). When we decide anything, we do our best to justify that decision in our heads. Objections are part of the justification process. We want to be sure we’re making the right choice. Your clients are no different. 

Your clients may have objections about your trustworthiness, pricing or the timing of the engagement. They may be disinterested but unwilling to tell you. But these objections, whatever the case, need to be addressed fully. Contrary to popular belief, objections aren’t the enemy. 

Ingredient #5: Monitor online reviews to borrow trust

Reviews answer the question of trustworthiness. Online reviews from both happy and unhappy clients paint an accurate picture of the relative trustworthiness of your firm. These reviews have a significant impact on your firm’s sales and revenue. Take a review like this: 

Read Colleen C.‘s review of Morton Rubin on Yelp

Amazing.

Northwestern University’s Spiegel Research Center analyzed 57,000 reviews from anonymous consumers and 65,000 reviews from verified buyers of more than 13,500 unique products in diverse categories. Their findings mentioned reviews could increase conversion rates by 270%! Imagine that!

A 270% lift in the number of clients signing up with your law firm. 

Ingredient #6: Remove buyer’s remorse with risk reversal

Josh Kaufman, author of the book, The Personal MBA, describes a risk reversal this way: 

“Risk Reversal is a strategy that transfers some (or all) of the risk of a transaction from the buyer to the seller. The seller agrees to make things right in advance if the purchaser doesn’t end up satisfied. Risk Reversal is a great way to eliminate some Barriers to Purchase.

This strategy may feel uncomfortable to the seller as well, because no one wants to lose. The difference is that a seller can spread that risk among many customers. The customer can’t do the same.

By eliminating the risk of purchase, you’ll close more sales and eventually make more money than what you’ll lose if some customers take advantage of your generosity.”

To be fair, this is much more difficult in the legal industry but it can be done. This can be done in a variety of ways: 

  • Promises: Our clients have 24/7 access to an associate who’s working on your case
  • Warranties: 10 years 100,000 mile warranty
  • Guarantees: We’ll return your call within 30 min. or we’ll pay you $500
  • Free consultation: We’ll provide you with a free consultation if you’re able to…

Ingredient #7: Show clients you’re the only firm for them

A strong value proposition meets four distinct criteria in your client’s mind:

  1. I want what this law firm is offering
  2. I can’t get this specific offering (or combination of offerings) anywhere else 
  3. I’m able to understand their message
  4. I truly believe you and your law firm are trustworthy.

If your value proposition doesn’t meet all four criteria, you don’t have a strong value proposition. It takes a significant amount of time to come up with something truly unique. The good news is this: a strong value proposition is created; it’s not inherent. 

Here are some examples in other industries:

These are classic examples. These businesses drew a line in the sand; they decided to stand for something significant. Something that meets all four of the criteria I’ve laid out above. 

Your website needs the right ingredients 

These ingredients provide clients with data, know-how and relief they need to choose your firm confidently. Provide clients with the resources they need, and it’s easy for them to say yes. Ignore these details and you inadvertently repel clients, pushing them away from your firm. 

Create a website and business that provides these ingredients consistently, and you’ll find saying “Yes” becomes a habit for your prospects and clients. 

How to generate clients with local SEO

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Local SEO is a referral system that drives a consistent stream of prospective clients to your website. These clients come from local sources (digital and offline) that are willing and able to make referrals on your behalf.

How this referral system helps you: 

  • It minimizes business development costs 
  • Attracts clients who are able and willing to invest in your services
  • Provides your law firm with steady channel partners you can rely on to grow your firm
  • Reduces per lead costs consistently over time
  • Increases return on ad spend (ROAS) costs 

This is the secret weapon elite firms use to grow. 

It’s quid pro quo relationships at scale; you’re able to attract, develop, and nurture a significant number of profitable relationships for your firm over time. 

Here’s a condensed view that explains how it works. 

Step #1: Choose a practice area

The Pareto distribution (80/20 rule) applies here. You’ll want to choose the practice areas that perform best for your law firm to take advantage of local SEO. If the vast majority of your work comes from real estate clientele, you’ll want to take note of that. If you’re looking to transition from one practice area to another, focus your attention there. 

