While large law firms expand and try to be all things to all customers, small Connecticut law firms are left scrambling for business at a time where clients are focused on containing costs in the face of lingering effects of the recession.
To bring in enough business in the down economy, the state’s small firms are getting creative in attracting new clients and less selective about the ones they pick.
“People in this economy are looking for more bang for their buck,” said Sarah Shapiro, partner at the three-attorney Shapiro Law Office LLC in Middletown. “Now, instead of just relying on your reputation, people are shopping for you like you a retail good.”
The fortunate part about being a smaller firm is the initial cost are less than larger firms, so Shapiro can attract those people and businesses looking to save money.
To set the firm apart from the competition, Shapiro set up a comprehensive Web site showcasing the attorneys and what they do for clients. Each week, the firm gets three or four calls from the Web alone, including in late April from a client who needed a lawyer quickly and Web-searched the Middletown law office closest to the courthouse.
“Knowing my generation, I look for everything on the Internet,” said Shapiro, who graduated from St. John’s University School of Law in New York in 2004. “It works. It absolutely works.”
Shapiro Law Offices also has a Facebook page to provide weekly updates to followers. A bonus is the firm can track who has been looking at their social media site.
“The goal is to keep our name on people’s mind on a daily basis in a more casual setting,” Shapiro said. “That way, if something ever comes up, they know who to talk to.”
Kingman & Mancini LLC in Hartford participates in a special legal service benefit MetLife offers to its clients through Hyatt Legal Plans. Under the agreement, employees can opt into the program and receive covered legal services whenever the need arises.
“Even if it is not a covered service, we will offer them a discount,” said Jennifer Mancini, owner of Kingman & Mancini.
The firm has had the agreement with the Hyatt plan for two years and generates 30 percent of its business from covered employees looking for legal help.
The bonus of participating in the legal service benefit is the Hyatt pays the bills directly, not the individual employee, so payment collection is much easier, Mancini said.
“A lot more attorneys are starting to catch onto it,” Mancini said. “It is a good way to get clients without having to do much legwork.”
In Connecticut, 113 law firms participate in Hyatt Legal Plans.
Bill Crowe, partner at Mayo Crowe in Hartford, said retaining clients is as important as attracting them. By offering quality service and not overcharging customers for legal services, law firms find clients will come back when they need more help.
“It has really become about performance,” Crowe said.
Shapiro Law Offices still operates on the five P’s of quality service that the firm established in 1975: price, performance, personability, punctuality and professionalism. Shapiro said attorneys sell themselves, so clients need confidence in what they are buying.
Networking remains a cornerstone of the legal profession, as it leads to staying current on events and receiving client referrals. Shapiro said she goes to several meetings and lunches each week to try to ferret out potential clients.
Shapiro promotes itself as a full-service law firm, save for criminal law. When attracting business, the firm’s lawyers have found there is less room to be choosy on clients, even if the profit margin on the work isn’t that great.
“I still try to screen things somewhat, especially since you don’t want to end up in litigation where there is a heavy cost involved,” said Jonathan Shapiro, partner at Shapiro Law Offices.