Comments on: How do I get clients if I am working from a home office?

By: Stephanie Kimbro

Stephanie Kimbro — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 11:32:18 +0000

I receive the same question from attorneys asking me about how to pull in clients for a web-based, virtual law practice. I just wrote a blog post over at Virtual Law Practice about getting online clients through a virtual law office (VLO). Many VLOs are home based law practices so some of the same tips would apply to any law practice operated from a home office.

By: Timothy P. Flynn

Timothy P. Flynn — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 07:16:16 +0000

I’ve done the “work from home” gig when my 3 children were pre-school age. Works well for the same clientele that the internet works for: criminal and family law. Most small businesses do not want an attorney working from his kitchen table or that has to meet in a public place. Even some wealthier couples seeking estate plans have an aversion to this although that may be loosening up in this relentlessly wireless world.
I am now a partner in a small firm. I have a corner office and three employees but lots and lots of serious overhead. Sometimes I think I am working for them and miss my days of no overhead (albeit less revenue).
My question for this blogger is: how do you get yourself noticed in the attorney-pak when you area working from home?

By: Ken Lauher

Ken Lauher — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:13:21 +0000

When thinking about social media, thought you may find this article of interest. 5 Steps For Successful Social Media Marketing by HubSpot. http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/4359/5-Steps-for-Successful-Social-Media-Marketing.aspx

By: Grant Griffiths

Grant Griffiths — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 17:38:30 +0000

You are point on Carolyn. It is especially critical for a home office lawyer to get some “face time” and not spent too much time at the home office. Thanks for your great comment to this post. And I would encourage others to leave a comment on how they “get clients” if they work at home.

By: Carolyn Elefant

Carolyn Elefant — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 17:02:57 +0000

Hi Grant,
I would like to chime in on this interesting topic. Of course, your advice is the most on point – it’s best if the attorney can come up with ways to market such as blogging or ezines that are independent of location. However, for many lawyers, Internet based marketing, while critical, is not enough; often, they need to do Facetime and this is where working from home can be challenging.
Your suggestion to focus on local activities close to one’s home is a good one. I would also add that you could organize a lunch, happy hour or breakfast for colleagues at an establishment near your home. Many times, lawyers who might work in a city still live in suburbs outside, and it’s very convenient for them to either attend an early breakfast before hitting the downtown office or to stop by a happy hour on the way home. The other suggestion I have is to try to stack meetings – for instance, schedule a client meeting, a bar lunch and coffee with a potential referral for the same day so that you only have to dress up once and trek downtown one time. Depending on where you live in relation to the “center of the action,” just meeting for lunch can take 3 hours out of the work day, so if you can aggregate events, you make the best use of the day. In between meetings, you can work out of a Starbucks or a local court library.