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Start Your Own Law Practice:
How to Make a Six-Figure Salary as a Solo Practitioner
by Sameer Kumar, J.D.


Copyright 2009 by Sameer Kumar

All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without the written permission of the author and
publisher.



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IMPORANT INFORMATION


I would love to hear your questions, comments and any input you
have about anything and everything else you would like to learn
about starting and growing your law practice. The best way to
reach me is by email. All contact information is listed below.

We also hold seminars & Business Boot Camps geared solely
towards professionals such as you. You can always go to
www.AmazingBusinessAmazingLife.com to find the latest events
that we are holding.

If you are a business-development superstar who wants to
dramatically reduce your learning curve I am available for one-on-
one mentorship as well.

2009-2010 Rates for One-To-One Mentoring
$2000 per hour or $10,000 for a full 8-hour day
(all mentoring sessions are held in New Jersey)

Please email for details.

You can reach me directly at
Sameer@AmazingBusinessAmazingLife.com

To reach us by phone call (888) 744-2732.

IMPORTANT: I keep this book as updated as possible but
honestly, its near impossible. The amount of new and cutting-
edge information that I obtain & implement can only be shared in a
timely manner through our video blog and through our seminars. I
encourage you to check out both. Our blog can be found at
www.ABALblog.com. This will be your best resource.

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Contents


MY BACKGROUND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

DISCLAIMER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .12

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

CHAPTER ONE: BEFORE YOU START
Decide to Succeed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..19
Plan on Building a (Practically) Virtual Practice . . . . . . . .19
Should I Work For A Firm First? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
What Should I Name My Practice? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
To Specialize or Not? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Bank Some Cash Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Learning Your Practice Area(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Malpractice Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..27
Quit Your Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

CHAPTER TWO: LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Should I Practice From Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Where Should I Open My Office? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Office Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Office Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

CHAPTER THREE: THE PEOPLE YOU NEED
Your Receptionist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Some Good Paralegals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Get an Accountant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Forget the Bank - Get a Banker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
A Web Designer Techie.42
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CHAPTER FOUR: THINGS YOU NEED
A Phone Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
E-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..45
Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 47
Copying Machine & High-Speed Scanner . . . . . . . . . . . ..48
Fax Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..49
Business Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..49
Postage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..50
Internet Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..51
Data Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..51

CHAPTER FIVE: MONEY MATTERS
Setting Your Fees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...55
Negotiating Your Fees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..56
Get Paid Up Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 57
Invoicing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 59
Trust Accounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .60
Overhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 61
Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
Put a Value on Your Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Partnerships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

CHAPTER SIX: CLIENTS: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO
KNOW
A Day in the Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Working with Clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Rejecting & Firing Clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Dont Be Too Smart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Return Calls in a Timely Manner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
How Do You Get Clients and More Clients? . . . . . . . . . .74
Never Consult for Free . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Clients Work with You Because They Like You . . . . . . .78
Where to Get Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 79
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CHAPTER SEVEN: THE HUMAN SIDE OF BUSINESS"
Some Personal Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Maintain Your Integrity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Take the Heat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Dont Burn Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
Be Ethical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Youre Still a Salesperson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
Make Bold Decisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Care About Your Clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Ask For Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Dont Lie to Your Clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
Dont Let Anyone Discourage You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Get Rid of Your Ego (Its Bad for Business) . . . . . . . . . .91
Treat Your Staff Well . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
Follow-up..92
Give Something Back93

CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93

SET UP A FREE CONSULTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95














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My Background

Youre probably asking yourself Who is this guy and what does
he know about running a successful law practice? so, to be fair, I
figured Id get right to point. Im a 34-year-old (as of 2008)
immigration attorney and have built my law practice in such a way
that I only need to put in between 2 to 3 hours a week running the
business and I am able to bring home a significant six-figure
salary. Thats where I am today. Heres where I was and how I
got to where I am.

The initial years following law school were really tough. I
graduated with mediocre grades and proceeded to fail the bar exam
in two states. After finally passing the NJ bar I started a solo
immigration practice on September 5, 2001, less than a week
before the events of 9/11, which as you know changed immigration
law forever. In my first year on my own, I made less than
$40,000.00 and had about $37,000 in expenses. I barely broke
even.

Needless to say, that stint in my career wasnt pretty. Things
slowly changed but didnt necessarily get any better. Two years
later, I moved into a new office and partnered up with a friend
from law school. There were 2 of us with 3 employees. And
although we were friends, we failed to establish the fact that we
were in a partnership rather than a friendship. Our revenue was
being split equally but there was a huge disparity between the
revenues my partner and I were bringing in. That wasnt working
for me and in less than 2 years we decided to dissolve the
partnership.

There I was---stuck with a solo practice in a HUGE office (with
rent to match) covering payroll for 2-3 employees as well as a
ridiculous amount of overhead (close to $10,000.00 per month).
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This was definitely what I had anticipated when I decided to start
my own practice.


To make matters worse, I found out that my secretary had been
stealing from me. So, she was gone. Since my intern was, well,
just an intern, I had no one to take care of all of the day-to-day
tasks. Two weeks later, my paralegal (and right-hand woman)
requested a 50% raise. She had gotten a better offer and only if I
matched it was she was willing to stay. That month and the month
before just happened to be two of the slowest Id had had in about
a year.

Overwhelmed, I went to my office and sat there, head in my hands,
wondering how I was going to meet expenses for the month and
keep the practice above water. Without a real game-plan, I
terminated my paralegal, called the landlord, dropped down to one
phone line, sold all of the office furniture and got out of that office.
All of the events that led up to this point in my life were blessings
in disguise.

Now that it was just me and me alone, I needed to find a way NOT
to do the grunt work. I wanted the freedom to do what I do best:
run a law firm as a businessman, not run a business as a lawyer.
Im a people person, not a paper pusher and I knew my strength
was in managing people and generating more clients. Spending
hours upon hours of each day immersed in paperwork was far from
an efficient use of my time.

I also wondered if I could escape my clients constant need to have
access to me every waking (and sometimes sleeping) hour of the
day. I wanted to find a way to run my practice while I was out of
town, having a great time with family or visiting with friends. I
succeeded at both. The unbelievable part is that my clients are
happier than theyve ever been, Im making more money than Ive
ever made and I literally work less than 10 hours each week
practicing law that includes the time I spend e-mailing and
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calling my clients. Now to be completely honest I spend a lot of
time working I love running a business, marketing and
developing new services and products for my other job as a
business and marketing advisor. But for actual legal work Im
definitely under 10 hours per week.

This book will teach you what Ive learned from my mistakes and
what methods I implemented to create a lucrative law practice; one
that requires less than 10 hours of my time per week, pays a 6-
figure salary and runs on minimal overhead. Besides that, my
practice can be run from practically anywhere in the world as long
as I have a phone and an internet connection. I understand that this
may not be possible for every attorney but if you choose an area of
law that allows this flexibility Ill show you how I did it.

If you run a practice that requires you to be in court or engaged in
other in-person commitments, you may have to make yourself
more available than I do but, even then, the methods in this book
will help you minimize your working hours and keep your office
running like a well-oiled machine: a really well oiled machine.

If any of you are wondering how long this all took Ill estimate that
it took me about 1-2 years of implementation to get my practice
running this way. But keep in mind that practically every day Im
adding, removing or tweaking something to make the practice even
more lucrative and efficient. So you must be willing to constantly
learn and improve!

Now please do not be deluded into thinking that Im going to give
you a magic pill that does everything for you so you can sit back
and watch your business miraculously grow. You need to lay the
foundation that will transform your practice into a highly efficient,
extremely profitable law firm with minimal overhead that provides
you with a great income while freeing up a tremendous amount of
time for the things you really love. The good news is that this
book will teach you how to lay that foundation in less than 12-18

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months if you are a decent worker. If youre a real go-getter, you
can do in half that amount of time.

DISCLAIMER

The information in this book is intended to give you the tools and
principals you will need in order to begin developing the mindset
of a successful entrepreneur and attorney. I have used all of the
ideas and information you will find in this book. Ive used many,
many other tools throughout the years but Ive only included the
ones that have been the most beneficial for me and my practice.

But if you only read this book then you are cheating yourself.
There is a tremendous amount of new and updated information that
keeps coming out that you need to be aware of. Whether it be
better customer care or the latest technology you need to know it.
So Im going to make it easy for you. As a purchaser of this book
you have already been enrolled in my intensive 30-day follow-up
to make sure that you have as much information as possible when
getting started. After that I will be in touch with you at least once
a week with my latest marketing strategy, use of a new technology,
tips on improved customer care and much more. If you did not
purchase this book (or sign up for your own Free Copy
depending on whether Im still selling it or just giving it away)
then you really should sign up for your own copy to receive the
multitude of fringe benefits you will receive.

I have also provided several useful links throughout this book.
However, as you know, links often become obsolete. So to make
sure you dont have a problem with that you can always visit
www.ABALrecommends.com to find all the products and service I
personally recommend.


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As of the writing of this book, all the information provided is
accurate and without copyright. Given the rate at which
technology is changing, I want you to be contentious of
advancements and new technologies that are constantly emerging
and replacing existing technology. I will do my best to keep you
updated via email but your continued success is your
responsibility. To that effect I recommend that you sign up to
receive my blog updates at www.ABALblog.com.

Also, you will have access to a multitude of products and services
to help your own practice. Simply go to www.AmazingBusiness
AmazingLife.com and browse through the products and services.
To make it easier Ill provide you links to specific products and
services throughout the book so you can pick and choose what you
feel will best serve your practice.

Unfortunately, I cannot guarantee your success. Only your own
iron-clad determination will accomplish that. The worst thing you
can do is read this book, go back to your 80-hour a week job and
continue in misery. Action is a prerequisite to success. I know
you can do it. Take action and you will succeed.












