Lawyers e-Journal
Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012
Law Practice Management Tip
Don't document; Tell a story
In most areas of legal practice, being thorough is an important
element of doing a good job. In fact meticulous attention to detail
is one of the best ways to avoid committing malpractice.
At the same time, getting bogged down in details can be
detrimental when you are trying to market your law practice.
Rattling off 15 different practice areas when you describe what you
do is generally ineffective.
Advertisers understand this. An effective commercial will
highlight one or two key benefits of a product or service and then
the commercial will be repeated over and over again so that the
message sticks. Successful politicians do the same thing with
political ads.
This has to do with the limitations of human memory. Most of
us are unable to recall a barrage of information, particularly if
it is not put into some kind of context. Stories, in particular,
are easier to recall.
Therefore, when describing what you do as a lawyer, don't just
list everything you have worked on in the past six months.
You are under no obligation to do so. Instead, decide what
you want to be known for and talk about that. Give an illustration
or two of the kinds of problems that you solve. Tell a good story.
Resist the urge to simply document what you have done.
If you keep your messages simple and focus on just a couple of
practice areas where you have expertise (particularly the areas
that are most relevant to the prospect), then people you meet are
much more likely to remember you and remember what you do. If
you communicate in the way you draft documents for a closing, you
may get high marks for accuracy; but don't expect that person to
remember you when they have a need.
Tip courtesy of Stephen Seckler, president, Seckler Legal
Consulting and Coaching.
Published January 26, 2012
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To learn more about the Law Practice Management
Section, which is complimentary for all MBA members,
contact LPM Section Chair Thomas J. Barbar or Vice
Chair Stephen
Seckler.