Savor the Success - Business Network for women entrepreneurs

I can't tell you the number of times I've been talking about my legal practice with my mom (who is also a lawyer) and she berates me for giving legal advice for free.  She simply can't understand why I would want to post on discussion forums, write a blog and even have phone calls with clients and potential clients for free. 

A couple of years ago, I might have agreed with her.  You have to understand how most lawyers work... 

Unlike me, most attorneys bill by the hour.  When you work for a firm, you're expected to "bill" a certain number of hours.  Firms will deny this vehemently, but you know as an attorney that if your billing is not at a certain level, your job is in danger. 

So you bill.  You bill for any time you spend on a matter.  You have to.  My mom used to joke that if she thought about a client's case while she was showering, she almost felt that she should bill for it. 

Don't get me wrong, I think most lawyers work very hard and deserve to be compensated for their time and experience.  It's just shocking to most clients to see how fast their legal bills pile up. 

But it's really easy to do.  For example, in New York City, it's not uncommon for a even a starting attorney in a small firm to be billing clients $250 an hour and senior attorneys can bill as much as $600-700 per hour. 

And just in case you thought that the attorney who makes that money actually takes that much money home, think again.  Most attorneys are salaried (except when they're partners in the firm) and don't make more money based on their billing except at bonus time. 

But I digress. 

I decided when I went out on my own that small business owners (who are my target market) often choose not to protect themselves rather than to risk the high legal bills that come with adequately protecting themselves and their families.  I didn't want to do that. 

I want everyone to protect themselves the best way possible.  So, I run a flat fee business where there are no surprises for my clients. 

But how do you attract people to a firm that no one's ever heard of?  By getting your name out there. 

For me, it was joining discussion forums frequented by people who have a lot of legal questions and answering those questions.  Now, I don't give actual legal advice, because that would be a liability nightmare.  I put up my little disclaimer that what I'm offering is not a legal opinion, blah, blah, blah...

I don't ever tell people to hire me (though you should... LOL!).  I answer the questions and I have a link to my LinkedIn profile and my Twitter account posted in my signature (as I do here at STS).  I have gained a lot of followers that way. 

I also link to my blog if there's something relevant (and to all you ladies who've been asking about contests, I just posted a new blog post on contest law).  I always tweet about new blog posts both here and on my legal blog. 

I think, for me, it's kind of a karma thing (though I'm not sure that I believe in karma).  I feel like if I put information out there that is helpful for people, it'll come back to me eventually. 

I also feel like people maybe will feel more comfortable contacting me since they feel like they know me a little bit.  Who knows?

So, does it work?

I'm happy to say that it does.  Most of my clients have come to me through these channels.  I even get recognized for my contributions.  I was just named the Member of the Month at Sitepoint (which is a huge tech forum) and have been mentioned in their newsletter several times.  People are really appreciative of the advice. 

And, you know what?  I'm happy to give it.  Even if my mom doesn't understand....

Goal: To launch my law firm and raise my kids without losing my mind...