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What You Will Learn

You will learn how to start and run a solo law practice so that
within a period of 12-36 months you will be able to bring in a solid
six-figure salary and often work less than 20 hours per week (if
you so choose). Dont let the timeline fool you. Your success and
the time you will need to invest both depend only upon how badly
you want it and how hard you are willing to work to lay the
foundation for this successful lifestyle. Consider this: the time you
will invest is ! to " of the amount of time you spent in college.

Is $100,000.00 a ceiling? No, its a floor. The numbers will
continue to grow so long as you continue to follow the principals
in this book and dedicate yourself to constant learning and
improvement. Beyond that there are two main areas you must
always focus on: (1) generating more clients, making them repeat
clients and getting referrals from your clients and (2) continually
look for ways to reduce overhead (whether it is office supplies or
employees). The ways to do both are in this book in the follow-
up.

Ive tried to cover the majority of business issues that relate to
starting and running your own solo practice. Nevertheless, there
will be new issues that arise and I will continue to keep you
updated on everything I learn through several methods including
regular emails, blog updates and through my subscription
newsletter. Chances are that if I havent dedicated a chapter to a
particular topic then it is not integral towards you creating a
successful law practice. That doesnt mean its something you
should ignore, it just means that you have flexibility in how you
handle it.

For example, Im not concerned with where you buy your
stationary, how you organize your file cabinet, how you pay back
your student loans, whether you send holiday cards (although I do
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highly recommend sending birthday cards), what style invoice you
use, how you ensure that you keep your license in status (as long as
you do) or how your secretary answers the phone. The deals you
give to family and friends on legal services are of no consequence
either as long as you understand that when you work for free you
always run the risk of losing your integrity. There are many items
such as these that you will have the flexibility to decide based on
your unique personality and approach. If you are genuinely stuck
on a question that isnt mentioned in this book then write to me
and Ill find a way to answer your question in an email, on my blog
or by getting in touch with you directly. Best step is to email us at
Support@AmazingBusinessAmazingLife.com.

The steps in this book are simple but are not necessarily common
sense. In fact, many of them seem to be counterintuitive. If you
want to work 80 hours a week slaving for a corporate firm then
you should close this book right now. If you want to work for
yourself and earn more money than the big guns, this is where
you start.

Throughout this manual, I will reference 3 major areas which will
ultimately lead to your success. They are:

1. Learning how to effectively outsource.
2. Minimizing overhead at every opportunity.
3. Maximizing your client base and turning them into repeat
customers who are willing to refer new clients.

Thats the long and short of it. You notice that nowhere did I say
that you had to be a legal scholar or an outstanding researcher.
You will hear the following line throughout the book: You are a
businessperson using the law as a tool to make money. You are
not a lawyer running a business.

Make that your new mantra and ingrain it into your head. The
sooner you do that, the sooner you will see the money rolling in.
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Keep that in mind as you read through this book. Im not saying
that youre not a lawyer. Im simply saying that when you run
your own practice you must be an entrepreneur and then a lawyer.

You are going to get scads of content-rich material in the following
chapters. Before we get into that, I want you to know more about
me. Im not your typical attorney that works 60-80 hours a week
to make $100,000.00/year. Im an attorney who works between 5
and 10 hours a week making much more than that. I am teaching
attorneys to break the stereotypical mold while utilizing the global
economy and the technology that is readily available.

I believe that any solo practitioner can work less than 20 hours a
week and make a solid 6-figure salary. I also know that true
entrepreneurs will never be happy working less than 80 hours a
week. Im in that category. Ive gotten to a point where work is
no longer work. I enjoy every single day and am often working
until the wee hours of the morning and up bright an early to start
again. Thats where I want you to be. Where you enjoy your work
so much that the line between what is work and what isnt is
thoroughly blurred. To get to this point there is a foundation that
must first be in place. But if you are real go-getter, then you could
make it all happen in 6-12 months.

Whether youre a soon-to-be J.D. who has been aching to start a
solo-firm and dont know where to start or youre stuck in the
corporate rut and are looking for a way out, this book is for you.
You will learn innovative ways to take advantage of technology
and our global economy while eliminating overhead and growing
your business at an exponential rate. I know Ive mentioned this a
few times already but do not forget to sign up for my blog updates
by going to www.ABALBlog.com. This will be the best way to
make sure that you continue to receive the very best information I
have to give on running your business. Go ahead and do it now
before reading the rest of the book.

Good luck on your journey to independence and success!!
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INTRODUCTION

Consider yourself warned that, within one year of the publication
of or any updates to this book, much of the cited technology and
several of the recommendations may be outdated, if not antiquated.
But the ideas about efficiency and utilization of technology will
never become obsolete.

Conversely, the recommendations about customer service and
dealing with clients will NEVER become obsolete. In fact, that
section will only continue to grow as I give you more and more
information about obtaining, servicing, retaining and generating
additional revenue and referrals from clients.

WARNING: There will be typos and grammatical errors in this
manual. That may sound absurd given the meticulous training we
receive in Legal Writing but this book is not intended to be a legal
research and writing paper. It is to help you build a successful
business, make lots of money, work minimal hours with maximum
return and to (ironically) give you more of the one thing that is
equal between you and everyone else in the world: time.

Although I would like to think that this manual is the bible on how
to set up your law practice, it is NOT nor do I claim that it is. In
fact, there are many aspects of starting a law firm that I purposely
do not delve into because I simply want to teach you how to run a
business that makes you lots of money without requiring lots of
money. It sounds like a paradox, but it WILL work! If you want
to learn how to draft a brief or choose paper stock for your
letterhead, this book wont do the trick. But at the same time I
realize that when starting out, attorneys have an eye for detail and
want to make sure everything is perfect. To that extent, I
recommend you find good mentors and colleagues who will share
knowledge and their best practices with you. Thats where you
will truly learn the law. Here, you will learn the business of law.
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I know that you will purchase other books on starting your own
law practice. Good! I encourage you to do that. Why? Because
my aim is to make you a rich, successful and respected attorney
and businessperson and success is a culmination of great ideas. If
you can get even ONE great idea out of another book it will
increase your success exponentially. Chances are that you will get
several. The difference will come in what happens after you buy
these books. I am confident you will continue to value this book in
spite of how many others you read because of the ridiculous level
of follow-up and support you will receive from me. Youre not a
book buyer to me. Youre a lifetime client!

Remember, Im not teaching you law: Im teaching you business.
Im also teaching you how to use the law as your tool. As such,
please take only the information that helps you. Leave the things
that you consider useless and use your extra time to contemplate
anything youre read that you hadnt thought of previously.

As a bonus, I will give you a FREE 30-minute phone consultation
to go over any questions you might have only if you have an
original registered copy of this book. Simple copy and fill out the
certificate at the end of this book and fax it to me at 732-875-0071.
If after the consultation you realize that you still have numerous
questions or need a significant amount of hand-holding, you will
find that I have many options available depending on your comfort
level.

There are many other books and continuing education seminars on
this topic. Some are pretty good. However, Ive yet to find one
that teaches you to be a businessperson and use the law as the tool
with which to run the business. Most sources teach you how to be
a lawyer first and then how to be a businessperson. I dont like
that approach and I dont believe it serves you well. If you really
want to run a great practice, read some good business books and
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attend some business seminars instead of CLE classes or law
books. Youll periodically get emails with my recommendations

on great business books. Ive also found that many of the other
books and/or seminars incorporate very little, if any, technology.
It seems that the majority of attorneys shy away from technological
advances, which could actually simplify their lives tremendously.
One thing I just dont understand is lawyers who do NOT have
their own website. Its absurd and if you will let me be dramatic
for a second, career suicide. But I will get into your website later
in this book.

But how about something simple? For example, I think every
attorney (especially those in real estate & litigation) should have a
high speed scanner. It clears up their office and saves them money
on paper and ink. It also saves a ton of cash on postage because it
allows you to e-mail clients their files without ever touching an
envelopebesides, who wants to stamp envelopes all day long
anyway? A scanner isnt a complicated piece of machinery but,
for some reason, attorneys are terrified of technology. If you value
your time and your money and are ready to be an entrepreneur first
and a lawyer second, then this book was written just for you!











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Chapter One:
Before you Start















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Decide to Succeed

Before you can do anything, you need to make a firm commitment
to owning and running your own law practice. If you want it, you
better be ready to take the leap. Go into it with the knowledge that
youll work your butt off for at least the first year (or two) as you
make the necessary preparations and lay a solid foundation. You
must be willing to face the challenges of laying that foundation in
order to reap the benefits that will be continually referenced
throughout this book.

Deciding means setting the date on which you will leave your
current job and begin working for yourself, full-time. Once you
pick the date, stick with it. I recommend that you hand in your
resignation 2-4 weeks before that date if possible. Leave on good
terms and let them know youre starting your own practice. Dont
steal clients but tell them that youll treat any referrals with extra
special care..then do it.

Plan on Building a (Practically) Virtual Practice

Yes, you really can start a law practice with less than $1,000.00.
You can also keep your expenses well under $1,000.00 per month.
I wont lie to you and tell you that all of your expenses are going to
be under a grand. If you have a family of four and quit your job,
youll likely be paying a hefty sum for health insurance alone. But
to get your law firm off the ground and up and running, under
$1,000.00 is very doable. Brick and mortar are great for
Starbucks

but when youre starting a law practice, you better

make sure youre not tied down to one desk and one chair if you
hope to have the life you want. You will undoubtedly want to have
lunch with friends, visit your family, play a round of golf (or two)
or just spend time with your spouse and kids. I dont have kids as
of the time of this publication but I am able to do anything else on
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my own terms, at the times I choose and while running a fully
functional solo practice and making more money than I ever
dreamed possible (ok, thats lie you can always dream of more).

Before you get started, you need to determine WHY it is that you
want to start your own practice. It may be virtuous, financial or a
possibly combination of both. If your desire is to practice law and
save the world, join a non-profit or dedicate your life to a righteous
cause and pursue that dream. Philanthropy is unquestionably
noble. But, keep in mind that even the most altruistic efforts and
the purest of hearts cant always pay the bills. I have nothing
against public interest work but this book is for those who want to
start a solo-practice, live a tremendously flexible life and make (at
least) a six-figure salary.

