MARKETING & PRACTICE MANAGEMENT INFORMATION FOR SOLO AND SMALL FIRM LAWYERS
As I continue to read about lawyers struggling in their practices and the fact that so many of my fellow lawyers are unhappy in our chosen profession, it angers and frustrates me.
It angers and frustrates me because I know that the reason so many lawyers are struggling has very little to do with the lawyer. It has everything to do with how the entire legal education system has ‘set us up’ for failure.
Think about it: what courses did they offer you in law school to prepare you for how to effectively run a business? Which professor taught you precisely how to get new clients, and good ones at that? Or the way to run your practice for maximum profit while still having a life?
Answer: There wasn’t one. They didn’t teach us how to run a business in law school. In fact, many of them didn’t even acknowledge that a law practice is a business. It’s a profession they said. Marketing, PR, lead conversion, operating systems… They didn’t explain any of that to us.
Now, don't get me wrong, I’m all for being professional. I take my ethical obligations seriously. I don’t believe in chasing cases or in advertising that demeans the profession (in fact, I don't advertise in the traditional sense at all). But, the bottom line is that to run a successful law practice you must know how to run a business.
And, if you don’t understand this, you will continue to struggle in your practice. I know, because I did. It even got to the point where I was ready to quit the practice of law all together!
Then I began to find the answers… mostly from outside the legal industry, some from forward thinking lawyers. And, I began to implement these strategies into my practice. And, it made a major impact!
Now, after 13 years in practice (11 of which has been as a solo or in a small firm) I can tell you there is nothing more rewarding in your business life than creating the law practice of your dreams. One that gives you autonomy, financial freedom, and a sense of contribution. Isn't that why we went to law school in the first place?
And, that brings me to the reason I started Lawyer Profit Systems - to share the information about marketing and practice management that they didn't teach us in law school. I hope you profit from it.
Michael Sherman
Lawyer Profit Systems
