Steps to Take When Starting a Law Firm

Starting a law firm is no easy task. You have to first be practicing law in the state you’re in, have a successful track record of winning cases and have the desire to be an entrepreneur. And even then, you’ll need third-party services to help you become successful. Just how a contractor has a tool belt full of different tools used to get the job done, every lawyer should have a toolset as well. Below are a handful of the top tools and services you can use as you build your law practice.

Start with An Office

Hire a commercial real estate agent to help you find an office where you can run your practice. You’ll want to find a location that is professional, convenient for people and welcoming to anyone who comes in. Look for office locations with plenty of space, a conference room and a kitchen / lounge area for your employees. You may also want to choose an office that is on the ground floor of the building if you work with older clients. Be sure that any office you choose fits you and your firm’s values.

Take Care of Your IT Needs

It’s important to have your technology working for your office. You will need business computers for yourself and your staff, a phone system and email support for anything that may occur. For this reason, most attorneys turn to the services of a managed IT support provider to handle all of the above items. You never know when something could go wrong with your technology and you definitely don’t want it to happen when you’re meeting with a client.

Take a look at this guide if you are wondering what type of IT support is best for you.

Staff Up Your Firm

There’s no question that you will get busy fast. No matter what type of law you practice, just know that everyone needs a lawyer. For this reason, you’ll want to develop a highly-skilled staff as quickly as possible. Start the process by determining which roles you need to fill in the firm. Do you need a receptionist? What about a team of paralegal assistants? How about bringing on another attorney to help you run the law firm. Take into account all of these questions and then use a service like Indeed to source possible candidates. After you conduct a few interviews, you’ll find your staff and be ready to go.

Determine a Plan to Get Clients

Although you are an attorney by trade, you’ll need to put on your thinking cap to find clients. While a business lawyer will turn to county records to find new businesses that need legal help, a personal injury attorney might turn to a list of new chiropractor patients who have been in a recent accident. No matter the type of law you practice, you need to have a strategy to acquire new clients and continue filling up your pipeline. You may choose to hire an SEO professional to get you listed in Google, an influencer to help out with social media campaigns or an outdoor advertising company that can create a billboard for you. Whatever type of marketing you choose, assign a budget for it and make sure it’s bringing in new clients.

Additional Tips

Are you an attorney who recently started your own practice? We would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below or write to us at editor@dellaw.org.

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