After months of planning and building from the ground up, we are excited to announce the launch of a brand new exclusive community for our clients!

Centerbase's mission for the community is to provide clients with a vibrant channel to ask questions, find answers, and engage with legal professionals from around the country on Centerbase best practices. Be the first to know and participate in discussions on upcoming product updates, training webinars, and the direction of our product roadmap.

We want to foster conversations about getting the most out of Centerbase to drive success at your firm.

So when can you get involved? The answer is right now!

All Centerbase users will receive an invite to the Centerbase Client Community via email. So be on the lookout for your invitation! We’ve already seen some great discussions from clients who are actively answering questions and contributing ideas.

Who is supported on the Community?

Access to the community is exclusive to Centerbase clients. All users of Centerbase can start having great conversations and seek insights and solutions right now.

What is included in the Community?

The Centerbase Client Community includes a personalized social media-like experience. Subscribe to topic channels like Billing, Reporting, Settings & Customization, and Timekeeping to get the latest updates on things that are most important to you. Gain Reputation Points by commenting, answering questions, and voting on polls which can be used to purchase Centerbase gifts and swag!

Be sure to subscribe to the Feedback and Suggestions topic to upvote product ideas from other Centerbase users and suggest your own.

Will the Community be moderated?

Yes. A combination of Centerbase employees and community champions will make sure the Community’s conversation stays civilized, meaningful and true to our Community Guidelines and Terms of Use. Our moderation team will also ensure that urgent queries and support requests are addressed.

Will I still be able to access email and phone support?

Email, phone and call-back requests are still available as normal to users of Centerbase. Our team of dedicated Support Specialists will be active throughout the community. If you are unable to find the help you need from the community, our team of specialists will be standing by to lend a helping hand.

How do I register?

Registration for the Community is invite-only as it is intended to be an exclusive channel for our partners and clients. All Centerbase clients will receive an invitation via email to create their account. If you cannot locate your community invitation please reach out to us here and we'll have another invite sent your way ASAP.

We'll see you there!

Staying current with technology can be an expensive undertaking. Software is constantly improving, and firms that continue to use server-based software are finding it impossible to keep up with advancing technology. If a firm wants to take advantage of the latest and greatest, it must be willing to adopt a cloud-based system. By asking the right questions on the front end, your firm can rest assured that a cloud-based system is a safe and viable option.

Advantages of Cloud-Based Systems

There are innumerable advantages to a cloud-based system that goes above and beyond the fact that you will always have the most updated version of the software you select. It is impossible to list all of the advantages here, but below are a few:

Economical

The use of a cloud-based system allows the firm to pay-per-user fees in a monthly fashion – there is no longer the need to shell out tens of thousands of dollars in order to purchase a server-based software that will soon be outdated. There is also no need to pay for IT support to maintain servers, address security concerns, and stay on top of software updates.

Low Risk

With server-based software, the firm spends an enormous amount of financial resources to put the software in place. While it certainly performs its due diligence before making a software selection, firms are still faced with holding their breath and hoping for the best, sometimes finding that once the software is in place it does not perform as the firm had hoped. While no one wants to make a change once a decision has been made, with a cloud-based system where the firm is paying for the system in small monthly increments, if the software does not meet the firm’s needs as expected or the firm outgrows the software sooner than expected, there is the ability to pivot if necessary.

Scalability

Cloud-based systems can expand as the demand increases, so as the firm grows, it only has to pay for an additional user license. There is no need for the firm to purchase additional servers, etc. to accommodate growth.

Increased Flexibility

As we all learned this past year, the ability to access our files from any location is imperative to today’s practice. By having all file information hosted in the cloud, firm attorneys and staff can access the files from any location. Firms that were paperless before the pandemic were able to continue their practices without missing a beat. This advantage is valuable even outside of a pandemic, though. The mobility of your case files allows your attorneys to access the entire file wherever they are – in court, in a client’s office, etc. In addition, multiple individuals can be working on a client file at the same time. In the old practice of paper files, only one person could have access to the file at one time.

Increased Efficiency and Productivity

One of the most valuable advantages of using current technology is your ability to perform some tasks faster. Good case management software can lay out the steps of certain types of cases, provide you with the status of a case at a glance, and provide a list of follow-up items and checklists. The billing side of your software can make it easy for your attorneys to enter their time, encouraging concurrent timekeeping, which will always be more accurate and prevent lost time.

Asking the Right Questions

It was not that long ago that many law firms were leery of taking their technology to the cloud. Despite Ethics Opinions of the American Bar Association and many state bars that approved the use of SaaS systems in law firms, firms were hesitant to move in this direction. There were many concerns that contributed to this hesitation to jump on board with other industries, but with the appropriate due diligence on the front end, firm partners can rest assured that they can take advantage of cloud-based systems and their many advantages. Here are some questions you should ask:

Who Owns the Servers that Will House Your Data?

Does the provider own or lease the servers? The more companies that are involved in the storage of your data, the greater the risk that security may be compromised.

Where Will Your Data Be Located?

It is important that your data does not leave the United States. Otherwise, you run the potential risk of your data being held “hostage” in the EU.

How Is Your Data Backed Up?

What is the frequency of backups? Where are the backups stored? Are there multiple locations? (If a natural disaster occurs at the location of a backup supply, is it geographically distant from another location so that the data is not lost?) Are there redundant power supplies?

How Is Your Data Encrypted?

The provider should use SSL encryption to ensure that communications between your computer and the cloud server are secure.

Who Owns the Data?

Your agreement should clearly state that the firm owns the data. You will want to know how the data can be extracted should you decide to change services in the future. In what format will the data be provided? Will it be readable by other programs?

The Takeaway

It is not as foreign for law firms to use cloud-based software today as it was even five years ago. By asking the right questions, you can ensure that you are confident in the security of the software you choose and take advantage of the many benefits of having a cloud-based system.

Law firms are entities built on tradition, where the experience that comes with aging is revered and often celebrated at the highest levels of the firm. But in today’s legal environment, technology and innovation rank just as high as maturity. Change has become a constant within the industry and law firms must keep up in order to remain relevant.

Unfortunately, getting every member of the firm on board with tech changes can be challenging for firm administrators. Some more seasoned employees may resist new ways of handling business, or they may find it difficult to grasp unfamiliar technologies.

But these difficulties don’t mean that administrators must abandon the firm’s technology plans. It also doesn’t mean that seasoned members of the firm will be left behind. With the following tips and strategies, law firm administrators can get all members of the firm onboard the technology train.

Why the Pushback

Legal technology is transforming every segment of the legal community, including the workforce, the delegation of tasks, economics, skillsets, and client expectations. Many attorneys don’t like these tech advances because they recognize their effect on the traditional roles of practicing law. As new legal technologies emerge, the profession transitions from its lawyer-centric traditions into a more tech-driven competitive marketplace. And it's not attorneys who are pushing these changes. Clients are also consumers and they bring their consumer-driven expectations with them when seeking legal representation.