The problem with most lawyers, and with many books written for
them, is that they (along with the rest of the world) glamorize the
profession. Your clients dont care if you pull up in Mercedes,
have an office on Wall Street or wear Armani suits (although I do
recommend appearing as successful as you can). They want you
to CARE about them and their case. Thats it. Hell, sometimes
they dont care about the outcome of the case as long as they know
they had an attorney who cared and did the best job possible.

It took me years of making mistakes and wasting money to learn
how to run a clean and efficient machine. A friend once visited my
office and became perplexed when he saw that my paralegal and
my secretary were doing nothing more than chattingboth when
he arrived AND when he was leaving. Since there wasnt much
work coming in and the phone wasnt ringing, I was tried to justify
their idleness. My explanation left a look of amazement on his
face. At that point, I knew what an idiot I had been for giving my
hard-earned money away to these employees. It had nothing to do
with the quality of the work they provided, but I really didnt need
them if I didnt have any work for them.

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He asked me why I had a paralegal and a secretary if there was no
work coming in. My answer still has to be one the dumbest
answers in the history of running a law practice. I said, I dont
want the paralegal to get lonely if Im out of the office and
theres no work, so I hired a secretary.

FAST FORWARD TWO WEEKS

After that eye-opening conversation with my friend, I radically
downsized my office and cut my overhead from over $10,000.00
per month to less than $1,000.00. Chew on this for a minute (I
did): I no longer had to make $120,000.00 per year before I got to
take home my first penny of income. After the first $12,000.00, it
belonged to me (and Uncle Sam). You can earn a years worth of
overhead in less than one month and have 11 months of pure profit
(if you play your cards right).

Now, lets get started and Ill show you that you really can start,
and run, a profitable law practice for under $1,000.00 in start-up
fees and keep it going for less than $1000.00/month in overhead.
All you need to do is follow the steps Ill outline and, in no time,
you will be running a law practice with tremendous potential but
without tremendous overhead.

REMEMBER: Follow the steps exactly!

Should I work For a Firm First?

If you are a do-it-yourself, motivated attorney then you will take a
few bumps along the way but your learning curve will be fairly
short and you can start directly on your own If you are a


procrastinator or feel that you need to learn the ropes before
heading out on your own then working for a firm beforehand will
be a good idea. If you do decide to work for someone, then do it
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for one reason and one reason only: to gain experience in your
field. Dont do it for the money and, if you get some contacts out
of it, consider it a fringe benefit. However, once you are ready to
start your own practice do it with integrity as Ive mentioned
earlier. Be prepared that if you are working for a solo practitioner
or small firm they may feel cheated when you leave but it is your
responsibility to smooth out the waters. Again, do NOT take their
clients its unethical and its bad business (if clients choose to
follow you that is a different story).

What Should I Name my Practice?

Youre a lawyer so you dont have to have a snazzy name. Most,
if not all, of your clients will be coming to you because of you so
using an impersonal name makes no sense. No matter what you
use on your signage, make sure it relates who you are and what
you do. Getting fancy will certainly cause passers-by to remember
your name, but for all the wrong reasons. If your target is a
particular market such as minorities or immigrants they may not
know what Esq. or J.D stand for, spell it out for them and write
lawyer or attorney.

Suggestions:

Law Offices of Mary Duncan
Valenzuela & Associates, Attorneys At Law
Charlie Smith, Attorney At Law
Monica Cruz, Lawyer
Attorney Raj Gill

To Specialize or Not?

I say yes. I know other attorneys will disagree with me because
their thoughts are that a broader range of skill sets or areas of
specialty mean more business and ultimately more money. I
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couldnt disagree more. I do, however, want you to take calls for
all types of cases and build a network of attorneys to whom you
are willing to refer clients and who are willing to reciprocate the
favor.

Learning a new area of law is tedious. Give the work to someone
who can do it easily and they will send you work that you can do
easily. Both of you end up with work that you know well which
allows you to earn more per hour. Stick with no more than 1-3
areas of practice Think of the respect and money earned by a
specialized doctor. I want you to command the same money and
respect.

If nothing else, view it from the perspective of your client: do they
want to work with someone that knows a little bit about every
practice area or everything about one practice area?

Bank Some Cash Before You Begin

You don't have money because you don't have your law firm up
and running and you can't start a law firm because you have no
money. Yet, every book you read on this topic says that you
should have a cash reserve equivalent to 6 months worth of living
expenses. I know some people who would be ecstatic to have 6
months of savings at any point in their lives. If you have it,
GREAT, if not, roll up your sleeves and get ready to work. Cut
down as many of your personal expenses as possible and watch
every penny that you spend. The less money you have the harder
youll have to work to realize your goals.

I've heard people say that it will take 2-3 years before you become
profitable running a business. Dont buy that. Lets say I teach
you to run a law practice in under $1000.00/month while your
personal expenses are (hypothetically) $3000.00/month, then you
need to be bringing in an annual salary of $48,000.00 (not counting
taxes, etc.). . How do you make $48,000.00 per year and work less
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than 20/hours per week? Its not that hard. Watch how this works
out.

I want you to bring in a minimum of TWO clients per week (which
Ive taught you how to do in this book). That's 8 clients per
month. I want you to spend 30-minutes to an hour with them for a
"paid" consultation and convince them to work with you. If you
are just starting out, I want you to avoid clients that will bring you
less than $500.00. I'm serious about this. Unless you are getting at
least $500.00 then chances are that you are wasting your time
(unless it is a highly routine procedure that takes less than an hour
by either you or your paralegal). Dont spend more than 3 hours
working on this case.and this is avoided by hiring the right
paralegals, managing the work and reviewing the final product
(again, this is covered later in the book). Remember, your
paralegals will be working on a case-by-case basis so only pay
them when a case comes in. I discuss this later.

Do the math--- 8 clients per month at a minimum of $500.00 each.
That's $4000.00 per month or $48,000.00 per year. You've made
the money you need to survive.

Now, put this bare survival" approach aside and look a structure
that maximizes your revenue and frees up most of your time.

First, learn to give a killer consultation (this is also in this book).
Tell your friends to come to you with an absolutely absurd legal
issue and pepper you with even more absurd questions. Youll get
practice by doing this. Learn to handle questions and become
comfortable with different client personalities.

Even more important than that, learn to be likable! If a client likes
you he will work with you (unless you come off as a super-nice
idiot). If youre not likable then get some self-help books (Dale
Carnegies, How To Win Friends and Influence People comes
to mind).

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Spend 10 hours per week marketing and creating name recognition
(your name) and about 5 hours on consultations and reviewing the
work of your paralegals. Spend an additional 5 hours outsourcing
the work to your paralegals and following up and reviewing that
work. Thats 20 hours per week (feel free to mix and match those
20 hours as necessary in order to maximize profit but DO NOT
skimp on the marketing).

Learning Your Practice Area(s)

One of the biggest questions that new attorneys ask me is, How
can I learn my practice area without experience. Unfortunately,
law school does not prepare you to practice law: It prepares you to
think in a particular way so that you can learn and interpret the
law.

So.. how do you learn about real estate, immigration, criminal
law, etc.? There are a few ways and you must employ a
combination of them all.

First, meet other local attorneys that practice your area of law.
These are the people who will ultimately become your mentors.
Make sure they are established attorneys who wont see you as
competition. Most of them wont and they will more than likely be
receptive, but be warned, there are a few that will be utterly


obnoxious. On the whole, Ive found that experienced attorneys
are a helpful bunch.

Take them out to lunch and put your ego aside. Remain teachable.
Ask them if it would be okay for you to contact them if you run
into a question or problem. Most of them would be more than glad
to serve as your mentor if you only ask.

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Second, read. There are numerous how-to guides out there for
attorneys and there are even more for non-attorneys. Read them
all. Find out what non-attorneys are reading about real estate
closings. What is the latest real estate guide for sale at Barnes &
Noble

? Remember, unless you have experience, you probably

dont know much more about your practice area than the average
person. So, read (a lot) and combine that with practice.

Third, attend CLE classes and bar association meetings that focus
on your particular area of law. Keep it clear in your head that CLE
classes are to learn the law, not business. If you already know
everything that is being taught then you know you have a solid
grasp on your practice area. Try to meet the presenters as well as
the other attendees since they will help you to reach the next level
in you skill set. Make networking with the presenters a priority
and make sure that they know who you are. You WILL be calling
them at some point.

Finally, if you are genuinely antisocial then hire a paralegal with
experience in your practice area to teach you anything and
everything he or she knows. Why a paralegal? Hiring them is
much cheaper than hiring an attorney and the information that they
provide will be some of the best stuff you will ever learn.

Paralegals get the brunt of the work. They do the work that
attorneys dont want to do and they do it well. They know every
stage of the process because they are the ones doing the work. Its
not unusual to have a paralegal prepare an entire case and just have
an attorney sign off on it. Guess who knows all about the nitty-
gritty? Hire a paralegal and pay them for their time. High-end
paralegals make around $60,000.00 so $25.00/hour is fantastic and
the information you receive will be worth far more than that.

If you hire a paralegal to work for you as Ive suggested, then you
may not even have to pay them to tutor you. They may just do it
out of gratitude as part of the work they do for you and the more
you know about your particular area of law, the easier it is for
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38

them. However, I do recommend that you have a reasonably solid
grasp of the type of cases you are taking before you hand them
over to a paralegal.

Malpractice Insurance

GET IT! Get a level of coverage that is affordable and get a high
deductible (you can change the deductible when you get rich
even though you probably wont need to given that your
experience will reduce your risk of screwing up).

Talk to your local bar association, and to other attorneys in your
practice areas, about their malpractice insurance and where they
get it. Dont get it until you have a potential client and, when you
DO get it, make sure it covers you even after the case is complete
since many malpractice claims never rear their ugly head until
years after a case has been closed.

