When people think of Brooklyn, certain things come to mind. Hipsters. Prospect Park and Coney Island. Restaurants catering to every manageable ethnicity. Not many people think about the bugs. Yes, Brooklyn has bugs. Cockroaches, ants, mosquitoes in the humid summertime, and even spiders. They mix in well with the pigeons and squirrels. And the ever-present subway rats, of course. For many people who live in Brooklyn, the bugs are someone else’s problem. When I used to rent, the bugs were my landlord’s issue. As a homeowner, they are mine. Which means I use an exterminator. One of the only service providers I pay for on a semi-regular basis.
Thankfully, we have avoided major “pest control” issues so far in our house. So we only have the exterminator come once every few months. As expenses go, especially in New York City, it is one of our most minor household costs. But I still have plenty of choices when it comes to picking an exterminator. I could go “big,” and choose to work with one of the major providers, like an Orkin. If I did, I would be assured of competitive pricing, and if the need ever arose to deal with a big problem, they would have the resources to help.
A few years ago, there was a rash of bedbug infestations going around Biglaw offices. Our office was not immune, though thankfully the affected offices at my firm were on a different floor. If I had been unfortunate enough to bring some of those tiny “colleagues” home, I likely would have needed to call on one of the big shops to disinvite the unwanted guests.
Despite the option of working with one of the national chains, or even larger local shops, when it comes to our exterminator, we have chosen to “shop small.” As far as I know, our exterminator is a one-man band, making the rounds between Brooklyn and Staten Island homes. He comes in, sprays some unknown substance around the radiators and doorways, and maybe sets an ant trap or two when the weather gets warmer. Pretty straightforward. He also checks the house, making sure there is no easy way in for an intrepid mouse, or even one of the raccoons that periodically makes the news for taking up residence in some poor city dweller’s basement. Honest service at an honest rate. He knows our names, knows our house, and if we ever need something more than routine service, I have no doubt he would go out of his way to accommodate.
It is important, as a service provider myself, to think about why I choose the service providers I use in my personal life. And about what they do right to keep me loyal. Or what they could possibly do wrong to make me look elsewhere. Because there are lessons there that I can hopefully apply to my own practice. As attorneys, we tend to think that we are somehow immune from the same forces that apply to other service professions, at least when it comes to thinking about why clients choose to work with us, as opposed to someone else. Yes there are times when people or companies have a need for a lawyer. But people also really need exterminators at times as well. Just imagine the calls you would get from your significant other or children if they see a cute little mouse or two scampering across the kitchen one fine day. You would be reaching out to exterminators like rich parents do to criminal lawyers when their offspring decide that getting into a bar fight in college is a good idea.
When I think of our exterminator, I think about someone who acts as both an active problem preventer and a potential problem solver. Sure, I could probably do everything he does myself. But I don’t want to, and doing things myself leaves us vulnerable to a situation where my rudimentary skills would be insufficient to deal with a problem that may arise. So it is worth having the relationship with a professional, in the hope that he can help identify and solve potential problems before they arise. As long as he provides that service, and does so in a personable and responsible way, it is an expense I am happy to incur. But if he showed up late, and made my wife late taking my son to school as a result, or if he failed to spray an area that later became bug-ridden, I would quickly look for alternatives. Doubly quick if a problem arose, and he was unable to resolve it. Quickly.
As a lawyer at a boutique firm, I am realistic about what is expected from myself and my partners. As with any other lawyers, we are expected to deliver results for our clients, whether by solving problems that arise, or identifying potential issues before they arise — and providing guidance accordingly. But just doing that is not enough. We also need to be personable, and responsive — more responsive than our clients have ever experienced with lawyers from other firms they have worked with. Most importantly, we can never give our clients the impression that going with a bigger firm would provide them with more peace of mind — for example, in the form of assurance that if they ran into a serious problem, then a bigger firm would be better equipped to help them resolve it. We know that is not true, but pretending it is not a concern for some clients is not helpful. So we need to learn their business, just like my exterminator needs to learn my house — and the vulnerabilities it has that creepy crawly things are ready to exploit. We have to learn our client’s vulnerabilities just as closely, and have ways of plugging any holes before they cause real trouble. But unlike my exterminator, whose job is limited to keeping my house as bug-free as possible, as a lawyer in a boutique firm, there is a real opportunity to help our clients grow their businesses as well. If we do that, there is a good chance we will get to stick around to deal with any problems that arise as well. No matter if they are the size of an ant, or a healthy Brooklyn subway rat.
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Please feel free to send comments or questions to me at [email protected] or via Twitter: @gkroub. Any topic suggestions or thoughts are most welcome.
Gaston Kroub lives in Brooklyn and is a founding partner of Kroub, Silbersher & Kolmykov PLLC, an intellectual property litigation boutique. The firm’s practice focuses on intellectual property litigation and related counseling, with a strong focus on patent matters. You can reach him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter: @gkroub.