Law firm administrators must also consider the generation gap that may be at play within the firm. Young legal professionals cannot imagine a workplace without technology, so they often welcome and adapt quickly to new innovations. Their other colleagues remember, and may even long for, a time when the only technology an attorney needed was a telephone and a typewriter. When this is your perspective, the prospect of new technologies can be terrifying.

Put Away the Misconceptions

To start promoting the use of technology among more seasoned members of the firm, administrators must first put aside misconceptions about this segment of their workforce. Preconceived doubts about their abilities and willingness can disadvantage the firm as a whole. The truth is that most baby boomers don’t fear tech, they just see it differently than younger workers do.

Here are some additional misconceptions that law firm administrators may have about seasoned workers:

• Resistant to all workplace changes – Change is hard for anyone, especially when established procedures have worked thus far. But show a worker how technology will make their life easier, and you will have a worker willing to change.
• They need too much guidance – While more seasoned workers may prefer one-on-one instruction, as opposed to “figuring things out” on their own, there is another way to look at this dynamic. Unlike their less-experienced colleagues, some law firm members may see the trial-and-error aspect of “figuring things out” as a waste of valuable time. They prefer to learn things correctly the first time, which may take more hand-holding but will prove worthwhile in the end.
• All seasoned firm members feel the same about technology – It’s easy to generalize, but this assumption is wrong. Teach savvy individuals come in all ages, just as tech-phobic individuals come in all ages. Just because more seasoned employees did not grow up surrounded by technology, it doesn’t mean that they don’t have any tech skills. Several studies have demonstrated that seasoned workers are just as likely to use as much technology as their younger peers.

Law firm administrators must have honest discussions with the hesitant members of the firm so that they understand the value of new technologies. Help them understand how they can benefit from new innovations. Then, provide them with the type of training they need to actually learn.

Use Various Training Options to Bridge the Gap

One training method may not fit all. Firm administrators should think outside the box and consider alternative training methods like online tutorials and mentorships. Mentoring can consist of formal partnerships or informal training between members of the firm who are more tech-savvy and members of the firm who are tech-challenged.

The most effective strategy will look at training options from different perspectives to consider what works best for individual members of the firm. For example, human resources can craft individual tech development plans for each stage of the firm’s career cycle.

When workers are approached from a perspective of productivity and skill-building, they will see the firm as being supportive of their growth instead of forcing them to make changes. That type of motivation drives success. When seasoned members have a reason to change, along with real encouragement, they will be more willing to embrace new technologies.

Show Partners the “Cents” of Innovation

If the firm members who resist technology are members of law firm leadership, the financial benefits of technology can be real incentives. For example, in this age of technology law firms are experiencing competition from some new kids on the legal block. Alternative Legal Service Providers (ALSPs) have made gains within such technology-driven market segments as e-discovery or legal research. These providers are taking business away from traditional law firms by offering specific legal services in a more efficient and cost-effective manner. For this reason, law firms must implement new technologies in order to stay competitive and relevant.

A lack of technology skillsets will place lawyers and law firms at a significant disadvantage moving forward. For example, e-discovery has completely transformed the task of discovery over the last decade. Using artificial technology, firms can now search through voluminous documents in a fraction of the time it used to take.

In addition, courts and legal service clients have come to expect certain tech advances from law firms. Courts have increasingly turned to electronic filings and applications over the last few years. In addition, judges are starting to expect the use of technology when reviewing the reasonableness of legal fees. If law firms do not voluntarily implement these changes among their members, outside influences will force them to evolve.

The demand for traditional legal practice is diminishing, while the demand for tech-based legal service delivery continuously grows. Law firm administrators must communicate to their leaders that resisting these changes can have lasting negative effects in the years to come.

Call-Upon the ABA

While the American Bar Association (ABA) has been slow to implement technical training at the law school level, they have addressed the expectation for tech skills and knowledge among practicing attorneys and law firms. In 2012, the ABA modified the Model Rules to extend a lawyer's duty of competence to keep "abreast of changes in the law and its practice," to include knowing "the benefits and risks and associated with relevant technology." A number of state bars have followed, modifying their rules to include technological competence within attorney competence.

These changes are not limited to law firms. Corporate legal departments have been experiencing similar enhancements. The Corporate Legal Operations Consortium, as well as the ACC Legal Operations Group, has designated technology as a multidisciplinary competency optimizing the delivery of legal services.

The Future Success of Law Firms Hinges on the Acceptance of Technology by All Members

As law firm administrators seek to introduce new technologies into their firms, they may find that some more seasoned members resist the changes. But the legal industry is quickly changing, and innovative technologies must be a part of that transition. By implementing these strategies, law firm administrators can encourage older members of the firm to embrace tech advances.

When you think about the function of a law firm, your thoughts probably go straight to the provision of legal services. But law practice administrators must recognize that their firms are also revenue-earning businesses that need money to operate. For this reason, it is imperative to keep tabs on financial performance. They need to know whether the firm is bringing in enough revenue, as well as whether strategies and expenditures benefit or hurt the firm.

With regular reporting and analytics, firms can track metrics that provide valuable detailed financial analysis. This blog will take a closer look at some of those metrics, including what data they provide and how often firms should review them.

Financials

As the name suggests, these reports provide a detailed look at the law firm’s finances, including how much money is coming in, how much is on hand, and how much is being spent. To gain a complete view of a firm’s financial status, administrators can consider the following financial reports:

• Bank Account Journals – These reports should be generated for every firm bank account on a weekly basis. They list every transaction that took place within the account, along with the ending balance.
• Accounts Payable (AP) Report – This report lists all items paid out by the firm during the preceding week. It provides a valuable layer of transparency regarding the signing and authorization of firm checks while also illustrating the impact of expenditures on law firm cash flow.
• Accounts Receivable (AR) Report – AR represents the total amount of outstanding debt owed to the law firm. These are invoices sent to clients that have not been paid. Weekly AR reports help law firms with their collection practices and the prevention of excessive, difficult-to-collect debts.
• General Ledger Review – Ledger details should be reviewed on a monthly basis for accuracy and completion. By looking over these records on a monthly basis, law firm administrators can confirm that expenses have been posted within the correct accounts. They can also catch errors and prevent budget overages.
• Budget Checkup – Administrators should compare the firm’s actual income to its budget. These monthly checkups help firms stay within their spending budgets by identifying potential overspending before it becomes a larger problem. These reports may reveal the need to reduce spending in one area in order to accommodate an unanticipated need for additional spending in another area. By reviewing this data on a monthly basis, administrators can keep the firm on track to meet and even exceed annual profit goals.
• Bank Reconciliations – Law firms need to conduct monthly bank reconciliations to promote transparency and ensure proper adherence to industry standards. For instance, states have specific rules about the handling of client trust accounts. Monthly account reconciliations can alert administrators to the types of discrepancies that can prove detrimental to a law practice. Trust account reconciliations are best handled with financial software that is specifically programmed to handle the nuances of legal trust accounting.

