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In part one of this article we will look in depth at a relatively new wrinkle in marketing for law firms known as “attorney-client matching services”. Part one focuses on the facts about these firms. Part two gives you my conclusions and recommendations as a result of my research. First a little background is in order. The legal services market segment is expected to reach $82.5 billion in 2008 according to Euromonitor International a market intelligence firm. In recent history consumers have been finding attorneys through word-of mouth or through the yellow pages. Often the word-of mouth advice does not deliver people to the best possible solution for their particular needs and the yellow pages is certainly not a great place to select a lawyer I am sure you would agree.
Additionally, according to the Pew Internet & American Life over four million consumers and small businesses currently search for legal services via the Internet every month with these numbers expected to rise to over seven million by 2007. I think you can see this is a huge market getting larger. It is imperative that attorneys understand this marketplace if for no other reason your potential clients and clients are moving to the Internet and yellow page advertising is a dying marketing for law firms vehicle. Understanding attorney-client matching services is one new way to tap into this Internet marketplace.
What I will not be talking about here is attorney-listing services. Please don’t get confused between attorney-listing services and attorney-client matching services. The two majors in the attorney-listing services arena are Lawyers dot com or FindLaw dot com that are used by many in marketing for law firms. With attorney marketing one might want to get a minimal listing on one or both of these two major sites. Both do drive a large amount of traffic to their sites for sure (in the millions of visitors per year).
LegalMatch does have partnerships with the Utah State Bar Association, ATLA and NACDL. Membership fees for this marketing for law firms vehicle run from $2,500 to $25,000 per year (they will finance the membership fee if desired) depending on practice area and geographic location of the attorney. For example, a PI attorney in Los Angeles would likely be charged more than a family law attorney in Los Angeles, while the family lawyer in Peoria is likely to pay less than the family law attorney in Los Angeles. Their guarantee consists of extending your membership at no fee until your revenues have exceeded the fee you paid them. The details of the guarantee are available on their website.
Another example might be a purchase contract with a seller in foreclosure. Suppose you have an agreement to buy a property from a seller who is near insolvency. If he breaches the agreement, you can sue, but what will you get? On the other hand, if he can convince a court that YOU are in breach, you could lose and end up paying HIS attorneys fees. Thus, you can see how an attorneys fee clause may work against you. If you get into a dispute with a seller or buyer and they cannot afford an attorney, you reduce your risk if something goes bad. Remember, whether you are right or wrong in your actions involving a real estate deal, its what is proven in court that matters.
Selecting a lawyer who is in tune with your unique requirements and problems is the proper way to go. Division of property is considered the toughest part of the whole procedure and the divorce lawyers are capable to deal with such issues as well. Your rights are legally secured by the divorce lawyer in NYC, who is updated on the intricacies involved in a divorce case. References for selecting a proper divorce lawyer are authorized qualification and a good working experience involving a thorough knowledge of minute details and other intricacies. Look for a best deal while searching for a lawyer who works on nominal charges. Resist the temptation to go for a divorce lawyer who charge lesser fee amount from people as their work quality might be doubtable.
A divorce lawyer New York is the best person to approach for professional help and guidance, as his past experience comes in handy while trying to resolve your divorce case. However, since the relationship of a lawyer and his client is based on trust, it is crucial that you hire only the best. The yellow pages or the internet are a reliable source of information when you are trying to locate the best divorce lawyer New York. Even a past client whose case had been handled by a particular lawyer, can guide you on your selection of the right lawyer.
Attorney Marketing Via Five Attorney-Client Matching PlayersIn the attorney-client matching field there are five competitors for the attorney marketing dollar offering online attorney-client matching services. The first and originator is LegalMatch dot com and its newer competitor being CasePost dot com as well as a third competitor LegalFish dot com. The two big players that offer almost everything in attorney marketing, Lawyers dot com and FindLaw dot com; have also recently begun to offer a version of attorney-client matching services. Lets begin with LegalMatch that was established in 1999 and is based in San Francisco. LegalMatch uses a double blind matching system.
By double blind they mean the consumer does not see identifying information about who the lawyers are and the lawyer does not see identifying information about who the consumers are although all the cards are put on the table for both to see before any contact is made between them. Through an allocation model LegalMatch makes the decision about which lawyers get the consumer’s information. Consumers can opt into “priority service” for a fee to talk with a LegalMatch staff attorney about their case and work with that attorney in selecting the attorney for their case.
CasePost, based in Southern California, was established in 2002 is a second player in this area of marketing for law firms. They operate in a similar fashion as LegalMatch in matching clients with lawyers; however, the directory of attorneys is shown to the consumer immediately. The consumer can decide whether they want to remain anonymous or give their contact information to the attorneys. The consumer is limited to four attorney responses. Thus the consumer determines what attorneys will get their information.
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