Insurance coverage can be based on (1) you being covered when
the case was taken or (2) when the claim was filed (or both). Make
sure that your insurance covers the claim whether it is based on
when the case was taken or when the claim arises.



This is simple and straightforward. Just get it. I doubt you will
ever need it but the peace of mind that comes with having
insurance is worth the investment.

Quit Your Job

Once youve gone through this book and followed all the necessary
steps, you may hand in your resignation (if you have a job, of
course). You have the fundamentals of your office set up, you
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39

have savings to get you through the next 6-12 months and you now
have a handful of clients.

Resign with dignity and integrity. Be firm, bold and truthful. Give
them a definitive date, do not waiver and let them know that you
are resigning to start your own practice. Inform them that you
have no intention of taking their clients and DONT. As your law
practice grows you will develop your own clientele base. Stealing
clients is unethical; informing clients that you are starting your
own law practice is not.

If you are working for a firm that has integrity they will appreciate
the time you spent with them and theyll wish you well.

















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Chapter Two:
Location, Location, Location

















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Should I Practice From Home?

In a nutshell..NO! By no means does working at home help to
foster the image of success that you need to convey to your clients.
You dont have to be rich and successful just yet; you simply have
to project that image. Dont go out and buy a Mercedes but feel
free to borrow one from a friend when you need to meet that big
client. When we get to the section on Office Space Ill show you
how you can get an actual office for just a few dollars a day.

If you cant afford your own office, work at home just long enough
to afford one. Meeting clients at your kitchen table or in your
basement does not foster the image of success and who wants to
work with an unsuccessful attorney? If you MUST work from
home, get a separate mail box to create the appearance of an office.
You will need an address other than a P.O. Box (such as a
Mailboxes Etc., UPS store, etc.). Most towns have such places and
you can find more information about virtual offices in the Office
Space section of this book (the reason for this separate address is
that it seems like an office location because there is an actual
physical address). But be careful: if one of these companies goes
out of business, the post office does not forward your mail for
more than 30 days. That is the down side. Choose an
establishment that has been in business for several years, under the
same owner and in the same location to minimize this risk. Your
other option for receiving mail will be if you go with a virtual
office setup and Ive discussed that as well a little later on.

Where Should I Open My Office?

In my experience, if clients are willing to work with you, your
location is irrelevant. However, if youre practicing in a specific
niche or geographical area that will bring you a high volume of
walk-in clients then you will certainly need to have a central
location with a BIG sign. This is going to cost money (which Im
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4;


not crazy about but will be worth the investment). I want you to
think economical. Remember, were trying to cut overhead here.

NOTE: Most of us just need a professional looking location that
can be accessed easily by our clients. Keep your goals in mind as
you shop around.

Office Space

There is only one important reason to get an office---to meet
clients. Get an office only after you have a steady stream of clients
as your office will probably be your greatest expense.

Working from home is great and its part of the flexibility that I
promote. Nevertheless, you want your clients to know that you are
a legitimate operation. For that, you need an office.

Perception is everything. My suggestion is that you have an office
with a waiting area and a conference room (sharing both with other
professionals is fine). You will also need one room for yourself so
that youll have a place to work, conduct some quick research or
make necessary phone calls while meeting with clients (or need to
call one of your mentors for advice or guidance during a
consultation it will happen). Your clients wont think less of
you if you leave them alone in the conference room for 10 minutes;
theyll appreciate you coming back with the RIGHT answer.

I am a big proponent of sharing office space (next section). A
shared office can really cut cost on rent, utilities and other office
expenses. If you share an office with other attorneys, make
absolutely sure that you do not confuse office sharing with a
partnership. Youre just splitting expenses and THAT has nothing
to do with clients or fees. Anything that slightly resembles a
partnership should be very clearly defined by contract. If you are
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only able to afford a single room, set up a desk with a high back
chair and put two chairs on the other side of the desk for clients.
Put your diplomas up behind you. Look for a good deal on
framing or do it yourself. One of the best options for office space
is a virtual office option where you can have a presence in a large
corporate building and only utilize the office when you need to.
Visit www.HQ.com to find out more.

Office Sharing

As I mentioned in the previous chapter, this is a great idea because
youll cut your costs significantly and youll have all the luxuries
of your own office. Have a common reception area and conference
room and work out your schedule so that it wont conflict with that
of your office mates.

Make sure you share the office with another professional that will,
if nothing else, appear to create a symbiotic relationship with your
law practice (another lawyer, accountant, financial planner, real
estate agent, mortgage company, etc.). Remember that youre
getting your office in order to meet clients and it (along with the
waiting area) should look IMPRESSIVE. If youre walking into
the Law Office of Sameer Kumar and right below it is Petes
A/V Repairs: You Bust It, We Fix It, chances are that your clients
wont hold you high regards.

Be crystal clear on the terms and expenses of your office-sharing
agreement and be sure to review a copy of the master lease if
youre entering into a sublease agreement. Also, set forth the
terms of any renewals of the sublease or the right to take over the
lease should your sublessor decide to leave.




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Chapter Three:
The People You Need

















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Your Receptionist

You must have one but you need not break the bank for one.

The primary role of a receptionist is answering your calls, relaying
messages, returning phone calls and letting you know when a call
is of an urgent nature. Those things are essential.

You simply should not be answering the phone yourself, and for
good reason. First, you lose a tremendous amount of credibility if
you pick up your own phone. If, however, you answer it at 8pm,
thats understandable; picking it up first thing in the morning is
not. Existing clients will love the fact that they can get you on the
phone but potential clients will think twice before hiring an
attorney that cant afford a receptionist.

A Word to the Wise

Dont answer the phone and pretend to be your own receptionist.
Everyone will know it is you and it will hurt your image more than
not having a receptionist. If, however, your spouse or child is old
and mature enough, feel free to have them answer calls for you.

Second, your clients can, and will, drive you crazy if you are
answering your own calls. When I first started out, I made the
mistake of negotiating my fee for drafting a letter down to
$150.00. The client in question called me several times daily and I
was answering my own calls. Suffice it to say that when it was all
said and done, I ended up making about $6.00/hour on him. You
will get those clients. I pray that you dont, but I know that you
will. A good receptionist will shave hours off your phone time that
can be spent at home with your kids, at dinner with friends and
family or just enjoying a quiet evening with the remote.



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You have two choices when it comes to your protocol for
answering the phone and both of them will work to create a
professional image for your practice (and youll save tons on
money as well). They are:

1. Get an answering service. Check out www.hq.com under
the virtual offices tab for an inexpensive way to have
someone answer your calls (they are by no means the only
service so do shop around). Its an all-in-one service that
will collect your mail and give you hourly
office/conference time as well (this is a great option to
keep your overhead low and get a mailing address,
receptionist & conference room time all-in-one). The only
drawback may be that the receptionist will not take
messages or exchange pleasantries with your clients
(which are both important). She will only redirect the call
over to your office, cell phone or voicemail. If youre
going to be in the office and will answer your calls this is a
great tool. If not, then your clients may get tired of being
re-routed to your voicemail. Ive also heard that they do
charge you for every service you use such as photocopies,
faxing, etc. (but you are not obligated to use their
equipment). Nevertheless, check it out and see if it might
work for you.

2. Hire a receptionist who works from home. Ive done this in
the past and I think it is far more personal although often
not as reliable. Ideal candidates are stay-at-home mothers
with school-age children. They drop off their kids before
the work day begins and are typically home (and available)
all day until the children return. This provides you with
someone who can answer your phones, take messages and
return calls for you between from 9-5. This is incredibly
affordable even if youre just starting out. Prices can be
easily comparable to having a professional service, which
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47


runs about $150.00 per month. But be careful since this option
does not have the same built-in reliability as Option #1.

This alternative gives you someone who will get to personally
know you and your business. They will learn when you should
(and can) be interrupted and theyll be able to return short
messages for you. When clients get you directly on the phone it
often turns into a free Q&A session for them unless you are
billing them for each and every call.

Make no mistake about it; even if you call clients back at 2:00am,
they somehow still have their questions ready for you. Im not an
advocate of billing clients for every question they have or every
call they make but you certainly should set some parameters for
clients who call incessantly with either repetitive or ridiculous
questions. By parameters Im referring to a fee for speaking with
you, not you getting angry with them. Remember, dont yell at
your clients, but advise them that there will be an additional fee for
calls and emails when they become difficult.

You can typically find people willing to work as a remote
receptionist on the following websites (or other sites where you
can find part-time help without paying a fee to post). I prefer
www.Craigslist.com but use whichever site gets you the person
you need.

www.agentsofvalue.com
www.craigslist.com
www.elance.com
www.guru.com
www.ifreelance.com

Another downside to this remote setup is that you have to have all
of your calls forwarded directly, to your receptionists home or cell

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number. If your receptionist is willing to check messages that
come in between 5pm and the following morning thats great.
However, I still recommend that you forward the calls from your
business line to your receptionists home or cell (instead of clients
calling his or her line directly). You dont want to lose control of
your lifelineyour business number. Alternatively, you can
request that your receptionist set up a voice mail strictly for your
law office in case he/she does miss a call or simply provide him or
her with a VOIP line or a cell phone. Given the technology that is
available today, this is simple to set up.

Make sure that you have clear-cut procedures established for your
receptionist (or anyone else that you hire for that matter). It takes
some time to put together instructions, flowcharts, procedures, etc.
but the few hours you spend at the onset will save you an
inexplicable amount of aggravation down the line.

For years I didnt have step-by-step procedures in place for my
receptionists and/or paralegals. That made for a highly inefficient
practice. Today, the procedures that Ive set forth are crystal clear
and the margin for error is minimal. Errors that do arise are almost
exclusively related to client delays or errors. Every step of every
procedure is documented to keep clients informed and to let them
know that we are meticulous about their case. Make sure your
staff adheres strictly to your guidelines. If they dont, hire
someone who will.