Firm Productivity

Law firms need to keep an eye on the productivity of the firm in order to promote efficiency, cost savings, and maximized profitability. While we tend to think of productivity as the pace of work being completed, there are a number of additional factors to consider within a law firm environment:

• Billable Hours – Law firms need a weekly reporting of the month-to-date billable hours generated by the firm. With weekly data, administrators can catch issues affecting billable hours and correct them before they become profit-stealing problems.
• Nonbillable hours – To truly maximize efficiency and productivity, law firms should also keep an eye on the number of nonbillable hours being generated on a weekly basis. Monitoring nonbillable hours gives a full picture of how all law firm time is being spent on a weekly basis. This data helps administrators promote greater productivity. It may also alert to unreasonable amounts of time being spent on nonbillable tasks.
• Timekeeping Procedures – According to industry studies, law firms can lose up to 30% of billable time due to inadequate time capturing. Law firms need procedures in place that mandate concurrent timekeeping. In addition, weekly reports can help administrators identify timekeepers who are not adhering to these firm policies.
• Matter Timelines – Monthly reporting on the status and timelines of firm matters can prove extremely valuable in evaluating firm productivity. With this information, firm administrators can identify matters that have been sitting for prolonged periods of time and address the cause of the delays.
• Billing Processes – At the conclusion of every billing cycle, firms should take a look at their billing processes to evaluate the amount of time that elapsed between the completion of a task and the provision of an invoice to the client. Untimely invoices can result in client distrust and dissatisfaction, which can lead to late payment of bills. With regular evaluations, administrators can fine-tune the firm’s billing procedures to maximize client payments.
• Attorney Profitability – Law firms should prepare these reports a few times each year or, at the very least, as part of their attorneys’ performance evaluation. This data calculates the year-to-date profitability of each firm attorney. The industry standard dictates that a lawyer’s direct compensation should not exceed 40% of the receipts on the attorney’s time. Regular monitoring of this data allows firm leaders to identify potential problems along the way instead of waiting until the conclusion of the year. Issues such as inadequate training or incorrect time capturing can be handled quickly when identified in a timely manner, so it’s important to run these reports on a consistent basis.
• Client Retention and Referrals – Client retention reports speak volumes about the productivity and effectiveness of a law firm. Happy clients bring their repeat business to the firm. They also refer their friends, family, and colleagues. By creating an internal system for tracking retention and referral data, administrators can gain valuable awareness about firm performance.

Marketing

Many law firms pour extensive amounts of money into their marketing strategies with little understanding about the effectiveness of their efforts. The following marketing performance indicators need to be part of a law firm’s regular reporting process so that administrators can evaluate what approaches are working and what needs to be tweaked:

• Source of new clients – When securing new clients, law firms should track data about how the client learned about the firm. Whether it is through the firm website, a social media post, or a referral, this information provides valuable insight into the firm’s marketing techniques. This reporting should be reviewed on a bimonthly basis so that necessary adjustments can be made.
• Website Conversion – This reporting should be done three to four times a year to evaluate the effectiveness of the firm’s website. It provides various data about the activity of website visitors, including:
  • How long they stay on the site
  • Which pages they view most
  • Which pages have the highest bounce rates (visitors leaving the site)
  • How many visitors convert to leads

• Return on Investment (ROI) – Law firm revenue growth provides a general look into the effectiveness of firm marketing efforts. Administrators can compare the amount of increased revenue with marketing costs. Many businesses use an ROI formula of subtracting marketing expenses from sales growth and then dividing the balance by marketing costs. Administrators should remember that it can be deceiving to directly attribute sales growth to a marketing campaign, but this monthly reporting does provide some insight into the firm’s ROI.

Practice Area Performance

Law firms often build their practices around a single niche or a few specific practice areas. But societal changes can result in evolving needs among potential law firm clients. For example, the pandemic brought about a surge in such practice areas as bankruptcy, health law, and employment law.

Firms should take a look at the performance of their practice areas at least annually to determine whether they are still performing at a profitable level. This data can be collected externally from legal industry reports and studies, as well as internally from practice area comparisons of new matters and revenue generation. The information can then be used to make crucial decisions about the firm’s practice area direction.

Law Firms Need Regular Reporting to Stay Financially Healthy

These are only examples of the numerous types of reports that help law firm administrators evaluate the viability of the practice. It’s important that administrators identify metrics that specifically speak to the health of their firms and take steps to monitor them on a regular basis. With weekly and monthly reporting, administrators can promote what is working and make timely changes to address what is not.

The Importance of Strategic Planning

We’ve all heard it before – “fail to plan, and you plan to fail.” And we have all heard it because it is true. Without a plan for where you are headed, you will never arrive at the desired destination.

Where to Start

It is important to make time to plan. With the many demands of your practice, it can be very difficult to tear yourself away from your firm to work on your business in addition to working in your business. It is important to recognize that despite the fact that those hours spent on working the business are not billable, they will pay big dividends in the long run. Firm leadership should set aside at least one day per year to work on your business plan and define how you plan to get there. These meetings should be held off-site, away from the demands and distractions of the office.

Timelines

Goals should be broken down into timelines: you should identify ten-year, five-year, three-year, and one-year goals. Goals should be quantifiable and SMART – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Based. Examples of goals can be team size, gross revenue, profit, number of new clients, addition of new practice areas, etc.

Start at your end goals – those that are farthest out. By working backward from your ten-year point, you can break your goals down into chunks so that you can identify how you will get there. Breaking those larger goals down in this way makes them seem more attainable and will keep you from just giving up.

Your one-year goals are considered short-term goals. Reaching these goals should help you to attain your three-year goals. For example, if you want to increase your attorney size from 5 attorneys to 10 attorneys within three years, you know you need to add 1-2 attorneys per year over the next three years in order to get there. This feels manageable, and by working toward that goal gradually over three years, it won’t feel unachievable. Your three-year goals should lead you to your five-year goals, etc. By setting shorter-term goals as mile markers along the way, you will have a road map to guide you to your final destination.

To go one step further, one-year goals should be broken down into 90-day chunks. Otherwise, you will find yourself at the end of a year wondering how the time passed so quickly and nothing accomplished as you had hoped. By setting 90-day timelines for specific tasks to be completed that lead to your one-year goals, you will stay on task. Your leadership team should meet at least quarterly to review the progress of these goals. Without this accountability measure, the goals will likely fall prey to the other demands your team has to meet.