You must specialize first. 

During this selection process, you’ll want to identify your value proposition, ideal price ranges, alternative fee arrangements, etc. In addition to the details above, you’ll also want to collect crucial information, including: 

  • Value proposition
  • Firm history
  • Attorney accomplishments
  • Contact information
  • Answers to client objections 
  • Social proof, credibility, and prestige markers
  • Risk reversals 
  • Irresistible offers
  • Promises and assurances (e.g., calls returned within 24 hours)

This is the information prospects look for before they decide to request a meeting. It’s a preliminary step that sets the tone for future actions. 

Step #2: Create a list of local sources 

Let’s say you’re a business and commercial lawyer based in Chicago. You’ll want to create a list of local sources that specifically focus on the Chicagoland area. 

Here’s a sample list.

This isn’t a comprehensive list, but I think you get the idea.

Step #3: Select prominent keywords

Next, you’ll want to select an appropriate list of keywords. You can use SEO keyword research tools like: 

You’ll want to build a list of general and location-specific, educational, transactional, and navigational keywords that are appropriate for your law firm, for example: 

Education keywords

  • Independent contractor law
  • Suing clients for non-payment
  • Dividing business assets
  • Divorce business assets 

Transactional keywords

  • Small business attorney
  • Small business attorney Chicagoland
  • Small business attorney Chicago
  • Small business attorney near me

Navigational keywords

  • [Your name] law firm
  • [Yourdomain] law firm
  • Go [Yourdomain] lawyer
  • Contact [Yourdomain] lawyer

The keywords you choose should be oriented around you, your firm, and your practice areas. If it’s directly related to any of these categories, you’ll want to add it to the list.

Step #4: Setup local SEO tripwires

Head over to Google.com/Alerts then enter in these keywords. You’ll want to enter your keyword phrase in quotes like this: 

” Small business attorney Chicagoland”

If you’re monitoring keywords on a specific site you’ll want to structure your keywords like this: 

” Small business attorney Chicagoland” AND site:domain.com

You can also use Follow that Page if you’d like to monitor the content on a particular website. For example, you can use Law.com to curate content. If Law.com writes about legal challenges for small businesses, you can discuss that content with the local sites on your list.

Write it, deliver a speech, create a video, etc. 

Next, you’ll want to create content along with a content upgrade. A content upgrade is an additional piece of education that’s designed to draw prospective clients to your site. If you’re a business attorney writing about employee contract law, for example, you can provide small businesses with a content upgrade in the form of an employee law checklist for small businesses. 

Here’s where the tripwires are created. 

You’re going to use GaryVee’s content pyramid to scale this content and maximize the amount of value you receive from this piece of content. What’s a content pyramid? 

GaryVee explains: “The ultimate goal of creating this presentation on my content model is to show you how my team took one of my keynotes, repurposed it into 30+ pieces of content, and then successfully distributed all of that content, resulting in over 35,000,000 total views.”

Here are the slides from his presentation. 

GaryVee has a massive following on his social media accounts. 

What if you don’t? 

That’s an easy fix; just reach out to the list of sources you’ve collected above and syndicate the content for each source. This means you:

  • Give them an unlisted link for your YouTube video 
  • Give them a list of 5 to 10 tweets, that they can send out on their Twitter profile. 
  • Do the same thing for each of your local sources, for each of their social media accounts. 
  • If they’re on a social media platform, you create a micro version of your content for them to share regularly, promoting your business indefinitely
  • Once you’ve shared content with Local Source A, immediately ask Local Source B if they’d like to syndicate your content. You share your content with 10x more sources, but you only create it once!
  • Make sure the majority of your content leads back to your law firm website in some way. 

Whenever you see content on a large, popular site that relates to the keywords in your list, you create better content for your local sources that they can share with their entrepreneurs. 

How do you multiply your content? 

