Virtual Law Practice

Category: Marketing

  • List of Sites Containing Tips to Market a Virtual Law Office

    In a recent blog post, I discussed how an attorney with a VLO can attract paying, online clients to a VLO.  As promised, below is a list of websites and blogs that provide useful marketing tips and resources for solo and small firm practitioners.  This list only includes sites that provide marketing resources and tips.  I could build a long list of other services and sites that an attorney could join in order to market his or her virtual law practice,  such as sites that help to raise the SEO of the VLO website or blog.  Hopefully, the sites listed below will point you towards many of these online tricks of the trade. 

    Most of the resources below are geared towards a traditional law practice and some of them are not even related to the legal profession specifically, but with a little creativity the tips found in them could easily be used to market a virtual law office.  If I had oodles of free time, I would love to explain in detail how each of these sites and resources can be useful to a virtual law practice.  Instead, I’m just putting it out there and inviting everyone to explore and use their imaginations.  Or better yet, if you become befuddled, contact the folks that run these blogs in person.  Some of them are really kind, helpful individuals who are attorneys themselves and contain a wealth of valuable information and experience to share.  As always, I welcome suggestions to add to this list.  

    [Tip: Since most of these sites are blogs, it might save time to check out their categories section or run a search on their site specifically for marketing tips.]

    Sites with Tips on Marketing a Virtual Law Office”
    1.  Lisa Solomon’s Legal Research and Writing Pro Website and Blog 

    **Lisa is hosting an upcoming teleseminar, PR 101 for Lawyers: How to Write Direct-to-Consumer Press Releases That the Media Will Also Love.  This will take place on November 18 and will be presented by Joan Stewart, a/k/a the Publicity Hound.  Details for this are on her website.

    2.  The Publicity Hound Blog & Tips of the Week Ezine

    3.  Susan Cartier Liebel’s Build a Solo Practice, LLC

    4.  Grant Griffith’s Home Office Warrior, Home Office Lawyer and Blog for Profit 

    5.  CopyBlogger

    6.  ProBlogger

    7.  Guy Kawasaki’s How to Change the World

    8.  Carolyn Elefant’s My Shingle

    9.  Ed Poll’s LawBiz Blog & Ezine

    10.  Stem Legal – “Building Web Profile for the Legal Industry”

    11.  The PR Lawyer

    12.  Law Marketing Blog 

    13.  Kevin O’Keefe’s Real Lawyers Have Blogs

    14.  Legal Marketing Blog

    15.  Brett Trout’s BlawgIt

    16.  Ben Glass’s Great Legal Marketing blog

    17.  Gary Vaynerchuk‘s blog

    Resource to Join

    Solo Practice University  (Opening soon, this web-based educational community will provide online courses related to marketing law practices.)

  • How to Get Online Clients – Marketing A Virtual Law Practice

    I’ve been working closely with attorneys who are launching web-based virtual law practices powered by VLOTech.  I provide them with marketing suggestions and tips based on my own virtual law practice experience and share lessons I’ve learned from such wise attorneys as Lisa Solomon, Susan Cartier Liebel, Grant Griffiths, and others who have been generous in sharing their time and marketing wisdom with me. 

    One of the most frequent questions I receive from attorneys considering opening a VLO is “How can I be sure that I will get online clients once I set up a VLO?”  I thought I’d share my response here for the benefit of others who are interested in learning how to obtain online clients for a web-based virtual law practice.

    How do I get paying, online clients to my VLO?

    The goal of a VLO is to provide legal services to the public online.  From the attorney’s prospective, the primary goal of a web-based virtual law office is to generate online client revenue for his or her law practice. My VLO is my law office.   I handle everything through the web-based system.  It is the sole place where I retain, meet with and work with my clients.  Some attorneys are combining VLOs with traditional law practices, so they will do a combination of meeting with clients online and in a physical law office.  Others are taking their VLOs completely web-based. 

    So how do I get prospective clients in the virtual door?   I use many of the same marketing techniques that any attorney would use after hanging his or her own shingle, except I market my VLO website address rather than a physical law office address. Most of the advertising I use for my VLO is free.  Instead, I pay with my time and dedicated energy.  