We have a monthly CD that comes out once per month and in it we
include advanced marketing strategies, overhead killers which are
not included in out blog, samples of marketing material we have
used and found effective, checklists, flowcharts, intake forms, etc.
In addition, you also get advice & information which is focused on
business management to implement systems and achieve
automation to maximize revenues & minimize hours.

This is a monthly subscription and the CD is physically mailed to
you each month. You can find more details at
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49

www.AmazingBusinessAmazingLife.com. The cost as of this
publication is $47 per month.


Some Good Paralegals

Relax! When I started out the thought of hiring someone blew my
mind too since I wasnt even making enough money to pay myself.
Remember what I said at the beginning: were no longer going to
run our law practices the traditional, outdated way. Read to the
end of this chapter and youll see what I mean.

There are places where you should skimp and others that you
should not. Employees fall into the latter category. You can
certainly find someone who is willing to work for peanuts but they
wont stay long---which is ok as long as youre prepared for it.

Instead, hire a brilliant paralegal. To be honest, paralegals get the
raw end of the deal. My paralegals are smarter than most of the
attorneys Ive met and hired. They know the law better and they
even interact with clients better. The good and the bad is that they
can do everything from A to Y. You have to take care of Z---you
have to review the final paperwork, go to court and sign your
name. Thats still not a bad deal.

Hire a paralegal with experience. Training is hard and expensive
and an experienced paralegal can make the processes of running
your solo practice smoother than what you already had in place.

So, how do you make up for that raw deal that paralegals get and
find one that will be loyal? You pay them well. Im not going to
tell you how much to pay them but lets just say my paralegals
make more per hour than most attorneys.



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4:

This is how you do it without breaking the bank:

I pay my paralegals on a case by case basis only. Remember, my
office is just to meet clients. Im not paying for one minute of
downtime and Im definitely not paying for anyone elses
downtime. If you do, then you are not running your business as
efficiently as possible. If youre paying someone $1000.00 then
they better be worth at least $1001.00. Otherwise, they shouldnt
be there.

When you hire a paralegal, spend the time to discuss what types of
cases you will be getting, what their responsibility will be on those
cases and how much they will be paid for each type of case that
they complete. Make sure to very clearly define what they must do
for each case and how they will be paid if more work is required
on the case than originally set forth. Let them work out of their
homes whenever possible it makes it easy for them and since
they are paid on a case-by-case basis you know you are not paying
for downtime.

Give ownership to people that work for you. Im not talking about
stock options; Im talking about responsibility and decision-
making ability. I understand that, as a small business owner, it is
often difficult to relinquish control. But, if youre going to live the
life Im talking about, you are going to have to put your
employees/contractors in a position of authority and responsibility.

The right people will fill the position well. Where do you find
paralegals? Check out www.cragislist.com for potential candidates
or place a free advertisement. Keep your eye out in Marketing
Briefs newsletter where I often include ads that I or my
colleagues have placed in search of the perfect worker.




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Get an Accountant

You are too busy running a business to crunch numbers yourself so
hire an accountant. Hire someone that knows what theyre doing.
Use word-of-mouth referrals from other attorneys or business
owners. Make sure your accountant has worked with, and is
currently working with, other attorneys and he/she knows how to
handle trust accounting for lawyers. If they say they are willing
to learn, find someone else. You dont want your accounting
screwed up.

Choose someone who stays abreast of the annual changes in the
tax code and makes every possible effort to save you money. If
theyre saving you more that what they are charging, both in time
and money, then theyre worth it.

On the flip side, Ive had some idiots for accountants. Honestly, I
felt that mine may have been the first business tax return theyd
ever done. Guess what? They were a lot cheaper than the
accountants I have now but I got totally screwed and ended up
paying a significant amount in back taxes. A good accountant will
charge you a fair price and will help you build your business by
guiding you, not just following what you tell him to do.

Another big plus of having an accountant is that they will help you
decide on a business entity that will give your practice the
maximum tax benefits. He/she will also let you know about
expenses and how many of them can be written off for greatest
savings.

Look for an accountant that can do everything Ive mentioned
above. Focus on competence, NOT price.




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Forget the Bank . . . Get a Banker

I strongly suggest that you forge a good relationship with a banker
at any of your local banks. For most of our purposes, any bank
will do as long as they can set up business and trust accounts. I
believe that almost every institution now has online banking as
well (make sure that they do and that its free).

Tell the banker that you are setting up a business account and you
want everything (and I really mean EVERYTHING) for free. You
shouldn't be paying one cent for your business account. This
means no checking fees, free checks (unlimited), free deposit slips,
free deposit stamps so you don't have to sign all your checks, free
wire transfer fees, free certified checks, etc. You get the idea. In
fact, at the time of this publication my bank was starting to offer
check deposit by fax but they required I purchase a fairly
expensive scanning machine from them (when this is readily
available ask for this for free as well I already did but to no
avail). If the bank has fees, ask them to waive them (for life). If
they dont waive them, find a bank that will.

Why does the banker matter if you already get all these perks?
Because your banker will make sure that you don't pay for
anything and, when problems do arise, he or she will handle them
so you can focus on your business, not reversing bank fees. Banks
make mistakes, like neglecting to tell you that the free checking
you signed up for was only for the first 6 months. This is even
more disastrous if it happens in your Trust Account. When you've
been with a bank for 6 months you don't want to move everything
elsewhere. Your banker often has the power to reverse many
charges and/or fees that you may have incurred (including bounced
check fees from unscrupulous clients you will have a few of
those). Establish the friendship and when the bank charges you for
something they shouldn't, you have someone that'll take care of it
without wasting your time.

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A WEB DESIGNER (Your TECHIE)

I cannot overemphasize the importance of having a great web
designer. This is not just someone who puts pieces together so
they look pretty on your website but someone who knows that your
website is not just a glamorized business card. He/she must
understand that your website is a marketing tool that will be used
to give information, obtain leads, accept payments, allow clients to
download material, etc.

If your web designer thinks that using the latest cool technology
so that your website has all kinds of flashing and moving, etc. then
get rid of them and hire someone who sees your site as a business
tool. Also, look for a designer that know about Search Engine
Optimization and Search Engine Marketing (SEO & SEM). This
are so that people can actually find you online. If you dont have
someone in mind that I suggest you contact my designer. You can
always find the latest and greatest designer Im working with by
simply going to www.ABALrecommends.com and looking
through our resources.














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Chapter Four:
Things you Need
















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Get a Phone Line

Change your current cell phone plan to a family plan and/or add a
line to your existing phone plan. Itll cost you $20.00 or less to
add another line. Increase the minutes in your plan if you need to
do so. Thats one option for a quick and easy way to get a phone
line for your business.

At the time Im writing this, VOIP (internet) phones are becoming
more and more popular but they are still not as reliable as landlines
or cellular phones. You can always transfer or forward your calls at
a later date. Get a number thats easy to remember (if possible).

Getting an 800 number does add to your professional image and is
probably worth the additional cost (check out www.Costo.com and
look under their business services). An 800 number simply
increases the legitimacy of your business people do not need it to
save money on their long-distance bill it just looks more
professional.

A vanity toll-free number gives the greatest credibility (i.e. 1-800-
BOBS-LAW). Best would be an 800 number as they show
longevity in the business but as far as I know they are no longer
available. After that you have the 888, 877, and 866 numbers. I
own 877-KUMAR-LAW (yes, theres an extra letter). Whats the
bottom line? Just pick a number and DONT lose it. Make sure
YOU own the number (whether toll-free or not). I like having the
number as part of your cell plan since everything is going mobile
and it will help to keep your office portable as and when necessary
(of course I take full advantage of all call-forwarding features and
dont change them often).





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Important
Do NOT give your clients your personal cell phone number. I
made the mistake of doing so when I first started and, to this day,
those clients will call me at all ridiculous hours before trying my
office first. You may think that accessibility is important and it is
but its not worth your sanity. There are times however when you
will have to give a client your cell number (i.e., they are meeting
you at court, etc.) but let them know that it is to be used for that
day only and if they call after that, they will be billed
$50/$100/$200 for each call that comes into your cell phone
instead of your office. If you have rich clients that you want to call
your cell at $50 for a 5 minute call, it may be worth it---you decide
(but I dont recommend it someday you will be rich and will
regret having given them so much access to you).

Alternatively, you can have a second line (not your personal cell
phone line) that you can leave as a cell-phone contact number on
your voicemail. If there is a client who is willing to pay the
additional cost of reaching you immediately he/she does has that
option and you have an additional source of revenue. Just be
willing to answer that phone when it does ring if they get your
voicemail on this emergency cell phone number then you lose
credibility (again, just an option for you but I still do not
recommend doing so).

E- Mail

Everyone has e-mail but not everyone has e-mail with their domain
name. The e-mail for my law practice is
everyone@kumarlaw.com. Go to www.GoDaddy.com and buy a
domain name. Buy www.YourName.com. If it isnt available,
buy www.YourNameLaw.com, or some variation of that. Itll
cost you about $10 for the year. You get free e-mail with it or can
simply have your email (i.e. Bob@BobSmithLaw.com) forwarded
to your current email address. Having your own domain name
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adds credibility at a very low cost. If this is still a bit too much to
comprehend ask your web designer itll be a no-brainer for them.
Also, set up an auto-responder on your e-mail (if you will not be
checking your email daily). This will save you more time than you
realize.

If youre the type of person who waits perpetually for new e-mail
alerts..STOP!! Set aside 10-30 minutes per day to check
and respond to e-mail.

Here is an auto-responder Ive used in the past. Feel free to use it.

Feel Free to Make My Auto-Responder Your Own

Please note that I check e-mail only once per day. If you need a
reply sooner than that, please call my office at the number below
and leave a detailed message with my receptionist. You will
receive a call back within 24 hours (please allow 48 hours for
Saturday and Sunday calls).

