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Month: August 2017

Growing Your Law Practice CLE with Steve Fretzin and Dan Lear

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Steve Fretzin and Dan Lear

Last Thursday I had the opportunity to sit in on the CLE hosted by Steve Fretzin, Attorney Coach, contributing writer for the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, and Attorney Dan Lear, Director of Industry Relations at Avvo. I am not an attorney, but since my clientele is made up of over 800 attorneys I make it a point to stay up to date on as many legal matters as possible.

The subject matter was of particular interest to me since I have been all-hands-in with my own online marketing efforts lately. To be honest, the presentation and materials were great and about 10 minutes into the class I was sitting at attention and taking notes, no small task for someone who has dealt with a level of ADHD all his life. When Dan starting talking about branding a law firm, he keyed in on three themes: authenticity, knowing your ideal client and consistency. I guess these are all easy concepts to understand, but try practicing them and see how easy they are.

As you would expect from someone with experience working at Avvo, Dan brought up several examples to demonstrate these three points, but two really stood out for me. The first was an east coast law firm that specializes in 2nd amendment compliance & consulting. The firm is named Think Pink Law and uses the tagline “We do law. Differently”. Pink is not the last name of a partner, but it sure stands out and is very memorable. If I ever learn of someone in need of legal advice dealing with the 2nd amendment, I am quite sure I will remember Think Pink Law.

The second example I clearly remember from Dan’s presentation is from an immigration attorney who targets a specific clientele by offering assistance in filing Form I-864 for financial support. The target audience is divorced spouses of green card holders. Now I am sure this is only one part of their immigration law practice, but this one very targeted campaign really hits home with their clientele. After they provide quality service to this group, how many client referrals are they adding to their monthly intake? Target marketing such as this is a great way to grow a law practice.

Dan then went into a Top 10 Intake list for lawyers which was very insightful. You can view Dan’s entire list here. Many parts of this list is inspired by this article by Chicago-based Gyi Tsakalakis Lawyerist.

Then if all this wasn’t worth the price of admission (and the free lunch), Steve launched into understanding the “buyers’” mindset and started asking questions like, “What is your motivation for doing business development?” and “What makes someone successful at business development?” (I guessed at this one, somewhat incorrectly). Just for clarification, I translate “business development” to “keeping your new client intake machine churning even when you are on vacation.” Steve explained how behavior influences attitudes which in turn affects beliefs.

To me, this partially explains how a very knowledgeable attorney with a discomfort of speaking to strangers (think networking in an unfamiliar group) is able to change their attitudes and beliefs by attending more networking events and interacting with others. Steve also discussed how to choose the best networking opportunities and how to make the most of these sometimes-difficult learning experiences. If you are serious about growing a thriving law business while also enjoying the business of life you really need to attend Steve’s classes.

Steve has a great understanding in the field of building successful law businesses. After all, he has consulted hundreds of attorneys, both experienced and new practitioners, written two books on the subject, and speaks to lawyer groups around the country. Steve’s full presentation can be found here. You can also visit his web site and learn more about his newest program for attorneys, Origination Station, at www.fretzin.com.

As I mentioned earlier, Steve Fretzin is a contributing writer for the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, and his June article, which can be found here, analyzes if the Differences Between Sales and Legal Business Development are just Semantics? and is a great read, offering some great tips to get away from the traditional “pitch” to clients and how to hold back to better understand what will motivate the client to hire you.

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Ron Bockstahler has has worked with individual attorneys and law firms for the past 30 years, gaining an in depth understanding of the business of running a law practice. He is the co-founder and CEO of Amata Law Offices and Managing Broker for Amata Realty Group, LLC, a real estate firm dedicated to consulting attorneys on their office space needs. Ron can be reached at [email protected] or (312) 924-0204.

Steve Fretzin is an Author and Attorney Coach and can be reached at [email protected] or at 312-981-0119.

Dan Lear is the Director of Industry Relations for Avvo and can be reached at [email protected] or 206-508-3012.

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Telecommute and Open Up Your Options As a Working Attorney

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Telecommute and Open Up Your Options As a Working Attorney

Updated: 2/27/18

“I am breaking away from my big law firm to practice law my own way. But a permanent office is not in my budget.”

“As a solo practicing attorney, I only want to commute to the city when necessary.”

“My family is important and I need to spend more time at home without giving up my practice or taking time off.”

Do any of these sound familiar to you?

Amata Law Offices can provide the solutions you need.

Yes, this is blatant self-promotion for Amata Law Office Suites, but only because we have over two decades of experience working for our attorney clients who in turn have helped us shape our company to better support them.

Providing Chicago Attorneys with Options

Self-promotion aside, I want to start this article by pointing out that the most important aspect of our centers is actually a concept built directly into the structure of all shared office space, ours and our competitor’s alike, and that’s the ability to give attorneys options.

So many options, in fact, that we need to narrow down the conversation just to explain how flexible a shared office space truly is.

Flexibility of Telecommuting

Let’s start where most small practices do and talk, not about renting space, but about telecommuting.

When you break telecommuting down, you have two immediate pros: The days you don’t commute to the office will save you time and money, and when you do commute you have options.

Pros of Telecommuting for Attorneys

Like all choices you make for your business, telecommuting has its pros and cons, but the biggest pro is the amount of choices it provides to burgeoning and established practices alike.

Access to Multiple Locations

Through all of our programs, for instance, our clients have access to every Amata center to work, receptionist services, and to meet with clients and partners, no matter which center they decide is their firm’s mailing address.