    I’ll use my own virtual law practice as an example of how I began pulling in paying online clients.  Right after my VLO launch, I emailed simple press releases to local papers and then to the technology, legal and news editors at the papers in larger cities in my state announcing the opening of my VLO.  There are media lists that you can purchase online that will tell exactly who to email the press releases to, but you can do the footwork yourself which is what I did.  I announced in my release that I was opening a virtual law office and explained why this was beneficial for the public, their readers.  Editors realized that this was useful information for the public and helped spread the word.  Once you get one article or even a blurb written about you, that article has the potential to be picked up by other media outlets.  This is what happened in my case and the press spread from there. 

    The press releases are just one example.  Each publication that came out regarding my VLO resulted in about two weeks of new online client activity.  I also used and continue to use a lot of free online postings that direct people to my VLO.  Of course I am careful about my wording in these posts so that I comply my state bar’s rules for advertising and avoid the unauthorized practice of law in other jurisdictions. 

    Some Early Mistakes

    Initially I made the mistake of entering into a contract with Lawyers.com for a $2,000 a year listing that came with a tacky splash page to my VLO.  Because I didn’t have the advertising budget of BigLaw or even a smaller established firm, I couldn’t pay them enough to get a “top” listing under any practice area categories and was limited to listings in the city where I am physically located only.  The result was a total cost of $2,000 for one paying client the entire year from that service.  Today I have the free listing with them which is satisfactory.  I also have a free listing with FindLaw.  These companies will try to scare you by saying that without a listing clients will never find you online in any search engines.  Not true.  You can build your own web presence if you stay dedicated to your marketing strategy.

    Today I boost my search engine ratings for my VLO by blogging about my practice, by using free listings and by sharing my legal knowledge with others through forums, listservs and other social networking sites.  Recently, Grant Griffiths wrote a blog post over at Home Office Lawyer about using blogs to pull clients into a home office which you might want to check out.  I also donate estate planning packages or small business counseling sessions to silent auctions or raffles for organizations, such as MOPs, SBCs or other groups that might be interested in estate planning or small business assistance.  This leads to referrals, but often not for several months after I’ve donated the legal work.  Again, these methods take time, but they are free and have resulted in a growing client base that’s built on referrals from other attorneys and existing clients.

    Ongoing VLO Client Development

    Just as with any solo practice, I have to make an effort every week towards client development.  What I do this month may not pay off with online clients until three months from now, but as long as I keep it up I have a steady client base.  I think that’s pretty typical of most small businesses whether law-related or not.

    Currently, the only traditional advertising that I commit to is for a local parenting magazine ad for $190/month.  It has consistently and easily paid for itself so I keep it.  Other than this local publication, the rest of my marketing is conducted online on a regular basis and is geared towards the entire state since my potential client base extends outside of the town where I reside.  

    I have created an online client development to-do list.  At the end of every other week, I commit to going through each of the steps to maintain a steady client base in the future.

    How Long Will It Take To Build A VLO Client Base?

    To be honest, a VLO is not much different than hanging a shingle on a traditional law practice.  It will probably take six months or longer of marketing the virtual law practice before there will be a steady online client base.  However, it depends on what state the virtual law practice is located in and how dedicated the attorney is to his or her online marketing plan. 

    The clients are not going to magically waltz into the VLO just because you set up a website or blog and add the web-based VLO.  It takes time and significant effort.  However, in my experience, it is worth it.  After three years of practicing law online from my home office, I find that most of my new clients come from referrals from other online clients.  I can stay busy now working with clients on the VLO and be less aggressive with my marketing strategies.  That said, I still keep and revise a business plan and marketing strategy, and stick with my client development to-do list to ensure that my practice will keep growing. 

    VLO Marketing Strategies

    As I mentioned above, I provide VLOTech clients with more detailed information and tips for how to specifically market a VLO using online methods.  I ask others attorneys practicing with a web-based VLO to provide me with the strategies that they have found work best with pulling in paying online clients to their VLO.  Then I compile these tips to share with all of the VLOTech attorneys.  

    In addition to these tips, there are a great number of marketing resources online for attorneys to learn from.  Many of these resources are geared towards the traditional solo practitioner, but they can easily be modified to apply to marketing a VLO.  My next post will provide a list of these blogs/websites and resources.