Sameer Kumar

Website

You must have a website! It is essential to establish your
credibility. If your website is under construction, make sure that
it at least gives your contact information and doesnt just say
under construction.

If you dont know how to create a website or dont have anyone to
help you then check out the deals that Ive worked out with my
web designer just for my readers. They do great work and
although shes not inexpensive Ive worked out a special
promotion that is affordable for all of my readers. You can find
the specific details at www.lawfirmguru.com. They will even help
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you with hosting and many technical aspects of your site thatll
help make your life easier. If you are reading this and for some
reason you are unable to reach Elsa, let me know and Ill either get
you in touch with her or help you find another reliable designer.
Remember, this deal is ONLY available to registered purchasers of
this book.

If youre hiring a designer, you dont have to make your site
fancy. Keep it simple. Remember, your website is not intended
to woo your visitors. It is meant to show that you are legit. Your
site should have your areas of practice, your profile, directions to
your office, a link to contact you, a way make an online payment,
testimonials, and access to as much free and useful information as
you are willing to give them. It should also have a mechanism to
capture leads for follow-up and to be turned into clients at some
point. Follow-up is tremendously important. I talk about it later in
the book and I give you the absolute best marketing ideas for your
own follow-up in Marketing Briefs (and in various services that I
offer to my attorney clients). Once you get up and running youll
receive emails from me which detail the services you can use with
your own clients.

Computer

Since its nearly impossible to function without a computer, I
assume you already own one. If you dont, get one. Im partial to
laptops but theyre more expensive. Go with a desktop if youre
going to be working in one location---itll save you money.

If you do go with the laptop, a lot of my techie friends swear by the
IBM ThinkPad. I used a Dell and now I work on an HP. If you
like Apple then go with a MacBook (their quality needs no
explanation). Honestly, attorneys are not software engineers and
we dont need any bells and whistles. I do recommend that you get
a computer with Bluetooth---until a new technology replaces it.
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Wireless capability will help you in establishing your virtual
office.

As an attorney, you write documents and you search the web. Any
computer will do that so dont spend a boatload on a new
computer. Go for a good brand with the next to latest technology.
Its like getting new car buy the previous years model as soon as
next years come out. Itll save you a chunk of cash and youll get
practically the same product. I recommend that you check out
www.edealinfo.com for a good deal. Desktops are so inexpensive
these days that I wouldnt recommend buying one second hand.

Copying Machine & High- Speed Scanner

Buy a good, multi-function machine (copy/fax/scan). Although
they dont handle massive volumes of documents well, they are
perfect for when youre starting out. In fact, theyll probably last
you for many years if you stay focused on creating a paperless
office. Getting a multi-function machine will also eliminate the
need of getting a separate fax machine for outgoing faxes. You
will need to have a landline for the fax machine but if you get a
high-speed scanner, youll save money, time and space (a killer
combination in terms of minimizing overhead).

Our profession is inherently document intensive. We are required
by law to keep our client files for years on end. Space is expensive
and so is ink. Get a high-speed scanner and you (1) will have all
your files in an electronic format, (2) save on ink and paper, (3)
can e-mail your clients exactly what they need in a matter of
seconds, (4) will be able to easily transfer documents back and
forth with your virtual paralegal or secretary and (5) can discuss
page 247 of your clients file with the client while sitting on the
beach (if you read through the rest of this book youll know how to
make that happen, just dont let the client hear the waves crashing).


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Fax Line

Notice I didnt say fax machine. There is a distinction (youll need
a machine, too, but it will be built into your multi-function
machine). Remember, our goal is to have an office that can be
accessed on your own terms---that means anywhere, anytime. I
suggest getting an electronic fax system that e-mails your faxes.
E-fax is what I use but I know there are other comparable services.
Either way, make sure that you get faxes via e-mail. It makes you
portable and it allows you to print out only those faxes that you
need (meaning more savings on paper and ink). Get a fax number
with your local area code.

Business Cards

Get a bunch; theyre cheap and necessary. Always carry them
around and dont do anything fancy with them. No one gives a
crap about your logo: no one gives a crap about mine. No one
even knows there is a logo on my card until I point it out. In fact, I
think my logo makes my fax number hard to read. Keep it simple
and informative. Your name, number, fax, e-mail, address and the
words attorney or lawyer somewhere in the mix. Done!!! If
you want to know how to get business cards at a low cost, go to
www.VistaPrint.com.

HOWEVER, after youve written up your order and saved it
online, call them directly and ask them to give you the best
discount they have going and they will. Ive gotten 1000 custom
cards with my logo, delivered, for less than $30.00.





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Bonus: Dont Waste Real Estate
Put an incentive on the back of your business card do not leave it
blank. For example, my business card states that I do immigration
but if they need a referral for real estate, divorce, traffic violation,
etc. they should give me call and Ill put them in good hands.
Another recommendation is to have a web link on the back of your
card where people can go for free and useful information. If
you do real estate, put a link where people can go and download a
PDF on Buying Your First House: The Stuff No One Tells You.
If you cant write a few paragraphs on this yourself, hire someone
from www.craigslist.com or www.elance.com to do it for you for a
few bucks. Potential clients will love you for the secret
information that you gave them. If you dont put information on
the back of your card then offer them a free consultation ONLY if
they mention your business card and where they got it when they
call (itll help keep track where your business is coming from
which will prove to be worth more than your consultation fee). You
want to have some call to action on the back of your card so
that it holds more value than just having your name on there.

Postage

If you have a practice area that requires a lot of mailings, get a
postage machine to save the time and hassle of running to the post
office. Remember, do your best to offset postage costs by using a
scanner and e-mail when possible.

When you use a private carrier (UPS, Fed Ex, etc.), unless the
package MUST be there the next day, use 2nd day delivery. Over
the years, itll save you tons of money.

Have an account set up with one or two overnight carriers and
make them fight it out for the best rates. I had one of the major
carriers even put a drop box outside one of my offices to allure me
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to work with them. Request it if you need it because they charge
more if they have to make a trip out to your office to pick up the
package than picking up from a drop box.

Also, if you regularly use courier services negotiate or look for
pre-paid rates if you buy envelopes in bulk.

Internet Access

Given the rate at which technology is advancing, I cant say that
the way to access the internet will be the same tomorrow as it is
today (except that it will certainly be wireless). Have a high-
speed internet connection at your primary work location.

There is the option of wireless internet access (called a Wireless
PC Card or Air Card) for your laptop that many cell phone
companies provide. I can only assume that in the very near future
this technology will become as fast and reliable as having a cable
or DSL connection. When that happens, I would suggest that you
get that type of access.

I have access at my home and I also have an air card for when I
move around with my laptop---it works damn well. Depending on
which office space option you select you may not have to pay for
internet at your office location. Since having a virtual office is
highly dependent on internet and phone access, make sure that
whatever service you get is both highly dependable and portable.

Data Backup

If you lose client data, youre screwed from both a business and a
liability standpoint. As such, you must back up your data.
Fortunately, the days of photocopying and storing files are obsolete
for data backup. Yes, law practices are still paper intensive but
backup storage doesnt need to be. Back up your data with either
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an external hard drive or online (or both). An external hard drive
can be purchased at any office supply or computer store. I use
Costco when I dont want to think about the quality of a product
they have good stuff at reasonable prices. Depending on the
amount of data you have, you can either buy a portable flash drive
that holds 1-16 GB of information (enough for a document-
intensive practice) or you can buy a portable hard drive (currently
the size of 1-2 decks of cards) that will back up your entire
computer and usually hold anywhere from 80-400 GB of
information. I assure you that these numbers will go up
exponentially every 6-12 months.

You can also back up your data online at www.Mozy.com. This
service is automatic and they charge you based on how much space
you will use with them. I suggest you only back up what is
necessary which, again, should be a relatively small amount for
even a document intensive practice.

Online backup companies backup your data regularly whenever
you log on or are connected to the internet. The huge benefit of
this is that if you are on vacation in Jamaica and you need to access
a file, you can simply log into your online backup account and
retrieve the latest files. As of this writing, if you are on vacation
and alter a backed up file you do have to e-mail the files back to
your main computer and file them in order for them to be properly
backed up again. There are companies that act as online servers,
meaning that all your data is stored on line and you can access and
update it from anywhere (this is also an option if you have your
server in your office and set up remote access). However, it is not
readily available at the time of this writing. Im sure it wont be
long before online servers/backups are commonplace (Google has
already released Google Documents that allows for shared
documents, spreadsheets & calendar something I have recently
increased my use of and it works incredibly well). That means that
you, your paralegal, your secretary, etc. can change a document
from your office or from Europe and the latest version will be
updated and kept online in your backup account.
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I suggest that you backup your data at least once a week but its
really better to do it at the end of each day. It is simple and quick.
Ive had times when the power has gone out or the computers have
crashed and the backup system had proved priceless.























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Chapter FIVE:
Money Matters














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Setting Your Fees

For some reason no one talks about the exact fees (or even a ball
park of the fees) that are standard in the industry. That was a
major obstacle for me when I first started. So, here's your answer
to find out how. Discover the fees in your area in one of two ways:

1. Contact local attorneys and tell them that you are a new
practitioner and ask if they would be willing to share their
pricing structure with you.

2. Contact local attorneys AS A CLIENT and ask them how
much they charge for a divorce, green card, DWI ticket or
whatever you practice.

Now I understand the reluctance of attorneys to give out their fees.
Its like asking someone how much they make its personal. Its
best to contact local attorneys to get the most accurate spread of
fees for your city or state. Talk to people who are your mentors or
who you have a personal relationship with. Those are the people
that will be the most honest with you about pricing. Youll also
find that depending on the location where you practice the fees you
charge may be much higher or lower than another attorney doing
the exact same thing in a different location.

Also, be sure to have a retainer agreement for each and every case
and keep an original, signed copy for yourself and provide one for
the client.

