This week in Young, Hungry and Committed, virtual office NYC attorney, Vivian Sobers talks about the best surprise of her solo practice thus far – repeat clients.
There are many ways to get new clients.
I have previously written about using in-person networking along with social media as a way to attract both new clients and widen my personal referral network. As attorneys, particularly as solo attorneys, the efforts and large amount of time we put in to avoid monetary famine can seem all-encompassing.
While my social media strategy is becoming more robust each day and my networking schedule has increased to 2 days a week (trust me – you have to make the time), lately it seems all my clients have been coming from a third, overlooked source.
A surprising new client source.
Recently, my clients have been, well, repeat clients.
As a litigator, this is not something that I am morally worried about. (Whereas, if I were a criminal defense attorney, I might have larger pangs of guilt with respect to repeat business.)
As many of you have read, I give 100% to each and every client, no matter the case. Helping people is the biggest reason I have wanted to be a lawyer since I was in 6th grade. I guess I just never thought by providing zealous and diligent representation, that it would beget more opportunities to help the same person.
Luckily, this overlooked source of clients has recently become overwhelming. Without thought or action clients that I have helped in the past are now calling me with their new troubles. They’re also referring family members to my firm so that I can help them as well. That may not seem too far fetched to some, but to me it was a validation of a job well done.
What increased that validation is new communication from former potential clients who never signed a retainer. In addition, I’ve also been getting calls from potential clients I turned away.
Yes, turned away.
Whether I couldn’t help them, or there simply wasn’t a legal justification to do so. These “clients” are now calling me with their new problems.
As my solo practice has evolved, so have I.
While I sometimes work to the point of oblivion, these calls have allowed me to pause and breathe. To examine who I’ve become as an attorney and to allow myself to acknowledge that yes, I’ve done a good job and yes, those whom I speak with fundamentally know that I’m a good lawyer.
While this realization may not sound like much, to someone who is constantly worried about cases and clients and how I’m perceived, these calls have been a welcome (albeit inadvertent) pat on the back.
As most attorneys know, summer is a slow time for the practice of law, luckily it hasn’t been the case for me.
While I still worry and wonder and lose sleep, my phone keeps ringing..….
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Vivian Sobers is a commercial litigator pursuing a solo law practice right out of law school. She is a client in Law Firm Suites’ Virtual Office Program. Vivian’s weekly blog series “Young, Hungry and Committed” documents the trials and tribulations of a young attorney navigating her way through the challenging world of self-employed legal practice.
