Law Firm Alchemy

Don't build the marketing for your law firm because you think it's clever.

Ask...

Does this help my prospect?

Does this help my community?

Does this move the conversation forward?

Basically...

👉 Am I doing this because I want people to think I'm a smart marketer or because it could actually generate clients and/or build a base of general support for my firm?

The rest is ego or charity.
Charity's a-okay.
Ego is the enemy.

If you play the "open my own law firm" game, you will take your losses. Sometimes, those losses will pile up and feel overwhelming. I don't know a single firm owner who hasn't experienced those times. But...

You still have control of your mindset.

Can you find the positives?

Can you at least reduce the perceived negatives?

And can you identify your role in getting yourself in the situation in order to get yourself out of it?

Not saying it's all your fault...
but you are only in control of your actions.
Take advantage of that fact.

Your law firm isn't Nike.
It doesn't have the same branding resources.
You can't copy and paste their marketing.

Sure, you can learn from them.

You can be inspired by them. (And you should read Shoe Dog. Great book.)

But when it comes to building a brand, look local. What companies in your community have a loyal following?

What is their advertising like?

Branding?
Grassroots?
Direct response?
Combination?

You can learn a lot from the stories close to home.

And, just as importantly, which businesses in your region "should" have a bigger brand but don't? Perhaps they have a great product/service or wonderful service but lack growth. Make sure you don't duplicate their lack of and/or poor marketing.

Also, study other law firm owners.

There are some good ones here on this platform.

Who are law firm owners you think have a brand worth studying?

Is your law firm culture for your people or for the masses?

There are a lot of people who dislike Bill Belichick.
And in soccer, the corollary is Sir Alex Ferguson.

Both legendary coaches built dynasties with an astonishing number of trophies to their names. Both also coached players with equal levels of accomplishment. And both of them were content to let go of any players who didn't get in line with the culture.

They were demanding.

They expected people to fall in line.

There were players who didn't want to play under their regime.

But there were also many who did. Because they appreciated the discipline. And they loved winning.

I don't think Belichick or Ferguson had any illusions about the perceptions of them. It's more likely they enjoyed it. After all, the infamy creates a culture of "us versus them" when you're inside the machine.

Your law firm's culture doesn't need to appeal to the masses.

Yes, certain types of "culture" will push people away. And that can put you at a talent recruitment disadvantage. But if you're in an area with abundant talent, that shouldn't worry you. There will be people who appreciate a tough environment with rigor and high expectations, especially if they're getting wins in the process.

Personally, I'm not a Belichick or Ferguson.

It's not my modus operandi.

But I appreciate what they did and how they did it. There are lessons for everyone to learn. And I don't think it's my job to tell law firms what their culture is supposed to be. Instead, it's to help the owner figure out what already exists and to forge it into the best version possible.

What part of your law firm is untouched by AI and you plan on keeping it that way?

I want to know what your line in the sand is for AI.

And what's the reason?

File this under Jeff Goldblum (in Jurassic Park 🦖) saying, "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they should."

During a conversation this morning with a team member, we talked about building a program with AI to solve a problem. But it would probably overcomplicate what needed to be done. Instead, she suggested a "lofi" option.

Turns out, the simple version was probably better.

One less program for team members to log into.

Simplifies the process.

Software for the sake of software whether off the shelf or built from the ground up isn't always the answer. Sometimes, making the process you have better is the solution.

Sometimes your team gets shown a questionable red card.
How have you trained your team to respond?
And how will you, as the leader, respond?