The Process

Leadership may want to consider involving multiple levels of team members in your process as you work on your plan. While they do not have the final say in your decisions, by providing them the opportunity to have input, you will increase the chances of buy-in and success. Different teams in your firm may have different goals created for them that lead to the bigger picture goals, and it will be important that they meet regularly to review progress just as your leadership team will.

You will also want to identify your firm’s particular strengths and potential obstacles and how you plan to overcome them. This is referred to as a SWOT analysis – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. By bringing these areas to light and focusing on playing to your strengths and addressing how you will overcome your weaknesses, you will be better for it.

The Takeaway

• Take time to work on your business.
• Give yourself permission to step away from your office and plan for your future.
• Set big, hairy, audacious long-term goals, and then set short-term goals that will drive your firm to those longer-term ambitions.
• Create regular mile markers along the way to stay on track.

Business planning does not come naturally to all attorneys. If this planning and follow-up feels foreign to you and you are not confident you have the bandwidth to navigate the process among all your other responsibilities, there are many consultants available who specialize in law firms. These specialists are familiar with your challenges and can help guide you through the maze and help you stay on task. By taking the time to plan for your future in a very intentional way, you will be surprised to find that what once felt like unattainable pipe dreams can truly be a reality.

There is a common aphorism that often gets applied to life that goes, a rising tide lifts all boats. And it’s true in many cases. In good times, many businesses can see great returns, and the economy and emotional spirit of both large and small groups or populations of people can be elevated. But these past few years have been different. We are coming out of a really trying time, but something we have heard reiterated time and time again is that through challenging times, a firm's branding and marketing efforts become critical.

More importantly, when the going gets tough, the need to heavily rely on data to gain insights and direction becomes even more important as well. To be able to gauge trends and monitor consumer patterns is how firms will thrive through the chaos. For example, law firms that were marketing in 2020 saw a big drop in revenue in Q2, similar to firms who did not market, but, their leads and overall numbers were higher than they were in 2019 prior to the pandemic. And then into Q3 and Q4, they remained ahead of their previous years' numbers. The idea here is that although there were fewer people searching for legal services during the height of the pandemic, the jobs won went to firms that were consistently marketing.

Visibility and Searchability

The way people are finding law firms, especially via their websites, is significantly more fragmented than it has been. This fragmentation is primarily the result of the omnichannel environment we live in today. On any given day, you have people surfing Facebook, Google, local newspaper listings, online newsletters, podcasts, radio, the list goes on and on. The bottom line here is your potential clients are finding your firm in a lot of different ways.

Create and Highlight Content

Traffic from social media almost doubled in that second quarter during the pinnacle of quarantine, and surprisingly enough, it stayed almost 4% higher throughout the rest of the year than it did in 2019. We are seeing more traffic come from people on social media than ever before. And not only are these people spending more time on social media, but they are also actually taking the next step and going to law firm websites. The strategy here indicates that you need to be in more places online and the easiest way to achieve this is by producing content. Some of you may have read that and felt a wave of panic but don’t worry! When you begin thinking about this content, think about the content your firm would be best at producing; the areas of expertise your attorneys, firm administrators, paralegals and the like possess and capitalize on that! And utilize your ability to repurpose that same content in other areas as well. For example, if you have a blog, consider using that material and making it a video.

Another thing to think about in terms of your content is highlighting and marketing all the technological advancements you have at your firm. If you utilize practice management software, publicize your ability to take online payments, publicize your client portal, automation capabilities, easy intake process, etc. All of those things are advancements that potential clients will look at and cross-compare against other firms, so use it to your advantage! Being able to highlight your customer experience improvements will only serve to benefit you.

Utilize the Internet

Search engine optimization is not going anywhere, in fact, it is driving more and more traffic to law firms. If you think about all the effort you put into gaining referral partners, whether it’s getting on the phone with potential businesses, sending thank you gifts, those couple rounds of golf, all the things you do to establish those relationships. Now think about how much time you're putting in the largest referral partner you have, which is Google? The benefit of Google is that most users are searching for something already. They are looking for an answer or help so not only will they be more reliable, but they will be more willing to work with you to get their problem solved.

Let’s walk through a hypothetical example. Take an estate planning firm, typically, they do a lot of in-person events to drive potential new clients and they really emphasize the need and highly encourage clients to come in for consultations. Well, in almost the blink of an eye, the world shifted to operating online. And now, the first consultation is a Zoom meeting, and those in-person events have transformed or disappeared entirely. So what happens now? In this case, the firm would need to change their website to support online intake and then direct the potential new client to a calendar scheduling tool to seamlessly book the meeting. With this shift, you can now market the efficiencies of this new online process and emphasize the benefits of putting time back in your client's day by reducing commutes and streamlining the intake process.

Ultimately, all the things you are doing to help your law firm be more efficient and effective are also the way your clients want to work. So remind them of the pain of doing things the “old” way and market your services as ones that meet their new needs.

The Intake Process

Now that we have gone through some marketing strategies, let’s think about the ways that you can connect and hopefully get those new clients to contact and hire you. The next challenge that many firms face is how to manage the intake process. How do you manage the volume of calls and digital messages coming in? The issue that arises here is that there is a finite number of hours in the day, but clients don’t care about that, they want a response as soon as possible. And the sad reality is, people are impatient, if they don’t hear back on their time frame, they will find another firm who will.

The pandemic has obviously caused a lot of disruptions. But what has that meant for attorneys and firms? What solutions have been implemented to improve the client intake experience and ensure that responses are efficient and uniform?

System Dependency

Overall, the best way to maintain an elevated client experience is to be system-dependent and not owner or operator-dependent. Think about the lack of availability you may have on a day-to-day basis, between your personal and professional life, handling operations, HR, administrative tasks, everything that you have on your to-do list leaves very little time to handle those inbound inquiries that come to you. You still want to be responsive to both your existing and current clients, but also to your potential new clients and referrals. It is really critical that you set up systems that can be responsive for you, and bring in the technology and the talent that is on your front line. What we saw last year was a lot of people quickly added new technologies that acted like a bandaid or patch. And now what we’re seeing today is as people begin to recover, they notice the holes that they patched and they want to make it look better. They want to make it look great because after all, it is the reputation of their firm that is at stake.

Easy Automation

Making it easy for PNCs to select an available time for a consult without disrupting your day-to-day is the easiest first step to enhance your client experience with minimal effort. Not only will this calendaring automation speed up that first initial contact with the client, but it frees up your staff and it is easy to manage with minimal training in the case that you do need your receptionist or team to step in and intervene. Also, it’s important to keep in mind that everyone faced disruption this past year. So while you’re working hard throughout the day, your clients are too. Sometimes, it isn’t until 10 PM at night when a PNC will come home and have the brain space to think about those divorce papers, mergers, settlements, etc. So giving people the silent comfort of choosing availability on their time is priceless. And we are not saying that you have to answer your cell phone and email at all times of the day, but you do have to be responsive.