  • Virtual Competition

    Roger Glovsky of The Virtual Lawyer sees collaboration as a way for solos and small firm practitioners to compete in a market that gets more competitive every day. He also writes here about how the Internet and technology could be used to level the playing field a bit more:

    “The problem for the solo practitioner and small firm is that it will get increasingly difficult to compete. Although the Internet is heralded for leveling the playing field, the rules of the game have changed. The new game is about having real-time, virtual, and personalized access, to people, information and tools that enhance productivity, improve results, and facilitate the practice of law. How will the solos and small firms develop these new resources?”

    Virtual Law Offices offer an excellent way for a solo or small firm practitioner to compete with a larger, chain firm. I’m a solo. Do I have the funds to pop up a branch office of my solo in every major city in my state, plant associates and staff in each one and then ad a nice fat advertising budget on top of that to get the clients rolling in?

    Of course not. Competition like this hits hard in a small city like mine where the traditional attorneys here are used to competing with other solos or small firms. Then a branch comes in with marketing strategies and huge budgets and it really does change the game.

    IMHO, Virtual Law Offices might be one way for solos and small firms to expand their client base to the entire state without having to spend much more than $150-300 a month in cost for the web-based service/vlo website. If you can attract clients from across the state, then the ROI is going to be there and last.

    I don’t think a VLO is the answer for every solo or small firm. I think for some attorneys like me who want the flexible work/life balance, a completely VLO might be the answer. For others, I think it could be used as a tool to compete with the larger firms who have the resources to pull in more clients. And it’s possible that a large firm could do the same thing and incorporate a VLO into their existing law office website and then pour money into online advertising of the VLO on search engines and attorney referral sites. I would be interested to hear what others think about using VLOs as a way for solos to compete with larger firms.

  • Legal Directories and a Virtual Law Office – What’s Your Address?

    taking a look at online legal directoriesThis week I’m considering giving online legal directories another chance. As more and more attorneys are dropping out of Martindale Hubbell, I recently turned to Findlaw’s online directory options.

    I formerly had a listing with Lawyers.com and was unhappy with the unprofessional splash page that they insisted on setting up for me. Why they would not link directly to my vlo, I am not sure. Because my vlo is a secure web application and clients can come to me directly through the online office, I did not have a need for Lawyers.com’s unsecure “email me” contact form that I was paying for each month. The one benefit was that the listing boosted my ranking in google which initially may have been worth the pricey fee. On to other options as I continue to grow my vlo and learn more law management practice tips along the way.

    A basic Findlaw listing that links to my vlo would be great. Except they are not too familiar with a vlo and virtual law is not a separate category of law practice. Even though I work with clients online throughout the entire state, I would have to purchase a listing in each individual cities in the state. The expense here is mindboggling.

    What is my address? Well….it’s a website address. The online directories have trouble categorizing you outside of the traditional law office setup. As more solos and law firms go online with Virtual Law Office Technology (VLOTech) and use a vlo to practice law, the usual law directory companies will have to come up with a different pricing structure that provides services that fit with a vlo’s marketing needs.

    One option might be to leave out the physical address requirement and let the vlo link to their vlo for the same price and if they want to add both a physical and a vlo link, then charge for both. I’m not an expert on how online directories operate. The customer reps at Findlaw have been efficient at giving me the information I need as far as pricing and services. However, I think if these companies want to stay on the cutting edge of legal technology trends they should start considering how their services can be useful and affordable for a virtual law practice.

  • Solo Advertising – Needs vs. Wants

    I recently commented on The Dreams of a Solo to a post here about how the needs versus wants when starting a solo practice are a fine balance that every solo needs to think about before getting in over their heads.

    I didn’t have too much difficulty in determining my technology needs from wants. With the web application, I could just use the computer equipment I already had, even though dual monitors would be swell as would a new Blackberry and a MacBook Air. [Note to self: I need to update my tech “wish list” again before birthday.]

    The most difficult part for me in determining the needs versus wants in opening my virtual solo was figuring out what advertising I really “needed.” Advertising expenses can quickly get away from you if you count the cost of new office announcements to other attorneys and membership in different organizations as a form of advertising. These don’t even reach the public, just build an attorney network that hopefully results in referrals.