DO NOT start any work until you have a signed a retainer
agreement. Your county bar association or a fellow attorney can
provide you a sample agreement. If you still cant find one just
click go to Google and you will find more than enough samples.
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Negotiating Your Fees

You can but shouldnt. I don't have a hard and fast rule here but
most new attorneys have a tendency to underestimate their own
worth and therefore often negotiate their fees.

Sometimes it makes sense to negotiate your fees, at other times, it
doesnt. When the client is a low fee client (which I define as
anything under $1000.00) and he/she haggles about your price, you
need to let them go.

Those clients are the ones that will be utterly irresponsible and
they will eat up all your time. Affluent clients are more like you.
They have busy businesses, busy lives and they need an attorney
that will get the work done and done properly. Thats why they
hire you. The clients that dont have the money to pay you are the
ones that have too much idle time, which means they will eat up
your time as well. Stick to the type of clients that trust you and
those that are willing to put the job, and their trust, in your hands.

If your client hasnt come to you via word-of-mouth referral,
chances are that they have been shopping around. The most
common statement I hear from a client who questions my prices is,
well, attorney X down the street is providing the same service for
$200.00 less. The first question that crosses my mind is, "Then
why are you still talking to me?"

They are talking to me because they know Im are a better attorney
than their last attorney or the guy down the street. My first
response is (politely of course),Im sorry but my fees are non-
negotiable. My suggestion is that you come in for a consultation
and allow me to give you a solid understanding about what would
be involved in your case. Also, meet me so that you know you are
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comfortable working with me. Usually that disarms them a bit. If
they still choose to work with another attorney, that's fine. If they
get aggressive I have gone as far as to say, "If you'd like some
names of attorneys that charge less than I do, I will be happy to
give you their contact information." This is a gutsy move. If you
dont have it in you then dont try it but it makes a strong
statement. Most clients are shocked and realize that you are not a
discount attorney who is begging for business. They understand
that you dont have time to waste haggling over fees or stooping to
the prices of a less successful attorney.

Oddly enough, while I was writing this topic I received a call from
a company that was looking for an immigration attorney. The first
thing that came out of the companys representative mouth was,
"How much do you charge for X?" You will learn that the one
thing that should raise a red flag right away is when the first words
on any call are How much do you charge for X? Im not saying
that you should not take such a client but at minimum, be leery of
these clients since chances are theyll work with any attorney
thatll give them a $10.00 discount. You certainly dont want to be
the $10.00 off discount attorney. But always do your best to get
them in the door. Once they meet you the likelihood of them
working with you goes much higher.


Get Paid Up Front

Following this one rule has saved me from numerous headaches.
Why? Because chasing a client for an overdue fee is an absolute
waste of your time. It does nothing more than add hours to your
workweek and it takes away from the pleasurable things in life:
friends, family, skydivingwhatever floats your boat.

Disclaimer: There will be clients that will genuinely have a hard
time paying all your fees up front. Give them a payment plan NOT
a discount.
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Should you negotiate your fees? Again, I dont recommend it but
there is one alternative that I would accept. Ask for your full fixed
fee up front OR for a substantial retainer that will cover at least
50%-75% of your anticipated billable hours. If the client is saying
that they cant make the full payment upfront I ask for at least 2/3
up front and the remaining 1/3 within 30 days. Assume that you
may not get the final 1/3 payment.

If there is ongoing work or the client has proven to be reliable and
timely with his/her payments I may consider bending the rules a
little and not requiring the full payment up front. If you decide to
be kind with your fees and payment plans then mentally prepare
for non-payment it will keep you from kicking yourself when it
happens (and it will). As my father said to me once when he saw
me frustrated over a clients refusal to pay, What son, you thought
youd never have losses while running a business?

Payment Plan Example

A client came in and asked me to prepare some paperwork to get
his wife a green card. My price at the time was $2250.00 in
attorney fees. He needed a payment plan. I requested $1500.00
up front and told him he could give me the remaining $750.00 in
30 days. Since this was a new client I wrote off the remaining
$750.00 as a loss. If its not in your hand you can assume you may
not get it. Just be sure that the amount you asked for up front is
sufficient that you at least made some money. Make sure you do
follow-up for the remaining balance but if you do get it, consider it
a bonus"

Do excellent work, charge fair fees and know that youre worth
every penny that you charge. Never undermine your value. The
fact that I wrote the $750.00 off as a loss does not in any way
imply that my work was not worth every cent of the $2250.00. It
simply means that I do not know this client or his integrity to pay.
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For peace of mind, I will assume that he will default on the
payment. Most clients will pay you but you always have a few that
dont. Learn their personality types and dont waste your time
chasing after them or taking on similar clients in the future.
Do I still do the case if Im worried about a failure to pay? Yes,
and I will do it well (so long as I get a reasonably payment up
front). Why? Because I have still made a profit even if I only
make $1500.00 in the example above. You may make a profit at
50% or 90%. You have to determine that. Make enough to meet
your hourly rate. If youre not making any money and your client
calendar is empty, you could probably accept 20% and justify the
concessionbut dont. Re-read the section on Negotiating Your
Fees.

Above all, try to get full payment up front whenever possible (this
is made easier when you give the client the option to pay by credit
card let your clients owe money to the credit card company
instead of you). Its better to refund a clients money than to have
to chase him down to get yours (remember to keep any unearned
money in your trust account).

Invoicing

Make sure you have detailed invoices. Clients will appreciate it
and there will be less of an issue if there is ever a disagreement
over your fees. There are many programs out there for in-house
accounting and invoicing. I use QuickBooks.

Invoicing goes hand-in-hand with the section, Get Paid Up Front.
Here is how I suggest you handle a case where you can NOT get
all your money up front.

Suppose its a litigation matter estimated at $5000.00 and you
charge $250.00/hour. Tell the client that you require a $1500.00
or $2000.00 retainer (up front) and that it will be kept in your trust
account (for simplicity your trust account is an escrow account).
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Then inform the client that you will bill him at $250.00/hour,
invoice him weekly and he must make payment within 7 days of
receiving the invoice. Start invoicing your client as soon as you
begin working on his case. That way you are being paid for your
work as it is completed and the retainer is only being used if the
client is unable to pay your invoices. Once the case is complete (or
nearing completion) you may use the initial retainer to cover your
final fees or to refund the client if he has been timely with his
payments.

I do not recommend using the initial retainer to cover your fees for
the first 6-8 hours and then get stuck chasing after the client for
fees. You must keep in mind that once you are knee-deep in a case
it is highly unlikely that you will be able to get out of it for non-
payment by the client (a judge will not be quick to grant this). If
you dont get paid you may still have to represent the client and
then later sue them for fees. Its not a pretty situation so avoid it
by using the method Ive outlined above when you cannot get all
the payment up front.

Trust Accounting

Attorneys have come to view trust accounting as the boogieman.
The fear is unsubstantiated. Im not an expert on trust accounting
but the following example will give you an idea of how it works.

You have 3 clients: Adam, Bobby and Carla. Adam has an issue
with a residential matter, Bobby has a traffic violation for which
you are representing him and Carla has an immigration filing.

Adam has given you $100,000.00 to cover the expenses for the
closing and for your fees. Bobby has given you $750.00 to
represent him in court. Carla has paid you $2500.00 for her
immigration case but the total fees are $2000.00 for government
filings fees and $2000.00 for your attorney fees.

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All the fees are placed into your trust account (which is basically
your bank account) that has been registered as such with the bar
association. You now have $103,250.00 in your trust account.

Bobbys traffic violation is handled first but you forgot to mention
there would be court costs (Bobby forgot to bring his checkbook to
court). You agree to pay the court fees and let Bobby pay you the
rest later. You write a check out of your trust account for $500.00
to cover the court fees. When you get back to the office, you see
that you still have $102,750.00 left in your trust account so youll
just transfer $750.00 of the attorney fees that Bobby owes you into
your business account, right?

ABSOLUTELY NOT! This will get you disbarred!

Even though the account has $102,750.00, Bobbys ledger account
(where you track the amount that each client has left) only has
$250.00 in it after his court fees. You can ONLY take $250.00
from your trust account to cover Bobbys attorney fees. For the
rest of it, youll have to chase Bobby down. In other words, every
client has a subaccount in your trust account and you cannot
disperse Adams money for Bobby, or Carlas money for Adam.

Thats a simple overview of trust accounting. The good news is
that when Bobby finally pays you the remaining $500.00, you can
deposit it right into your business account because it is already
deemed earned by you.

There are numerous books on trust accounting for lawyers. I
advise going through at least one of them to get a decent
understanding of the topic.

Overhead

If youve read through this book then this chapter is moot other
than to emphasize and reiterate the fact that you want to eliminate
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as much overhead as possible, whenever possible. Dont spend all
your money on a fancy desk and a full staff. Save that money for
your vacations and spending on the kids.

I am always finding ways to cut my overhead and you have to do
the same if you want to enjoy the type of life Im talking about. It
is much easier to cover $950.00 in overhead during a bad month
than it is to cover $9500.00 during a good month.

Advertising

For the most part, advertising is the biggest waste of money for an
attorney. If you can get advertising for free, take it. Put up a
respectable ad and see if it brings any money.

If, however, you have to pay for the advertisement, its going to be
a waste of money EXCEPT in the rare instance when you can set
yourself apart from all of the other paid ads.

I cant say this enough youre trying to create a reputation of
success and credibility. Any attorney can pay $200.00 and take
out an ad and any intelligent client knows that. But when you have
the opportunity to show that you are an expert in your field or are
more credible than the other attorneys putting up the $200.00 ads,
then spending the extra money is worth it. One great way to
advertise and set yourself apart is in front of a warm audience
(i.e., your local church flyer where everyone knows you or in front
of any organization of which you are a prominent member).

Open any newspaper that has advertisements for attorney services.
Can you tell me, just by looking at the ads, which one is the most
qualified attorney? If you cant tell by the ads then how can your
potential clients?

