I Do Not Do That -- You Do -- What Do You Want Me To Do?

I am always playing around with a new market idea, a new niche, a new practice area (maybe with a twist).  First, I am intrigued by this.  Second, I have made the best choices in my career thinking not necessarily outside of the box but around it.

But, here is the truth of the matter.  I practice in a very narrow niche area of the law that has very few (if any) other full time players.

As a result of my playing around with other ideas, and because of my limited reach (I just refuse to practice outside of my chosen field), I get a good number of calls and emails from people requesting my help on everything from family law matters, will contests, and most things involving litigation.  I am not always sure why.  I just know I cannot help these people.  I have received three such requests already this week.  I am polite and listen, but then I must refer these people on.

Bankruptcy matters I generally know how to refer.  Purely consumer law cases I generally know how to refer.  Family law cases, will contest cases, insurance claims (the list is really endless) I do not know what to do with these.  I just refer the people on to the State Bar of Texas referral number.

My point is that, apart from the fact that I collaborate with other attorneys to only prosecute automatic stay and discharge injunction violation cases, I am no different than most all attorneys out there. Most attorneys everywhere are narrowing their practice focus.  They are isolating themselves over time from that which they do not do and from those attorneys that do what they do not do.  Yet, they get requests (or their staff get requests) all of the time for work, sometimes related and sometimes not, that they just do not want.

The critical question is what happens to these requests these attorneys do not want?

I ran into a Big Law lawyer once that got a call from a consumer who was looking for a divorce.  Her husband had been cheating on her with a number of different women and she wanted out of the marriage.  The lawyer explained to her that he was unable to help her and he referred to other sources.  In closing, he asked the lady how she had come to hear of him.  She told him she saw his name and number in the phone book.  He told her to his knowledge he only had a line listing in the Houston yellow pages under "antitrust attorneys".  The lady told him she knew that, and that was the reason she called.  She did "not trust her lying and cheating husband".

Now with that as a background, it is important to note that Texas has over 70,000 licensed attorneys.  There is not a community, no matter how small, that does not have a good number of attorneys.  Most of these attorneys are only practicing in one or a few practice areas. Many of them do not practice in your area of law, or those that do often find themselves conflicted out for some reason.

This leave other lawyers as probably the most underutilized referral assets around.  They have direct contact with the clients you want to obtain.  They have enough legal knowledge to ascertain a good case. And, because they are referring the case the prospect is often better qualified and comes to you almost ready.  These clients do not come to you needing to be sold or convinced.  Yet, think of yourself for a moment and ask how many lawyers actively market themselves to you for legal work?  I can almost guarantee you it is not many, if any.  I talk to other lawyers every day, and apart from some casual brush with someone most will tell you nobody consistently requests their referrals of cases for which they have no need.

Almost all of my cases that I accept come from other attorneys.  I nurture that.  I read recently of a probate attorney whose practice had declined.  So, she started actively soliciting other attorneys to refer her work.  It turned her practice around.  Why?  Most attorneys do not do probate work, but many like personal injury lawyers, family lawyers and the like run into people all of the time that need probate work. The attorneys' staff get phone calls every day for this type of work. They know their employer is not going to accept it.

And, most attorneys do not want a referral fee.  They just want to be helpful to the people who thought well enough of them to ask for help.

I once met an attorney, who was well involved in the State Bar of Texas, that made his business representing litigation cases in which various Big Law firms were conflicted out of accepting.  They knew he was a good litigator, and they knew he would not keep the client after the conflict had passed.  His total practice relied on lawyer and law firm referrals and he got paid handsomely for it.

My overarching point is that attorneys get requests for work they do not do every day.  You want the work they are turning away.  What are you going to do about it?  Ask yourself, do these attorneys even know who you are.  If so, what cost effective plan do you have to stay top of the mind with them and their staff so they remember to send you the business.  It takes more than an occasional brush with the lawyer or one letter or mailing, but I can tell you know that it does not take much more.  It just needs to be constant and consistent and time will take care of the rest.

It is time to meet and greet, people.  Meet and greet!  And, do not worry that everybody else is going to start actively soliciting work from other attorneys.  I have chanted this mantra for years and most attorneys do not listen.  They do not want to ask for work.  They do not want to meet and greet.  I was speaking with a young attorney just a week or so ago about doing this and was told by the attorney she just could not stand the prospect of being rejected by another lawyer.  So, she would not be doing it.  That is too bad, because I have lawyers tell me all of the time that they do not run into many of the people I am looking to represent, or they refer their cases to another attorneys.  That is fine.  I have rarely had an attorney be impolite. And, the truth of the matter is that they do not have to run into a bunch of people.  Just a few now and then is fine.  Further, many of those that in essence say no, often get around to referring anyway.

I am not saying the method is quick or that it does not take some work.  What I am saying is that after the pump is primed, the cases can flow pretty effortlessly most of the time.

Comments

[Victor Medina]

Chuck -

Please tell me that you did not make up that "antitrust" lawyer story. Made my evening. And, as usual (and distinct from your position on Macs), you're right. Attorneys are an excellent source of referrals, especially the "good" ones that are focusing their practice and running face first into cases that they don't want to accept.

Victor