    Online versus traditional advertising was my biggest challenge. I erroneously thought that I had to have a listing in the Yellow Pages. Big mistake. Kevin at Real Lawyers Have Blogs recently posted here about how ineffective this is for solos. He’s right. Google is the new phone book. Even if the YP ad came with the online listing that linked to my vlo, it still was not worth the $2,000 plus annual contract. I think I was under the impression from working at my previous firm that it was just what law offices did to have a “presence” locally. Well, if your office is virtual that doesn’t matter so much.

    Online directories, such as Lexis’ Lawyers.com also proved to not have a good ROI. Unless you can afford the extra cost to “bump” your listing up to the top (i.e., have a BigLaw advertising budget), I don’t think it was worth the expense. The service occasionally resulted in a prospective client but that wasn’t worth the monthly bill and tacky splash page to my website.

    I think it took me a good year of figuring out what I really “needed” for advertising to build a decent client base and then keep the business momentum going. I’m still working out the perfect balance. I suspect that, like everything in life, the need-want balance with my virtual practice will always change a little each year.

  • Client Building for the VLO

    Building a client base for a vlo requires out of the box thinking. I’ve found that networking works best when I use other popular online networking mediums that are frequented by the online public, my potential clients.

    The no-brainer is advertising my vlo on free lawyer referral websites or in free classified ad sections like craigslist. These methods do not necessary result in a large number of new clients, but it drives people to the vlo and builds name recognition for the practice and the vlo concept in general. It’s on my weekly to-do list.

    The most enjoyable method of networking for clients for me is offering free online educational posts in online forums. Right now, I only have the time to be an active member of one forum, but it would be good if I could add a new one every six months and keep an active presence in each. Forum posting allows you to advertise your business by posting your name, your profession, your vlo and website link to your vlo. Viewed by several hundred forum members a week, this is a great way to build a reputation for the vlo and its services.

    The key to posting in forums that are made up of lay people is to write your message in non-lawyer terms and make it understandable from their perspective. Of course, it should go without saying that the other thing to remember is the bar’s advertising rules and make sure that anything I write stays in compliance with those. I keep it general enough to not be providing specific legal advice to any one person and explain that everyone has different circumstances. Most of the readers will PM me with specific legal questions if they want to ask a question related to their families.

    For starters, I am a member of WilmingtonMommies!, a local branch of a nationwide conglomerate of forums created by mothers for mothers. I asked the permission of the forum managers first and explained that I intended this to be educational, not an advertisment for my services. The posts generated some good dialogue about Estate Planning among the mothers in the forum, of which there are close to 500 members all of whom seem to be very active. (As a mother myself, I also post comments and start threads on the forum that are unrelated to the law.) I also offered the members of the forum a small discount on my services should any of them decide to retain me to handle their estate planning services. Even if I never received a client from the educational thread, I’ve provided useful information to the group and have added some goodwill to my vlo’s name that could pay off in the future.

    I will post the first part of the educational estate planning thread below for reference. I intend to write more of these for the forum on other topics related to estate planning law in N.C.

    New Year’s resolutions often include organizing important family business. So, with the kind permission of the WM managers, I am posting this educational thread about estate planning, starting with Wills. I want to start a dialogue that you all can continue at home with your families. I will also post a helpful checklist for everyone. If anyone wants to ask general questions, feel free. Knowledge = power and I want all us mommies empowered!

    This is just educational, general legal advice so if you want to have documents written for your family, I would strongly recommend communicating with an attorney rather than trying to do it yourself. I have experience handling estate administration so I’ve seen both the drafting side and the probate side. Be wary of purchasing estate planning forms from office supply stores or from places like legalzoom.com. If a licensed NC attorney is not tailoring these documents to your specific needs, then it can have serious consequences. I’ve actually had to fix a few of these fill-in-the-form Wills for clients and in the end it costs them more in the long run. Just a quick tip before getting down to business.

    Last Will and Testament Who Needs One?

    Anyone who has children. You should name a primary guardian and secondary guardian so that your children will be cared for in the event that something should happen to both you and your spouse.

    What Could Happen if You Don’t Have a Will?