The next piece of this intake process revolves around legal workflow automation. The reason why legal workflow automation exists is that law firms needed to find a way to reduce the administrative tasks their attorneys take on and give them more time to focus on creating billable hours. Let's walk through some examples... when a PNC gets created, you can use a workflow to automatically alert your team that work needs to be done. You can automatically schedule a conflict check, confirm that the PNC's data is entered correctly, and verify that your attorneys can take on the workload. Not only is this eliminating inefficiencies, but it is increasing team communication, and enhancing your client services. You can also eliminate the monotonous task of creating letters of engagement or other documents with document merge. This allows you to automatically generate a document based on fields within Centerbase instead of manually typing each document and filling in the respective detail. You can create the initial template and set which information fields you want to be pulled to populate the document.

Legal workflow automation is meant to help create efficiencies and reduce human error. If you're not adopting these technologies or working with software that enables your firm, you're doing yourself and your clients a disservice. If you’re curious to learn more about this, check out this video.

The ways we are consuming and interacting with each other as consumers and businesses have changed a lot in response to the disruption of the pandemic.

Communication Expectations

A lot of what has changed in the last two years has been expectations. Today, clients are fully expecting that you guide and steer the process. So you must ask yourself, how do you make sure that you’re delivering on what the client needs? How are you producing content and answers on all the channels that you operate and are publicly available online? Every platform your brand is listed on needs to uphold the same level of responsiveness. And it’s not just about the speed, it’s about the quality of content. One of the main reasons clients won’t move forward with a firm is because they don’t get the answers they’re expecting. Easily combat this by proactively anticipating the commonly asked questions. Time is thin right now, and if you think about the importance of lead screening and qualification, not everyone is going to be a good fit for your firm. So it is one thing to get out in front and be responsive but you also don’t want to be taking consultations with just anyone on the internet who finds your firm and books your time.

The 2 Keys to Success

So after all of this, what are some of the most successful law firms doing when it comes to their intake process? Well, two things come to mind… the first is when you’re system dependent, you have to be constantly checking and monitoring those systems. That is simply a good habit that is just a matter of professional responsibility. It may not say it very specifically in the bar rules, but triple-check that when someone calls your firm the phone is answered and to your liking. Make sure that when someone sends an email and you have generated automated responses that the email is being triggered how you want it to, that it is being received, and that it also reflects the brand and voice of your firm. There are a lot of systems that are only being set up once and then forgotten and never checked again. Because of this, a lot of business is lost because no one has been assigned to that voice mailbox or that email account. If you don’t check them, that is a blindspot that is aiding a loss on investment for all your marketing efforts and all the other energy you’re putting into promoting and advertising your firm.

The second thing that successful firms are doing is following up with those individuals who reach out. This step can often distinguish the haves and have nots. What happens is the more you follow up (to a certain limit), the higher the payoff. Six points of contact are about the threshold here. Statistically, if you’re following up only once, we know that about 50% or slightly less of your inbound calls are being answered. There is so much distraction and noise these days that if you’re not following up multiple times, your message won’t be heard. It’s as simple as that. Depending on the practice area that you operate in, that will also really set the cadence. So when you ask, “How often should I follow up?” You have to take note of who your clientele is. If you are in personal injury, high-end estate, or intellectual property, you should be following up a lot sooner. Don’t give up and throw in the towel until the person has told you they have made the decision one way or another. That type of chase is incredibly beneficial to the bottom line.

Bottlenecks commonly occur within the law firm environment, but certain pain points are specific to attorneys as they provide legal services to firm clients. A single client matter can encompass numerous steps, from developing a strategy and managing client expectations to implementing the plan and bringing the matter to a close. At every stage of that process lies an opportunity for obstacles, especially when lawyers lack the technology they need to handle their cases efficiently and effectively. Add in the unique challenges of remote work arrangements, and the potential for bottlenecks looms even larger.

The following bottlenecks represent some of the challenges that attorneys face in the regular course of serving law firm clients:

Document Access Delays

Paperwork and the practice of law go hand in hand, so attorneys need immediate access to necessary case documents. Bottlenecks in this aspect of legal practice can occur for a number of reasons. For example, editing delays can leave an entire team of lawyers waiting for one party to make changes to a contract or other document. This can be especially problematic if the editing is being completed by more than one person.

Fortunately, several legal software options streamline the editing process, making it easier and far less time-consuming. With these technologies, all credentialed parties can work within one file instead of repeatedly emailing the latest edited versions of documents back and forth between one another. Some of these tech options also allow for comments and controls on who can edit documents and when.

Remote working arrangements also affect document accessibility. Let’s say a group of four lawyers are working on a client matter, but each of these lawyers works from a different location. Creating multiple paper copies of the client file is not an efficient and effective option. In addition, what happens if one of the attorneys forgets to bring an important document when they come together and work in person?

With a cloud-based document management system, every member of that team has access to all of the case file documents from any place they choose to work, and at any time of the day or night.

These convenient options allow lawyers to store files and documents in a secure cloud-based environment. They also have easy-to-use search options, so time isn’t wasted combing through pages and pages of documents. Some also offer version management, so that attorneys can easily see what changes have been made since they last accessed the file.

Document management is an essential part of collaboration. Attorneys need the ability to access, edit, and store files without the bottlenecks that can get in the way and impede the progress of a client matter.

Internal Communication Strains

When working within an office setting, it’s easy for attorneys to simply walk into a colleague’s office and confer about a case. Whether asking a simple question, soliciting advice, or collaborating on a project, the camaraderie that an in-person work environment provides can prove extremely beneficial to attorney productivity.

But for firms that operate among different locations, whether by choice or in response to the pandemic, the benefits of regular communication can become lost without the right strategies and systems in place.

It is not uncommon for attorneys in different physical locations to work on firm matters collaboratively as part of a team. When the communication between team members becomes strained, various problems can result, including miscommunications and missed deadlines.

For attorneys working remotely, feelings of isolation may result from their inability to have those valuable impromptu conversations with their fellow attorneys as the need arises. In addition, they may find it challenging to reach support staff when needed, which can also lead to incomplete tasks and process inefficiencies.

In today’s remote working environment, lawyers need communication plans that include useful tech innovations. Regularly scheduled team meetings and check-ins help firm members ask questions, solicit help, and feel connected to the firm as a whole. Additionally, having the ability to chat directly within a matter and track your conversations and directed references will not only keep you organized, but it will also reduce the number of emails flooding your inbox. Bring you internal conversations to chat from wherever you are regarding whatever matter you may be working on.