  • If you host an event, make a speech, or run a workshop – record it. 
  • Take that recording and turn it into an mp3.
  • Transcribe your recordings and turn them into a blog post or ebook. 
  • Pull 5 to 10 quotes from that blog post then turn them into tweets, status updates, Instagram posts, etc. 

Do this, and you’ll be seen everywhere in your local community. With 10 hours of work per month, you can ensure that your business will be seen everywhere in your local community. 

This is the power of the local SEO traffic pump. 

Local SEO can be incredibly profitable for your law firm

But it all depends on your referral system. 

The right referral system drives a steady stream of prospective clients to your website. These high-value clients come from local sources (digital and offline) that are willing and able to refer your business to their audience. Provide them with the kind of value they’re looking for, and you’ll find their audience becomes yours. 

Do this, and you join an elite group.

As we’ve seen, 75 percent of lawyers see attracting clients as a significant challenge. With the right referral system, you’ll have everything you need to attract a never-ending supply of leads and clients. 

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Local Search for Lawyers: How Online Visibility Leads to Clients

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Lawyers near me feature image

You have a big problem.

Your clients can’t tell you and your competitors apart. If you’re reading this, you’re probably an experienced attorney. You know the law. You know how things work inside this complicated legal system of ours.

Your clients on the other hand, don’t.

Their expectations tend to be simple, naive and occasionally unrealistic. What’s worse, they know it. They know they don’t understand what you do.

Which means they’re lost without you.

What kind of lawyer are you anyway?

Local search provides clients with the answer.

Your clients are flying blind. When it comes to choosing an attorney, most clients aren’t particularly sophisticated. They don’t know where to begin, what to look for, or the questions they should ask. They can’t evaluate an attorney properly because they don’t know what they don’t know.

Here’s why their blindness is your problem.

When it comes to local search, the vast majority of lawyers make two very common mistakes.

  1. They expect their clients to find them.
  2. They expect their clients to evaluate them accurately.

1. They expect their clients to find them.

Most clients use local search in some shape or fashion to find the attorneys they work with. They use Google. They rely on referrals and  recommendations. They troll review sites like Avvo. They ask for help on social media. If usual methods don’t work (and they’re desperate), they scrape a list together and they start making calls.

If you’re visible and you (or your agency) push the right buttons, you get their attention. If these prospects have a positive experience with you, you get more attention.

Here’s why that’s a problem.

Most lawyers aren’t visible. They’re not getting a lot of traffic to their sites. They don’t present their law firm to clients at the right time and place, with the right message.

So, they don’t win clients.

And if clients can find them? If they do get the traffic and attention they need, they often make another mistake.

2. They expect their clients to evaluate them accurately.

Imagine that a prospective client is in the market for a real estate attorney. They’re not sure where to start so they spend some time searching on Google. They create a shortlist of attorneys to call.

They begin working through their list.

They’re repeatedly forced to sift through jargon, weasel words, and noise — the information they either don’t understand or don’t care about.

Here’s an example:

“…dedicated to providing advice and expertise at the highest levels. We have achieved extraordinary results following the distinctive vision of our founders — a cohesive team of lawyers intensely focused on solving our clients’ most important problems.”

Or this.

“Each of our practice areas is highly regarded, and our lawyers are recognized around the world for their commitment to the representation of our clients’ interests.”

Which is basically a long-winded way of saying “we’re good at our jobs. Please hire us.” It doesn’t give clients anything clear they can use to evaluate these firms. Which is a problem because clients are looking for a way to quickly sort through their list. They’re short on expertise so they tend to focus  their attention on two specific areas.

Credibility and outcomes.

Your clients use local search to quickly sort through candidates. Credibility and outcome markers help them qualify or disqualify potential candidates.  

Your clients look for details like…

  • Precise dollar amounts (which you can’t share) and the number of settlements you’ve won
  • Your experience with cases like theirs
  • Your win/lose ratio
  • Specifics on your story and character
  • Awards, recognition and testimonials
  • Uniqueness that shows you have an edge over your competitors and in court

See where I’m going with this?

Outcomes are straightforward. Your clients want a specific answer to one question: “What specifically have you done for others like me?“

The more compelling your answer, the higher your conversion rate.