    If you and your husband don’t have a Will and both of you pass away at the same time, your children may be placed into the care of the New Hanover Department of Social Services until the court system can determine who would be the appropriate guardian for them. The court has the final say in the matter but gives strong weight to the directives of a Will.

    How Do You Name a Guardian in the Will?

    Your Will tells the court who you want to raise your children in the event of the death of both you and your spouse. Your Will also tells the court how you want the assets of your estate to be distributed to your children’s guardian for the purposes of their health care, education, and overall well-being. If you and your spouse pass away and you have named a guardian in your Will, your child may remain safely with that individual until he or she is formally awarded guardianship by the court. I have a checklist I made up called “How do you Choose a Guardian” which helps parents discuss this emotional decision. If anyone is interested in it as well, just let me know.

    What is a Testamentary Trust for Minors and Why is it Important?

    The common misunderstanding with trusts is that you and your husband must have a large, multimillion-dollar estate in order to have a testamentary trust. This is not true. Testamentary trusts are a smart way of protecting your children and any inheritance they might receive, no matter the size, and it provides their guardians with any funds they may need to care for your children. The Will sets up a testamentary trust for your minor children. This trust is set up by the executor of your estate when the Will is probated.

    A testamentary trust describes how and when the funds from your estate should be distributed to your child. For example, you could write the trust so that half of estate is distributed at age 21 and the other half at age 30. The trend has been to set the age for when the children are older and presumably more responsible so that the children will not come into a sum of money at the age of 18 or before they may be mature enough to responsibly manage the inheritance. You may also design the trust so that the trustee is directed with specific instructions to distribute funds to the guardian for the care of your child, such as for private school tuition or study abroad.

    What Does an Executor/Executrix Do?

    Naming the Executor/Executrix of your estate ensures that your spouse or the named guardian of your children will know who to turn to during a time of grieving. The Executor will be responsible for the administration of your estate. He or she will take your Will to the Clerk in the Estates Division of the county in which you were a resident upon your death. The Executor/Executrix will set up the estate administration, the testamentary trust and work with the guardian and trustee and Clerk of Court to ensure that the plans written in your Will are handled properly.

    By naming an Executor/Executrix in your Will, your loved ones may be able to administer your estate more efficiently and potentially with less expense than if you had not appointed anyone. If you do not have an appointed Executor/Executrix named in a Will, when you pass away, the Clerk of Court will appoint an individual to handle your estate. Usually this individual is the first family member who shows up at the Clerk’s office requesting information regarding intestate (without a Will) administration of the estate.

    What are Specific Bequests?

    In your Will you may make specific bequests of property to your children or other loved ones. For example, you may want to leave a family heirloom, your jewelry, or a valued stamp collection to your child. Making these specific designations may help prevent interfamily arguments regarding division of your personal property.

    Will your Family Know What You Wanted?

    In the Will you may describe how you would like your family to remember your life through a funeral, memorial, cremation, burial or other arrangements. You can designate specifics such as the cemetery where you would like to be buried or the church in which you would like a memorial service to be held. Having your wishes written down takes some of the stress of having to make those decisions off of grieving loved ones. Oftentimes these decisions have to be made quickly by the surviving spouse or your children. This section of the Will helps your family members follow your wishes.

    Many people also use this section of the Will to write special messages for their children, to tell them they love them or to impart words of wisdom or other family traditions that they want them to remember. This is a very personalized section of the Will and can be as simple or specific as you would like.

    What are Sweetheart Wills?

    If you are married, you and your spouse should write “sweetheart wills,” or Wills where the provisions mirror each other or work together for the benefit of the family. If you have an estate that you estimate to be larger than $2 million (2008 Federal estate tax exemption amount), I would recommend more complex estate planning methods in addition to a Will that might help with the impact of federal and state taxes.

    For most of my clients, simple estate planning is all that is necessary given the size of their estates and the fact that they will most likely be updating their Wills several times later on in their lives.

    O.k. that’s all for now. I hope this is useful and wasn’t too long a post. Everyone let me know your thoughts. Obviously, I am not the only attorney around to choose from, but I’m offering a special discount on my estate planning package to any mommies on this forum. Just PM me or go to my online law office.

