The Dangers of Imitation in the Business of Law

February 21, 2012 – I’m a lawyer. I own my own law firm. That means a couple of things. First, it means I’m trying to run a business with really no formal training. In law school they don’t teach you how to run a law firm – they teach you how to be a lawyer. Second, it means pretty much everyone else that owns a law firm doesn’t have any formal business training.

When I started my business, I was lucky enough to work closely with someone that was not only a successful criminal attorney, but also a very successful businessman. I was also smart enough to look around and identify who the other successful law firms were in my area.

But I didn’t just run out and copy everything they did. Not even close. And there were three reasons for that. Those three reasons are what this post is all about.

1. Just Because They are Successful Doesn’t Mean They are Right

It’s kind of funny how the business world works – someone comes up with an idea or starts a business, sees some level of success, and then everyone wants to do exactly what they are doing. This is one hundred percent true when it comes to law firms.

But, at least in the law firm sense, that’s not a great idea. Like I said above, lawyers aren’t trained in business, so most of the time the success is drawn in by blind luck. And the chance that lightning strikes twice is not very big.

2. There’s a Lot of Opportunity to Create Your Own Success

I think that probably even as little as 15 years ago I wouldn’t be able to write this part of this article. Law at that time was an old school undertaking. If you wanted to be known as the best Houston criminal attorney around, you took out a bunch of Yellow Pages ads and waited for your reputation to build up enough to make a steady business.

But that’s not true anymore. Today, with the internet and all the access that brings to individuals, there are numerous ways to reach potential customers that many law firms haven’t even considered yet. While they are still living in the stone age you can forge your own path – and be very successful.

3. Being the Same is Boring

The bottom line is, particularly in the legal field, that everyone is so busy watching what everyone is doing and trying to be like each other that for many people it’s impossible to tell the difference between one law firm and another.

That’s a problem, because when everyone starts to look the same your services begin to look like a commodity. And commodities don’t differentiate on value, they differentiate on price.

For example, let’s say a potential client is looking for a criminal attorney. He looks at their websites and they look the same. Offices look the same. Presentations are the same. The only difference is one is $1000 cheaper. Who’s he picking?

By being your own business, by differentiating yourself from everyone else, you can create a value proposition that will get people to pay more for your services. You will stand out from the crowd, which is a good thing.

So, the next time you are thinking about a marketing idea for your law firm, or for any business, take a look at what everyone else is doing, and do something else. Imitation is dangerous. Differentiation is profitable.

 

 

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