From Small Business Incubator To Thriving Law Practice

Starting a business of any kind can be hard. Recent law graduates face an even bigger challenge in getting new ventures off the ground due to the highly competitive nature of their field. It takes a lot of upfront capital to start something, and even more hard work and commitment to see it though to success. At Amata Law Office Suites, we understand that not every aspiring lawyer begins their career with such a level of support. That’s why our company is proudly partnered with the Chicago-Kent College of Law’s Solo and Small Practice Incubator program. Providing participants office space free of charge, as well as discounted support services, this initiative is intended to spur graduates’ prospects as they leave law school and pursue the creation of their very own practice. 

Today, we’re going to tell you the story of just one of our many successes. 

A participant in the Solo and Small Practice Incubator program, this civil rights law firm has worked with Amata since 2017. Limited resources and small staff hindered their ability to make a big impact, but with help from Amata they were able to find just the right arrangement to thrive. The firm was immediately able to expand its services upon moving into their new space – leveraging our amenities to engage with more clients and serve the Chicago community to the scale at which they do today. 

Read below to learn more about this specific law practice and what Amata did to help it succeed. 

Growing Through Strategic Resource Allocation and Staffing 

Any new business, whether it’s in the legal industry or not, will face high start-up costs in the beginning. It’s an inevitable part of the process that, although difficult, can be minimized through careful resource allocation. This firm, like so many others before them, faced this challenge and would have found it difficult to overcome without guidance. 

The Solo and Small Practice Incubator provided the platform for our team to connect the firm with resources, including staffing options. Our flexible support services provided cost-effective assistance in the areas of call handling, message taking, and appointment scheduling when the founders needed it most. At an on-demand cost, they were able to drastically cut the amount of money they’d need to otherwise spend on full-time in-house employees. This strategic use of limited resources would prove beneficial as the venture scaled over time and sought to enhance the quality and breadth of its offerings in Chicago. 

Simplified Client Intake 

The great thing about working with Amata is that there’s no end to the volume or nature of support you can receive. This particular civil rights practice continues to leverage our services in a number of ways, most recently to simplify client intake. 

It’s no secret that the onboarding process can be long, arduous, and even counterproductive when done the traditional way. In the past, the firm would solely rely on hand-written notes made by receptionists as leads came in over the phone. That had the potential to create several problems, with miscommunication, lost information, and an inability to accurately track month-to-month numbers being among the most damaging to operational efficiency.  

Amata was able to address these issues with a streamlined approach. Now, when potential new clients call in, a receptionist takes down the caller’s name, contact information, and a brief description of their situation. This information is shared with attorneys via email. When the attorney wishes to pursue the matter, Amata’s staff calls the potential new client and, using a 25-question in-take form, qualifies their case for legal services. Once complete, the Amata team member schedules an appointment for the attorney to meet with the potential client either in-person or by video call. This hands-free assistance – as well as Spanish translation support – has enabled the firm to take on a more diverse breadth of clients in less time. 

Putting Profitability First With the Power of Flexibility 

If you were to ask the firm’s owners, they would surely tell you that rectifying injustices through the practice of civil rights law is why they do what they do every day. But no matter how passionate someone may be, there’s no overcoming the fact that every business needs capital and profit to grow. Amata helped in this domain by providing uniquely scalable solutions. 

With our help, the firm is able to scale expenses up and down with workloads, maximizing profitability while keeping costs affordable for clients. In one instance when the firm had two cases going to trial at the same time, Amata’s team was engaged for 12 hours of work. The client was billed $1,020 for this work and invoiced their client $2,040. 

Amata Support Services Can Help Your Business Grow 

The Chicago-area law firm we’ve discussed here is nowhere near alone in the wealth of budding practices that Amata has had the pleasure of supporting over the years. Our attorney support services are designed to provide just as much value to the small and new as they are the old and well-established. 

Inquire today to learn more about how we can help take your operations to the next level.