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With local search for lawyers, your conversion rate is the key to success

Want to receive more qualified clients than you can handle?

It starts with your local content.

What exactly is local content and why is it so important? Your local content tells people and search engines what your business, product or service is all about. That’s incredibly important because this gives Google the tools it needs to rank lawyers appropriately.

Local content includes:

  • Your GMB listings and local packs
  • Reviews via mainstream sources like Google and Facebook
  • Reviews via specialty sources like Avvo and Martindale
  • Local press coverage (e.g. news, press releases, profile pieces, etc.)
  • Active social media profiles
  • Contact info
  • About pages with pictures or video of real people
  • Events in the community
  • Blog posts
  • Podcasts, videos or slides
  • Guest posts on relevant or appropriate outlets
  • Local advertising via LinkedIn Ads, Facebook Ads or Google AdWords

Lawyers who are starting out may work on these details themselves, but most established lawyers will probably delegate these responsibilities to someone else.

Local content forms the basis of a strong local search and lead generation campaign. It’s vital that you develop a clear idea about the details your team should be working on.

Why?

When it comes to marketing there are two forms of content.

  1. Education attracts client attention. It can be in the form of a story, entertainment or editorial. A thought piece or a research report. A checklist or a lead magnet. If it teaches clients something they want or need to know, it immediately attracts their attention. Education is important because it (a.) builds authority in the mind of prospective clients and (b.) it establishes your role as a trustworthy caregiver in the caregiver/recipient relationship.
  2. Information informs clients. It deals with logistical and non-logistical questions. When they’re ready to select a firm their fears crop up. What’s your hourly rate? How long does my unused retainer last? Do you bill by the hour or at a flat rate? Where are you located? When are you open? By appointment only or are walk-ins welcome? Information trains clients, showing them how you do business.

If you want to win a significant amount of new clients you need both.

Seems obvious doesn’t it?

It’s the first step in a successful campaign but it’s also the portion most law firms get wrong. Where specifically do they go wrong?

  1. They create content that’s top heavy – too much information, not enough education.
  2. Share lots of information but fail to educate – ensuring clients haggle over hourly rates or complain about service.
  3. Their local search profile is lopsided (e.g. lawyers share lots of content on Avvo but neglect Google reviews, Martindale, local directories and social media profiles).

kirk obear profile image

Local search is about quality and quantity.

The competitive landscape is incredibly crowded. Law firms with the largest amount of high quality local content – the firms that focus on credibility and outcomes – rise to the top.

What does that look like?

Let’s take a look at the Law Offices of Kirk Obear & Associates to find out.

We’re looking for credibility and outcomes. Does anything about Obear stands out?

Take a look.

Obear Outcomes from website

His about page is loaded with credibility and outcomes.

  • Practicing law for more than 20 years
  • Licensed to practice in several states
  • Was a prosecutor for the Air Force and the federal government
  • He’s defended clients throughout the country and around the world
  • He’s connected to a lot of very powerful people
  • Personally litigated 100 jury trials, some attorneys
  • His advocacy has resulted in over 1,000 jury acquittals, amendments, or dismissals
  • He teaches other lawyers how to do their jobs
  • He has his own radio show
  • He leads other criminal defense lawyers

What about his local search profile?

Obear's local Google My Business listingObear search engine results

What about local content? He was featured on SuperLawyers.

Obear's Superlawyers profile page

He’s a contributor to the Wisconsin Law Journal.

Obear's listing in the Wisconsin Law Journal

Can you see what’s happening?

Using a variety of local search content, Obear gives prospective clients the credibility and outcome markers they need. His resume is impressive; it establishes him as an authority and is far more likely to cement him as a leading candidate with prospective clients.

Which local search tactics work best for lawyers? 

  • Create a list of local search platforms. These profiles include social media platforms like Facebook, Review management platforms like Avvo and directory listings like YP.com. This also includes influential platforms (formal and informal) that you can use to attract more traffic to your website via local search keywords.