    Stephanie – Proud mother of DD (1/06). Happily married to DH since 2001.
    Attorney practicing law online from home at http://www.kimbrolaw.com

  • Growing Busy

    The online law office has really taken off — faster than expected actually which means that I have not had the time I had planned on to blog about legal updates in N.C. law. My clientele has built up relatively quick and fortunately is coming in steady each week. A few clients are still calling me on the cell phone or office phone to ask questions rather than going to the online format. However, we are working to add features to the client’s personal pages on the site that will make corresponding and uploading and downloading documents more simple and user-friendly.

    Having the flexibility to get the work done when I want to is the nicest thing about the online law office. If I need to go out in the middle of the day and work instead in the evening or early in the morning, that option is available to me. In fact, I just got back from an out of state trip yesterday. I worked remotely for the entire week from the website’s administrative end and my email and didn’t miss a beat with my clients. I’m thinking the quality of life that I have right now, being able to stay at home with my smart and energetic 9 month old and really give her the attention she deserves, makes up for the larger income that I might have had working crazy billable hours at a more traditional law office. And I’m able to stay current in my profession and continue to practice in the areas of law that interest me the most. I’ll do my best to fit in more blogging about my practice and on new developments I read about in N.C. estate and small business law but, happily, I’ve got my hands full right now!

  • Looking forward to Pro Bono project

    An update: Check out the changes I made to the virtual law office (VLO) website. It is less text-heavy now and has more graphics to make it more “user friendly.” Business is good. NC Lawyer’s Weekly published a front page article on the VLO. I spoke with the reporter on the phone a couple weeks earlier and we had a very casual conversation so I was not really expecting that my practice would be the focal point of the article. I would link to it but it’s in the NC Lawyer’s Weekly website’s archive and you have to register to view it.

    In other news, I’m going to do some pro bono work for the Cape Fear Community College Small Business Center for a few hours a month. I went to their center for counseling regarding my business plan for the VLO. They offer free small business counseling and other services to the community. I’m hoping to counsel small business owners on various legal matters concerning starting up and maintaining their small businesses. I’m looking forward to the opportunity because not only will it be a great chance to meet other small business owners in the community, but it will require me to really brush up on all aspects of the NC Corporations statutes and other business related matters so that I can be well prepared to answer any questions that the Small Business Center’s clients might have for me.

  • Kimbrolaw website in the news

    This has been a great week for introducing the website to the public. The Wilmington Star-News ran a short article on the virtual law office and then the daily N.C. Lawyer’s Weekly, which is emailed out to a large number of attorneys statewide, published a short mention on the virtual law office and linked to the Star-News article. The Greater Wilmington Business Magazine also ran an announcement of the practice this week.

    I am pleased to report that the response from website visitors has been very positive. I keep reading the phrase “it’s about time” from people registering on the site. I’ve been productive all week as a result of the press and really enjoying every minute of being busy.

  • Starting a Debate

    In marketing my virtual law practice, I’m considering throwing a little fuel on the fire. It’s well known that the law is a very traditional profession. The basic staples of a traditional law practice are proudly guarded as sacred by the old guard; business rules proven time and time again to work so why change them.

    While the N.C. Bar Association has made many wonderful efforts to push the legal profession in N.C. into wider usage of technology, there remains a large percentage of practicing attorneys who have the mind-set that nothing beats face-to-face legal counseling. On the other hand, there are a handful of younger attorneys coming into the profession who grew up attached to their laptops, took the bar exam on their laptop even, and can’t imagine work or life without the methods of communication afforded by the Internet and other technological devices. I’m of the latter group which is why I chose to practice online.

    I think both the traditional way of practicing law and my way have something different to provide the public. Provided that the rules of ethics are closely followed, I don’t think that either way of practicing is going to shame or ruin the reputations of attorneys (which has not been in good shape in the past twenty years anyway). In fact, I think both practices can compliment each other and attend to different markets in the legal field. So, in marketing my business, I am planning on presenting this debate between the traditional method of practicing and the virtual way as an article for the local paper and see if they recognize it as a topic that affects and would interest their readers. It would be great to have a dialogue with local attorneys about the pros and cons of a more technological law practice. Can’t wait for the feedback!

MENU