Tools like Zoom and Cisco WebEx can also help facilitate these regular meetings, while resources like Slack make quick interactions easier to manage and document.

Client Management Challenges

The practice of law is largely about the management of client relationships. After all, attorneys work to further their clients’ interests when taking on a matter, so it follows that managing the client relationships must be an integral part of the process.

As attorneys establish and maintain their positive reputations, they need to build positive relationships with their clients. They can achieve this goal by doing the following:

• Understanding the client’s needs by asking questions and actually taking the time to listen to their responses. Attorneys need to be active listeners in and out of the courtroom. When an attorney fully understands the client’s needs, they can better manage expectations and prevent miscommunications.
• Demonstrating empathy for clients. Clients want to feel that they are not just a number or a vehicle for a law firm’s billable hours. A little compassion can go a long way in gaining a client’s trust.
• Consistent communication also helps to build and strengthen the trust that a client has for their attorney. Clients need to know that work is being completed on their matter, otherwise, they start to question their attorney’s ethics and legal abilities. The best way to meet this need is to provide regular communications and updates. Even if no new developments have occurred, a brief status report can calm fears and worries.
• Attorneys should be truthful and transparent about fees and costs right from the very first meeting. Nothing ruins an attorney-client relationship faster than unexpected costs in the middle of a case. Lawyers need to keep clients updated about their financial responsibilities, and even if something unexpected does arise, clients should be notified as quickly as possible.
• Client expectations can be managed by setting boundaries and knowing when it’s time to say “no.” Attorneys are the legal professionals in an attorney-client relationship, so they should always rely on their skills and judgment. They should not be swayed to set unrealistic goals or unattainable outcomes. Honesty is the only option when it comes to the merits of a case.

Legal technology, like CRM, also helps attorneys establish and maintain client relationships. With CRM, lawyers can securely store client contact information and document previous interactions. It offers a quick and easy reference when specific client information is needed. Some CRM software options can also be programmed to provide reminders for client follow-ups and important deadlines.

Client portals also promote positive client relationships. With these tools, attorneys can quickly provide clients with updates on their matters, as well as timely invoices. Clients can independently log into their secure accounts to view notes and review their firm bills. With a client portal, attorneys can efficiently keep clients informed.

Happy clients become repeat clients who refer new clients. By placing the focus on client relations, attorneys can avoid the bottlenecks that arise from unrealistic expectations and poor client relationships.

Legal Case Management Software is the Best Solution to Alleviate Attorney Bottlenecks

Legal case management software offers viable solutions to many of the bottlenecks that attorneys contend with on a daily basis. These platforms often include tools that promote internal communications among members of the firm while also keeping clients adequately informed and up to date.

Case management software may also offer some document management features so that attorneys can quickly and easily edit, access, and store client files in a secure environment. For attorneys that find themselves interrupted by the pain points of practicing law, the right case management software can be the solution to their bottleneck problem.

We all know it is easier to keep an existing client than to obtain a new one, yet many firms fail to focus on practices that will ensure their clients receive a consistently positive experience with their firm. Some intentional effort in your firm’s practices can make a world of difference for your clients and for your firm. The common mistakes below can be easily addressed in your firm to create a more positive client experience.

Ineffective Intake Process

The client experience begins before an individual ever steps foot in your door. By focusing on creating a positive intake experience, you will set the stage for a successful client engagement.

Train Your Staff

The individual in your firm who is processing your potential client calls should not be just anyone answering the phone. It is important that those who take the calls are trained to do so. Be sure you have the right person(s) in this seat, individuals who are capable of listening, allowing the caller to tell their story, and showing empathy. They need to understand the importance of the questions they have been trained to ask. If they have to leave a voicemail for the caller, they should have a script that leaves the potential client with a positive impression that is professional and knowledgeable.

Use Technology

Your practice management software should have the ability to input information received from potential clients. Your staff should use this format so that there is consistency in the information gathered and nothing is overlooked. This will allow you to track critical data and understand conversion rates. (Do you know how many leads you need in order to land a client?)

Respond Quickly

It is important that someone respond to the potential client quickly once the initial information has been gathered. If you wait too long, they will have moved on to someone else who is more responsive. Set appropriate expectations by giving them a timeline for a callback and stick to it.

Poor First Impression

We all know you only get one chance to make a good first impression. With a little effort, you can ensure your firm gives a professional impression consistently.

Make Your Visitors Feel at Ease

Conference rooms should be clean and tidy. Staff should be professional, offer a beverage, and make the client comfortable while they wait for the attorney. Once they have been settled, don’t make them wait. We all know how we feel when our doctors keep us waiting well past our appointment time – our clients feel the same. Don’t give the impression that your time is more valuable than theirs.

Be a Good Communicator

Communicating doesn’t just mean talking – it also means listening. Attorneys are trained to prepare their response while listening to the other party. Work to avoid that here. Make eye contact and listen. If possible, have an assistant join you in the meeting to take notes so that you can fully focus on the potential client.

Failing to Meet Expectations

Once you have been retained, it is important to communicate with your client to set realistic expectations. Failure to do so can result in a dissatisfied client who will not only fail to provide referrals but may also share negative feedback about your firm.

Set Realistic Expectations

This starts with the engagement letter, which should be clear as to the expectations of both the firm and the client, with the scope of services to be covered and the fees that will be paid in return for those services. You should also let your client know how often they should expect to hear from you, and under what circumstances.

Follow Through on Your Promises

Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Use an assistant to track all of your deadlines and timelines for client touchpoints so that you can focus on practicing law, knowing your assistant will keep you apprised of your deadlines for reaching out to clients. By having a good practice management system, your assistant can keep track of these for you with little effort.

Things don’t always go as planned when it comes to the law. When you can see things won’t go as planned, be sure to have honest communication with your client so that there are no surprises.

Communicate Well

The #1 Bar complaint is that clients do not feel their attorneys keep them well informed. If you have set appropriate expectations during the client onboarding process by explaining your policies and you follow through with those promises, you can avoid expectations not being met. If you have trained your assistant well, you can feel comfortable in allowing them to reach out to clients with updates where there is “no change” or “nothing new to report,” so that they are hearing from you and not wondering what is happening with their case.

Focus on the Client, Not the Project

Clients want to know you care about them, not just the case(s) you are handling for them. Set up Google Alerts to stay abreast of what is happening with them and have a protocol for capturing that information and reaching out to them when you see something noteworthy.

Understand life from your client’s perspective. Take a moment from time to time to make a non-billable phone call to check in on them. Differentiate yourself by providing stellar client service, making them feel truly taken care of. By using your practice management software to track when you should reach out to someone again, your assistant can set these short calls for you around your schedule so that it does not feel like a burden but will go a long way with your clients.