  • Build a list of (local) keywords. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Soovle, AnswerthePublic.com, and UberSuggest to generate a list of keywords prospective clients use to find an attorney. Use practice areas, brand names, and common misspellings in your keyword list to attract more clients.

  • Create an irresistible offer for prospective clients. This goes beyond the free consultation many firms peddle. For example, you can provide potential clients with a fast start guide that includes helpful checklists, and a shopping guide with questions they should be asking (i.e., OWI fast start kit that helps clients find, vet and hire the right law firm).

  • Register, claim, and complete each of your local profiles. Adding your information to platforms like Apple Maps, Google, Facebook, Yelp, Avvo, Martindale, and others, gives clients meaningful information about your law firm. This includes your byline, hours of operation, phone number, email address, etc. Doing this prevents competitors or third party providers from claiming or holding your profile hostage.

  • Request reviews from your clients via support teams. This can be done via an automated (or semi-automated) service like our platform. Reviews are authoritative because they’re visible across a wide variety of search engines, social media, and review platforms. The more five-star reviews you have, the easier it is to attract, win, and retain outstanding clients.

  • Partner up with local community groups. If you’re a real estate attorney, join real estate clubs and investment groups. Participate in entrepreneur and investor meetups. Reach out to these groups and offer to conduct free or low cost seminars and workshops for their audience. Create irresistible offers tailored for each of the groups you approach. They’re going to do some digging on Google to vet you and your law firm properly. When they do, they’re going to see the substantial review, social, and search presence you’ve developed ahead of time, which will open doors for you.

  • Begin giving speeches and presentations to your target audience. If you’ve followed the steps I’ve laid out above, you’re a well-known presence in your community. Use this to approach larger groups in your community with the same offer you made to your community groups. Only this time, offer to conduct speeches, workshops, seminars, or events for their audience. If possible, negotiate payment for your services and the chance to present your irresistible offer to their audience.

  • Use paid advertising to identify your conversion keywords. You can use the income you’ve received from your speeches, workshops, seminars, and events to fund your advertising campaign. This campaign is focused on one thing — identifying the Google keywords that lead to money. Once you’ve identified them, invest heavily in Local and Organic SEO. The majority of the firms that use SEO choose their keywords blindly; you’re different, you’re selecting the keywords that produce revenue for your law firm.  

See the difference? 

If you want to win more clients with local search you’ll need to lead with content.

It sounds overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. If you’re looking to start small, here’s a shorter list you can use to get started.

  1. Claim or create your listings on Google My Business, Apple Maps and Bing.
  2. Use aggregators to claim and verify your business. Aggregators like Yext create listings in dozens of key directories and social networks like Foursquare, YP, CitySearch and more.
  3. Complete your profile. Add hours of operation, contact details, phone numbers, your website address – anything customers need to work with your business.
  4. Be a consistent creator. Create local content, reach out to local, high traffic publications. Pitch content to them. Use an irresistible offer to lure readers back to your site. Publish a podcast. Approach talk radio shows as a guest. Pitch a Q&A column to up-and-coming sites.

Did you catch the secret to local search?

It’s giving.

Make it a habit to give potential clients your best. Give them high quality education and clear information consistently. Use the platform provided by well known brands to win new clients quickly. Give your agency or your team, the data they need to answer your client’s subconscious question.

What kind of lawyer are you?

Local search provides your clients with the answer. Your clients know they don’t know the law, they can’t tell you and your competitors apart. They’re vulnerable, they’re lost, and they know it. Give your clients the credibility and outcome markers they need.

Provide them with exceptional content in the form of education and information. Do this for clients consistently, and they’ll reward you with more attention and more business than you can handle. .

Your client’s needs are straightforward: Protect me, make my problems go away.

Don’t tell clients you can do this for them. Show them clearly. They’re simple, inexperienced, and occasionally unrealistic. What’s worse, they know it. They need your help.

Local search isn’t for lawyers.

It’s for your clients, the people, corporations and interests you serve. Use local search well and clients will see they’re lost without you.Get Started for Free-and use MyReviews to improve your local search image.