Clients Need You. It’s Your Job To Help Them Realize They Can Afford You.

How do you educate a prospectivge client that doing it by himself is not necessarily the right or best answer?

Thinking of moneyToday, I learned that a good friend of mine, after working 23 1/2 years at Comcast, was being laid off from his management position. He was just one-and-a-half years away from collecting his pension.  He was given one year’s salary as severance because of his longevity.  He has four kids, three in college.  His home isn’t paid for, and there is a balance on his equity line. He is considered middle to upper-middle class.

Those who issue unemployment statistics won’t reflect his unemployment status for a while. And in an election year, who knows what fun with numbers will take place. In addition, the ripple effect of his loss of a decent income throughout the economy won’t be reflected immediately because even after a job loss, it takes a while to adjust household spending due to the psychological shock.  He will try to get another job because he has to, but he will most likely be UNDERemployed.  His income will drop substantially because he’s now in an age bracket for employment that is less than desirable.   It’s happening across the country and the world.

His story, however, is not unique.  In some ways, he’s better off than others because his company did give him a substantial severance, and his excellent health care plan is still in place although he is paying a COBRA premium.  You say to yourself he’ll be okay.  There are others far worse off than he.

But we now need to look at him as a client for your legal services.

For the sake of this post, let’s create a new persona, Jim.  Let’s make him a prospective client in today’s economy. Jim is angry, panicked, and depressed.

Jim’s a very bright guy. He knows he has to pay his mortgage, put food on the table, and pay his non-negotiable bills first in order to not lose what he already has and to physically survive. IF he is presented with an optional legal matter (optional being in the mind of the individual), he will likely not pursue it or at least not pursue it in the same way clients have done in the past and in the way in which you have relied.

What if it is an emergency legal matter like one of his children has a DUI? If the price tag is too high or the payment options are not workable, will he be the one who attempts to take care of his legal matter pro se?  After all, he’s smart and now he has time.  And he has the internet. Unless it is a serious criminal matter, or a contingency case with no out-of-pocket costs to him, chances are he assumes he can create his own Will (which, by the way, many unfortunately consider “optional” or simply not on their radar), negotiate a speeding ticket (after all, trying to negotiate a deal and still having to pay the ticket can be seen as cheaper than hiring an attorney because now he doesn’t even have to calculate time away from the job), attempt to figure out bankruptcy, or even try to work through a divorce.

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This is the mindset you will be up against.

Survival. Resentment. I Can’t Afford A Lawyer.

How do you educate Jim that doing it by himself is not necessarily the right or best answer, even with his current financial circumstances?  How do you show Jim it is not only smart, but affordable and cost-effective versus the disadvantages of DIY or representing himself pro se?  What about of all the legal landmines?  How do you show Jim you understand what he is going through and will work with him?  How do you do this while still turning a profit and paying your own mortgage, your student loans, and putting food on your own table?  How do you do this when many laypeople believe lawyers are somehow handed money the minute they pass the bar even though most of us know this is so far from the truth?

This post will not lay out the answers.  This post is about getting you to think about your current business model (or, if you are contemplating going solo, how you will construct your business plan) including overhead, your pricing strategies, your current client education programs, and how you plan to reach out to Jim and show him you are the better alternative to going through the stresses of handling a legal matter on his own.  How do you reach the Jims of the world because you know they need you?  How do you get Jim to realize he can afford you and you can afford to represent him?  More importantly, how many Jims have consulted with you and not hired you and never really knew why?  Think about it.


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Susan Cartier Liebel is the Founder and CEO of Solo Practice University®, an online educational and professional networking community for lawyers and law students who want to create and grow their solo/small firm practices. She is a coach and consultant for solos, an entrepreneur mentor for LawWithoutWalls.org, a member of the advisory board for the innovative Suffolk School of Law – Institute on Law Practice Technology and Innovation, an attorney who started her own practice right out of law school, an adjunct professor at Quinnipiac University School of Law for eight years teaching law students how to open their own practices, a frequent speaker, and a columnist for LawyersUSA Weekly, The Connecticut Law Tribune, The Complete Lawyer, and Law.com. She has contributed to numerous legal publications and books offering both practical knowledge and inspiration. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+, and you can email her at Scl@solopracticeuniversity.com.