Sending Invoices That Don't Convey Value

Providing your clients with invoices that show the value of your services is more important than ever. Think of your invoice as a marketing tool. By using a time & billing software that allows you to create templates that meet each client’s needs, you can send an invoice that is not immediately met with rejection.

Use Your Invoices as Another Way to Communicate

Explain explicitly the purpose of each task. Saying “t/c with opposing counsel” does not fully convey the value of a time entry that took .8 hours. Your client may be wondering whether you were asking OC about his family instead of making progress in the case for almost an hour.

Communicate with your client by phone before sending a bill that is going to be unusually high. There should be no surprises if you want to both keep your client satisfied and also be paid in full. If you have an especially high workload in a case, it may help to bill that matter every 15 days instead of monthly.

Send bills regularly – at least every 30 days. Waiting too long results in a high bill that is less likely to be paid in full and gives the impression there is no urgency to be paid.

Failing to Use Technology

Today’s clients are technologically savvy, and they expect their attorneys to be as well. Practice management software allows you to work efficiently. It allows you to:

• Automate repetitive tasks and project management;
• Streamline the intake process;
• Quickly report on the source of clients so that you know where to focus your marketing budget;
• Track deadlines and client relationship management;
• Provide well-documented case progress.

With some effort on creating protocols and training your firm staff, you can quickly have systems in place that will ensure your clients have a consistent, positive experience with your firm.

Law firm administrators wear all types of hats on any given day of the week. Their work impacts the financial health of the firm, while also promoting the efficient provision of legal services. As the link between the legal and business sides of a firm, these professionals need a strong grasp on a variety of organizational concepts. From human resources to accounting responsibilities, administrators handle a wide range of duties as they seek to maintain and grow their law firms.

Some of the most common responsibilities of a law firm administrator include:

• Gathering and analyzing firm financial data
• Handling human resources processes
• Managing and coordinating firm support staff
• Automating law firm processes
• Coordinating law firm operations
• Crafting and implementing firm marketing procedures

Decisions made by law firm administrators greatly impact the financial and operational wellbeing of a law firm. Firm leaders count on administrators to identify existing and potential problems, then implement strategies to properly address them. When the administrator’s efforts result in greater profitability and enhanced productivity, the law firm benefits overall.

5 Administrative Bottlenecks

With so many processes taking place under the umbrella of law firm administration, numerous opportunities for bottlenecks exist. Bottlenecks occur when procedural inefficiencies prevent firm processes from progressing effectively. These inefficiencies may arise for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to staffing issues or procedural deficiencies. Inadequate technology is another common cause for law firm administrative bottlenecks, but with so many tech advances happening within the legal community, these problems should be easily addressed.

Let’s look at some of the bottlenecks that law firm administrators commonly deal with when working to maximize firm productivity:

1. Calendaring

About one quarter of legal malpractice claims directly relate to calendaring failures. Issues such as forgotten deadlines, late filings, and missed appearances can lead to serious consequences for law firms. Judges don’t have much compassion for firms that miss important case events, and many won’t hesitate to dismiss cases when lawyers fail to meet deadlines.

Particularly within larger firms, maintaining an adequate calendaring system can prove challenging. They have significantly more dates and matters to coordinate between a larger number of lawyers. They may also handle a wider variety of practice areas across multiple jurisdictions.

Paper calendaring simply does not offer a sufficient solution, so legal calendaring technology needs to play a central role in any law firm administration strategy. These systems offer numerous alternatives for law practices, including:

• Rules-based calendaring that includes court rules databases and holiday tables for the accurate calculation of court dates.
• Online date calculation services where firm members log into a website and enter a few pieces of information to receive an automatically generated listing of all relevant court deadlines.
• A firm-wide calendar system that promotes consistency and productivity firm-wide, while also offering various viewing formats for specific offices and practice groups.

2. Document Management

Unfortunately, most law firms have experienced the obstructive delays that accompany missing files and data. Firm administrators recognize that the lack of document management hurts client relationships, damages cases, and leads to potential malpractice claims. Firm attorneys and paralegals need access to necessary case files, but the manual access of physical documents is inconvenient and inefficient.

With cloud-based document storage, firm members have the ability to access necessary documents from anywhere. These platforms use the cloud to offer law firms a secure, orderly, and highly available tool for data storage. Platforms, like NetDocuments, offer a cloud-based document management system that keeps law firms organized and productive.

3. Client Communications

Inadequate client communications also commonly lead to legal malpractice claims. Whether it’s miscommunication, negligible communication, or a lack of any communication at all, law firm administrators must understand the potential consequences of failing to make communication a priority.

Law firm communication problems can cause external and internal issues, and they stem from various sources. Externally, an overwhelming number of incoming calls may result in overflowing voicemail boxes and unanswered messages. Internally, the challenges of remote work may cause barriers to communication between firm members.

Technology provides a solution for both internal and external law firm communication challenges. Law firm administrators should choose software systems that include such coordinated communication tools as:

• The ability for lawyers to privately send and receive texts from clients.
• A client portal that provides clients with access to information specific to their matter any time of day or night.
• Collaboration tools that help various law firm members easily communicate with one another and efficiently work together on client matters.

4. Timely Invoicing

Many law firm administrators identify billing processes as an area ripe for bottlenecks within a law firm. This is partly due to the numerous steps that go into crafting and sending client bills for legal services. For example, the billing process actually begins with time tracking completed tasks. When timekeepers fail to keep accurate records, they risk overbilling clients or shorting the firm of billed hours.

Delayed timekeeping negatively impacts the invoicing process, and delayed invoices mean that clients can’t pay their bills on time, decreasing the firm’s cash flow. Billing inaccuracies also result in delayed payments and strained relationships as clients question the integrity of the firm.

Law firm administrators need to invest in legal billing software options that promote improved invoicing practices. These systems speed up the legal billing process so that law firms get paid faster. With the right platform, law firm administrators can streamline the markups, billing edits, and the approval process. The firm also benefits from e-billing and billing portals that allow clients to quickly view and pay their invoices with ease.

5. Information Systems

The lack of effective technologies causes major bottlenecks in various areas of law firm administration. For this reason, the administrator needs to consistently evaluate and manage all of the firm’s operating and information systems. Administrators need to understand the hardware and software commonly used within law firm environments.

When managing computer systems, law firm administrators should do the following to avoid bottlenecks:

• Periodically evaluate the effectiveness of all hardware and software used by the firm to identify what changes are needed to increase efficiency and promote cost savings.
• Regularly review maintenance contracts to ensure that hardware and software and kept up-to-date and in working order.

