About 80% of my business has come from LegalMatch and it provides a consistent stream of clients. Anywhere from very small matters of simply a few thousand dollars, to dealing with resources in the millions.
LegalMatch has been probably one of the single most crucial factors to my own firm. I had offers and I've had folks come to me from other firms. This is when I left my practice at an insurance defense firm who wanted to bring me on into their firm and I told them I have a client referral service right now that I've been pretty satisfied with. They said, well, if you've got a service, we'd be happy to compensate for you. Frankly, I haven't been in a place where I'm ready to give that up. I appreciate the freedom and the flexibility that that LegalMatch provides.
It's extremely important to be there for my children when they're young. I've got four kids that are all under seven years old. We're a very busy household and it often requires me going out and dropping them off at school or piano or violin, baseball, dance, and a variety of other activities. So, for me, it's about the flexibility I have during the pandemic.
About 80% of my business has come from LegalMatch and it provides a consistent stream of clients. Anywhere from very small matters of simply a few thousand dollars, to dealing with resources in the millions. My work can range from a simple contract review all the way to a protracted litigation endeavor that might take years. I get leads about three times a month and it comes in waves. I can't simply take many cases because of my bandwidth, but I am looking at opportunities to be able to take more as clients come in. It's been extremely important to have that consistency through a lead service and LegalMatch has definitely provided that.
LegalMatch is largely self-managed. I don't feel that I'm being oversold or undersold a product. It's fairly automatic from the standpoint that I don't have to worry about sending out marketing blasts and emails. I try to get to the potential as quickly as possible. First, I send out an email to them, and then I will follow up with a phone call. That has been a tremendous resource in handling the client and not having to worry about reaching out initially or setting a marketing blast.
I get the most out of my LegalMatch membership by contacting all of the leads that come through. If I do that and I take the time and I don't try to prejudge any kind of post, I often find that there are really good cases, sometimes found in the most oblique posts. It's important to pick up the phone and talk to them to find out what their actual issues are. Ask very specific pointed questions and make a deduction from there, whether it would be a good case or not for the firm to handle.
I haven't been involved with other legal lead generation systems. One of my colleagues with whom I work down in Los Angeles has a lead generating system that particularly targets a type of demographic. Whereas LegalMatch doesn't necessarily target a type of demographic, they have a broader reach, which is good for me. I do like variety. One of the aspects of my practice that I enjoy the most is how diverse and varied my day to day is. It is beneficial to myself and the way that I practice.
Making that personal connection is the best marketing advice I could give. Calling the clients, discussing with them, talking a little bit about their issue, and also learning a lot about their personal lives. I think people really appreciate speaking to a human being and when it comes down to the practice of law, it can feel a little bit cold at times. I know that from the feedback I've received from my clients because they have thanked me for being real, being human. The fact that I have a family and kids; I do share things with them about what's happening in my own life.
We need to be flexible. We need to adapt. In order to practice, you have to continue to grow and challenge yourself. That comes with entering into new territories. Make sure that you call each and every client and offer some kind of a consultation window. In my case, it's 15 minutes. I found that I can usually dissect a matter and get up to the heart of it, and be able to provide some idea for the potential client or the client as to how they should be proceeding. I can usually get in a few minutes of about myself and my fees. I would try also to be more generous on my estimates with cases that I'm not as familiar with and to not expect that we’d be receiving top dollar for everything that we do.
I would tell an attorney thinking about getting a LegalMatch membership that the lead generation is really fantastic. I've gotten a consistent, steady stream of clients and potential clients through LegalMatch. Their support is very good. Anytime I've wanted to reach somebody through LegalMatch, I've been able to do that.
Customer service is a very important thing. Their customer service is really terrific. I've gotten an incredible amount of satisfaction in the practice and the work that I do because of LegalMatch. It is definitely worth the resources and the investment to subscribe or to partner with LegalMatch in order to receive leads because it more than pays for itself.