Convenience When You Commute

If you are coming into the city solely for a deposition, book a conference room at our 150 South Wacker office, a mere twenty feet from Union Station.

Spending the morning at court but need a small room to meet with a client in the afternoon? We have two locations a block from the Daley Center.

And when the kids have a day off school all of Amata’s offices can provide you a quiet cafe or solitary day office to work in.

Eliminating the Cons of Telecommuting for Attorneys

On the con side, bouncing ideas off fellow attorneys is part of the fun of a law firm practice, and if you are leaving a bigger firm to start your own you may find you miss that daily interaction.

A Large Group of Attorneys To Interact With

For the tenants at our 180 North LaSalle office one of the highlights is ending the day catching up with attorneys over a glass of wine in the Cognac room; brilliant attorney and masterful storyteller, Paul Goodman, makes me laugh every time we grab a drink. Not all clients are able to join in such impromptu weekly rituals and for telecommuting clients this is especially so.

Exclusive Attorney Networking Events

To combat this, we work to create opportunities for all our lawyers to have the community experience by organizing dozens of events throughout the year, from casual attorney socials after work to grander scale river cruises, and we have even gone so far as to build an online community that allows attorneys to network no matter where they choose to be. Whether they prefer working at home in the Chicago suburbs, or even at home in a completely different state.

Telecommuting Options for Locals and Non-Locals Alike

Yes, you read that correctly. Telecommuting is not just an option for new or small law firms. When you have put your years in and finally decide to pursue that isolated cabin in the woods, telecommuting allows you to continue doing the work you love.

A few years ago, one of my best friends moved just outside Chattanooga, Tennessee, yet he still maintains his successful law practice in Chicago, which boasts three attorneys and two support staff. He choose to commute 2-3 days each week and spend the rest of the days working at home in Tennessee.

He retained the physical space he needed for its Chicago employees, as well as the shared office space’s built-in manager who deals with all the nitty gritty: the phone system, the copier, office supplies and shredder and any issues that may come up with them all.

But now when the receptionist processes his calls, his clients are transferred to his cellphone even while his coworkers still maintain their physical phones, and we forward and scan his mail wherever he needs, at his request.

Make Telecommuting Work For You

Telecommuting is just one, small example of how Amata Law Office Suites can work for you and your firm. Speaking from many years of experience as a shared office space provider, I can offer a few tips:

As you begin your search you will find that people and writers like to argue about the layout of shared office space — open vs. closed.

As Jacob Morgan points out in his article Five Things You Need To Know About Telecommuting, the debates are absolutely pointless. I will reiterate the fact I opened this article up with: all shared office spaces are built to provide options, it’s implicit in its design.

What you really need to pay attention to when searching for your perfect space are the details.

Does the office atmosphere boost your company image when clients come to visit?

What if your firm were to grow so big taking traditional space was more affordable; would you be able to take your established phone number with you when you leave?

These are questions you must ask before signing any contract.

But if you are just starting out, and haven’t even thought about the details of a contract yet, I have one simple tip: pay attention to who the shared office space chooses as their partners.

If they aren’t partnering with business that are meant to help you and your firm grow, then maybe you should keep looking.

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Ron Bockstahler is the CEO of Amata Holdings, LLC and managing broker for Amata Realty Group. His companies have served the legal community for over 30 years and Ron regularly consults with attorneys on business development and space needs. You can contact Ron at [email protected] or call him at (312) 924-0204.

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Marketing 101 for Attorneys

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It’s true. Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you might miss it. The same is true for marketing. Staying up-to-date on emerging marketing strategies is a full-time job. If you’re an attorney looking to get your name out there, make connections, or generate more clients, check out our Marketing 101 tips.

Marketing Is a Must

It might go without saying but we think it bears repeating. Your product won’t sell itself, so don’t be afraid to put yourself out there! Need some inspiration? Take a look at your competition. What are they doing? Don’t forget about your social media as well.

Utilize Social Media

Social media is one of the most cost effective and beneficial types of marketing available, With over 1.5 billion people on Facebook, it’s easy to get lost in the crowd, but it’s also 1.5 billion pairs of eyes that could be seeing you! Be smart about your social media strategy. Know your target audience and which social media channels work best for your content. Take a great photo of the cityscape outside your office? Post it on Instagram. Have a quick update about an upcoming company event? Compose a short tweet. Your message won’t fit in 140 characters? We recommend making the jump to email. Looking for more inspiration? Check out Forbes’ list of the top 10 benefits of using social media marketing.

Ditch Snail Mail for Email

There are a myriad of tools available for small firm owners to help get their name out. Utilizing an effective email marketing campaign will be far more beneficial than traditional snail mail. For example, email allows your potential clients to receive news from you wherever and whenever. Having an email subscription sign up option on your website’s homepage will help you stay top of mind long after visitors have clicked out of your homepage. Visit Hubspot’s blog for more advice on how to effectively use email marketing.

Ask for Help

Not everyone is a marketing guru, and that’s ok! Utilize your resources, like our blog, to help keep you informed on the latest trends. Still unsure? Network with marketing professionals for even more insider tips.

Build a Network

This isn’t always easy. We recommend a shared office space dedicated to attorneys, like Amata Law Offices. It’s easy to make connections with other industry professionals when working in a shared environment. Instead of isolation, you have a community of small-business owners and attorneys who all want the same thing as you, success.

If you’d like to tour our shared office space for attorneys, contact us today.

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