The most valuable computer system that a law firm can implement is practice management software. With it, law firms have a tool that efficiently maintains, organizes, and tracks case information related to client matters. By building case files directly into practice management software, firms can more efficiently update and complete tasks. These tools also help prevent other bottlenecks through document management, calendaring systems, contact management, and billing capabilities.

Successful Law Firm Administration Requires Legal Technology

The law firm administrator keeps the entire firm running with productivity and efficiency. A huge part of that responsibility involves identifying bottlenecks and implementing solutions to address them. The latest technology offers the features that law firm administrators need to address the many inefficiencies that hamper law firm processes.

Why are referrals so important? You already know that referred clients tend to be your highest quality clients, but they are also the most affordable to obtain. These clients typically walk through your door pre-sold on your services and expertise and off the bat they come in with a much higher level of trust and respect. Additionally, referred clients are much more likely to pay on time and refer others to your firm in the future.

There is no question that referrals are marketing gold for law firms and because of this, it makes sense to invest time and money into generating a process that not only encourages these referrals but fosters them as well. If you can create a referral-based firm, you can worry less down the road about how to market and sell your services.

Why Do Most Lawyers Have a Hard Time Generating Referrals?

Building a steady stream of referrals takes consistency and it takes persistence. Attorneys are busy and dedicating their time to these efforts is not always at the top of their priority list. For most firms, referrals are incredibly important, however, there are no systems in place to ensure successful word of mouth.

Steps to Generating Referrals

Providing outstanding service to your clients is certainly the first step in creating a referral-based firm. But you must also regularly and consistently cultivate these referral relationships. There are methods that can be put in place to encourage this referral process and it begins with identifying professionals who are interested in passing along referrals before you invest the time in relationship-building.

Step 1

Setting Appointments

Begin this process by generating a list of around 50 local professionals. This should include roughly 75% attorneys in complementary specialties and 25% non-attorneys with clients whose needs may overlap services. It’s important to remember that other attorneys and firms are also looking to build referral-based practices, so use that to your advantage!

Consider professionals in these industries:

• Bankruptcy: Debt counselors
• Business: CPAs
• Criminal: Mental health professionals, rehab centers
• Estates: Financial planners
• Family: Marriage counselors, family therapists
• Injury: Chiropractors, physical therapists, doctors
• Social Security Disability: Chiropractors, mental health professionals.

This list is a great place to start, but you know your clients and your firm best. No one is more equipped than you are to identify the fields of professionals that you believe are best suited to leverage a referral relationship with.

When you begin to build out this list, the easiest way to start is to create an excel sheet that details as much information as you can find on each of your 50 contacts. Start by pinpointing the geographic location you want to target, the practice area or clients they serve, and then do a little digging about what their website looks like. How do they market themselves, are they running a lot of ads? Do they have any associated publicity? What do their Google reviews look like? These indicators will give you a better sense of how they are marketing their firm.

These businesses are who you want to reach out to first because if they’re putting a significant amount of marketing dollars into their firm, they are likely bringing in a steady stream of leads. This means they have more potential referrals to send your way. It is important to take the time to vet these contacts to ensure you’re reaching out to the appropriate firms. Your time is valuable so don’t waste it!

Delegate Initial Outreach

As an attorney, it is best practice for you to handle or be involved with the first potential referral source call. As much personalized follow-up, you can provide is ideal, but the most long-lasting referral relationships are forged by attorneys who make that initial effort and cultivate trust. But with that being said, the other aspects that come before and after the initial call can be delegated. The creation of your contact list, for example, can be delegated to another member of your team. Setting up the initial appointment call can be handled by someone else on your team, and so on so forth. Having access to a shared calendar where you can seamlessly view your team's schedule will be critical to set these appointments in the most efficient way possible.

Phone, Not Mail

Contrary to some recommendations, picking up the phone and calling potential partners is far more effective for setting an initial appointment than postal letters. With postal letters, you’re not only waiting a few days for the recipient to receive the letter, but you also have to set up a game plan for once the letter is received. We are not saying to avoid snail mail entirely, but the return on investment for phone calls far outweighs that of physical mail. Not to mention it is significantly faster.

Once you start calling your list of prospective referral sources, ask to speak directly with the attorney or professional. If you do not get through or are stopped by a gatekeeper, ask for an email address and leave a voicemail.

You should be spending about 2 hours of work for each appointment you set. So what does this mean? This means you will spend a decent amount of time on the phone trying to connect and learn more about the professionals and their businesses in your surrounding area. Some specialties and practice areas will naturally be tougher than others, so don’t get discouraged if the outcomes aren’t materializing how you thought they would. Two referral appointments, or 4 hours of work, is a good target to aim for each month. At this rate, you will build a very robust network. Check out the attached referral partner appointment request script if you need some help getting started!

Step 2

The Initial Conversation

Once you book that first appointment, you may be asking yourself, “Well now what? What do I say?”

Remember this quote by Epictetus: We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.

During your initial referral partner call, stick to the general 80/20 rule. You should be listening 80% of the time and speaking the remaining 20%. Start by asking about the attorney/professional and show curiosity about their practice. Ask how it started, that they focus on, who their ideal client is, and keep the first half of the call focused on them. Additionally, take this opportunity to learn as many personal things as you can so that you may build a connection and foster a relationship!

Once you compile all this information, concisely give some details about your firm, but don’t go overboard! This conversation should be about them.

Step 3

Cultivation

Engaging your new partners is crucial. These new budding referral relationships need to be cultivated, they need to be nurtured. To engage these partners, start with a give. Add value right away, and then stay in regular contact.

You should certainly be engaging them before your first conversation and after as well. Consider sharing resources like a blog, white paper, or even current events articles. This will not only demonstrate your willingness to help that firm or practice but also to show your engagement and genuine interest in their business. Newsletters are also a great way to stay top of mind for your referral sources. Not to mention they can also double as content you send your current clients as well. Maintain a nice mix of content that is both legal-focused, general industry topics, and lifestyle content.

The bottom line is that you need to be consistently providing value so that you’re thought of when these businesses have potential clients to send your way.

Occasionally, attorneys won’t seek referral partners because they feel like they don’t have enough cross-referrals to provide. There are other ways to provide reciprocal value than exchanging one-for-one referrals. If you can’t always return a referral with one of your own, think of other ways your firm can provide value to them. Maybe it’s collaborating on publicity or marketing campaigns, co-promotions, or spotlights in your content and newsletters.

Additionally, if you are sent a client, consider sending that referral partner a note every other week to let them know their referral is in good hands and that you’re taking care of them. It is very important that the businesses you work with trust that you’re providing good services, otherwise they will not send you prospects.

The Takeaway

Building referral relationships are crucial for your business. They are also no-brainers. If you can leverage your community to help grow your book of business that is absolutely what you should dedicate some of your time to doing. Utilize these steps and take the leap!