Clients can however discern that youre worth every penny when
you author an article for the paper or when you have a Q & A
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section next to your ad along with your name and picture. If there
are 10 attorney ads listed and you have an ad plus a # page article
on Your Questions About Real Estate Closings Answered then
you become the most qualified out of the bunch. You create
brand equity for yourself. You become first in the mind of the
client in your area of specialty. Guess what? Youll even be able
to justify charging a higher rate than the next attorney.

Dont worry about too much about the content of your article
(attorneys have a habit of reviewing ad nauseam) --- just write it
and submit it (but double check your facts). Potential clients know
less about the law than you so dont worry about the 10% of clients
that know real estate closings inside out. Focus on the 90% that
will benefit from the information you give them. Keep it simple
and friendly. I wrote for newspapers for years and even did a radio
show (which Im considering doing again). I assure you that it
helped set me set myself apart and it does to this day even though
my show has been off the air for years. People remember that kind
of stuff.

The same rule applies for any other type of paid advertising. If
you cant set yourself apart from the crowd then its not worth it.

Put a Value on Your Time

Do NOT undervalue yourself (which is the most common mistake
made by solo/young attorneys). You are now one of the most
highly educated and respected individuals in this country. The
lawyer jokes may be funny but people still sit up and pay attention
when you tell them youre an attorney.

My strong suggestion is that you do not value your time at any less
than $100.00/hour (and I still cringe at that). Focus on getting
clients and marketing your business---the things you do best. If
you are filing papers and mailing envelopes you are devaluing
yourself by at least $90.00/hour. So, if you file paperwork for an
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entire day you've wasted $720.00 that could be in your pocket
(assuming you have followed the advice in this book about getting
and growing your client base).

At the time of writing of this book, I value my time with clients at
a minimum of $750.00/hour (and that is after 7 years of practicing
law). Does that mean that I work 8 hour days and make
$4000.00/day? No and yes..respectively. I rarely (if EVER)
work 8 hours a day (practicing law at least) but I often DO often
make that type of income. Since Ive already told you how many
hours I put in each week, it shouldnt be too hard to figure out how
many hours I work each day. How? I take a few high paying
cases where my paralegals are able to prepare most of the
paperwork and I focus on the consultation, client satisfaction and
on generating more business through referrals and targeted
marketing. I will never take less than $750/hour for my actual
work time.

Read the section A Day in the Life and my payout to get an idea of
how I make my money and how I can justify such my hourly rates.

Partnerships

At this stage in my life, I'm not fond of partnerships when it comes
to a law practice. I've been in one and it served its purpose very
well at the time but I don't think I'd do it again. This book is for
you to start your OWN business!

However, if you do choose to have a partner, please take to heart
the following advice before you enter into a partnership.

Make sure that both you and your partner see the firm going in the
same direction. Do both of you want to keep growing it or will
one of you be happy when you hit a certain income level?


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1. How much do you want to make? Does your partner want
to make more or less?

2. Are you going to reinvest in the firm or are you just taking
the money? I don't believe you need to reinvest much if
you've read and implemented whats in this book

3. Are you embarking on a partnership or an office-sharing
setup? Do not confuse the two.

4. Establish a rock-solid exit plan in case the partnership
doesn't work. Leave nothing for discussion--- put it in
writing. If everything goes well then that piece of paper
will die with you. If things go wrong, itll be the first thing
you go scrambling for. Amend it as necessary or as
circumstances change.















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Chapter Six:
Clients: Everything You Need To
Know














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A Day in the Life

Before I get into the meat of client relations, I want you to get an
idea of the lifestyle Im talking about. Its best to put it in terms of
what your typical day may look like. Here is mine:

1. Potential client calls (usually referred by word-of-mouth)
and are routed to my receptionist.

2. She explains to him/her that I am out of the office or with a
client, gets their number and assures them that I will return
my calls between 4:30pm and 5:30pm that evening. No
one has a problem giving out their evening number and
clients feel extra special when you call them after hours (it
somehow increases the appearance of concern same for
weekends).

3. Call the client back talk for a maximum of 5 minutes and
get them to set up a consultation with me as soon as
possible. For this I route them to my website where the can
schedule and pay for their consultation.

4. Client comes into the office at a time that is mutually
convenient or is scheduled for a phone consultation.

5. Through email, my office manager or my assistant inform
the client that they should bring in all documentation that
may remotely apply to their case when they come in for
their consultation. They are also informed that the initial
30-minute consultation is $175.00 (you can choose whether
to credit their consultation fee towards their case if they
retain you). The consultation is the ONLY time when I do
not charge my normal hourly rate my goal is to get them
in the door and make them a client. I understand that you


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may not have an office manager or assistant. There is no
harm in having your clients receive an email from you on
how to set up a consultation and going to your website to
make a payment.

6. During the consultation the client is provided with more
information than he/she could get anywhere else.
Remember, you are an expert and you sure as hell better act
like one. I also guarantee my consultations. What I mean
by that is if they are not satisfied or feel that their questions
were not answered or their concerns addressed they can
simply ask for a refund at the end of the consultation. It
forces me to be on top of my game. Ill let you know if
anyone ever asks for their money back (hasnt happened
yet).

7. I'm not saying to overwhelm the client with legal jargon but
make sure you explain as much relevant information as you
can in the allotted 30-minutes. This is your opportunity to
sell yourself and your services through your knowledge and
personality.

8. I tell the client what he needs to get started, explain the fees
and the timeline. I have not had a client question my
services and/or fees in years. They usually agree and my
office manager (it used to be me) provides them with all
necessary checklists which detail the information required
from them and any documentation/evidence that is
necessary (this is usually sent as an email after Step 9).

9. They leave payment along with a signed copy of my
retainer agreement and we get the ball rolling. If necessary,
I am also set up to take credit cards (you can set this up
through PayPal for the sake of simplicity). Keep in mind
that credit cards charge 2-3% of the transaction amount. A
credit card payment in hand is always better than cash next
week.
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10. THAT'S IT! My last statement to the client is, "By the
way, my paralegal, Jasmine, will be in touch with you for
additional information. I just wanted to let you know so
you recognize the name. Please provide her any
information she requests."

11. The clients file is then sent to my paralegal (scanned and
emailed unless he has to have the actual documents) and
she is now in charge of getting all the necessary
information out of the clients, preparing the paperwork,
getting signatures from all necessary parties (including me)
and filing the final paperwork.

Keep in mind that I tend to focus on high-paying clients and cases.
On the low end, a case will run a client $750.00. So, let's do a
worst case scenario analysis.

Time:
30 minute consultation (I minimize this time by sending the
client copious information, checklists, processes and even
videos before coming in to the office);
5 minutes scanning and getting the paperwork out to my
paralegal (which is done by my office manager); and
5-10 minutes signing the necessary documents once they
are prepared

Total time:
45 minutes


Total Income:
$750.00

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Paralegal Salary:
Approximately $100.00 for the case (which he/she will probably
earn within 1-2 hours of work)

The Bottom Line:
My gross is $650.00/45-minutes for this client or $867/hour.

Remember, this is probably the lowest cost case I will take. More
often than not, the payoff for that one hour of work is between
$1000.00 and $2500.00 (if it's an existing client it may only require
a 15 minute phone call instead of a full consultation).

Again, I dont work 8 hours/day because I dont want to. I want
those extra 7 hours out of the day to enjoy myself, create other
avenues of income and give back to society.


WORKING WITH CLIENTS

By now you should have a solid grasp on the basics that you need
in order to make your practice fully operational. Now Im going to
delve into what really makes your business boom: clients, repeat
clients and their word-of-mouth referrals.

Over the next several pages Im going to go through everything
from getting, dealing with and billing clients to generating more
business from them. Ive learned that the Golden Rule in any
service-driven industry (especially law), centers on maintaining a
solid relationship with your client and keeping them informed---
regardless of the progression or status of their case. Clients dont
like surprises!


DO NOT start taking clients without reading the rest of this book.
Its invaluable (and its a quick read).
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Rejecting & Firing Clients

This seems like an odd topic to start with when discussing client
relations but one of the three best pieces of advice I got when
starting my practice was, the clients you refuse will make your
practice more of a success than the ones you accept.

The old adage is "know when to cut your losses." I say, just cut
them. You wont always know when its coming so learn to take
decisive action. When cutting your losses, go with your gut.
When a client is not working out or has become a source of
unjustified stress, its time to cut them loose. Explain to them why
the relationship is not working, offer to refer them to another
attorney and have them sign a release for their file. Some clients
may clean up their behavior and become cooperative, some wont.
Follow your instinct.

Remember, clients are supposed to ask you questions and be
concerned but they're not supposed to tell you how to do your job
or take up residence as a complete pain in your butt (most arent
this way but the few that are can make your life miserable). If
they become the latter, they need to go. I believe in customer
service, not the client is always right.

Don't work with clients who refuse to listen to you. If they want
you to do something that contradicts the advice youve given them,
have them sign a waiver stating that you advised them against it. If
they refuse to sign it, refuse to work with them.






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Dont Be Too Smart

You will know the law better than 99% of your clients. Don't
overwhelm them with legal mumbo jumbo (or as we call it,
legalese) or speak above them. Be real and stop periodically to
make sure they understand everything that you are saying. Watch
out for the curse of knowledge.

One of the first books we are required to read in law school is
"Plain English for Lawyers." Honestly, you don't even need to
read the book if you just abide by the title.

As you may know by now, I practice immigration law. Its
complicated stuff and its full of statutory language and the legal
jargon could make my clients minds spin. Its my job to break it
down and make it understandable for the client. The simpler you
make the law while still keeping it accurate the more receptive
your clients will be.

You want to explain things to your clients in such a way that it
sticks in their heads. You want it to be something to which they
can relate. For instance, many of my clients ask, Cant I just fill
out the immigration forms myself? Do I really need an attorney?

My first response used to be, "Of course you do. Its more than just
filling out forms. You need someone that will make sure that all
the forms are completed properly, that the paperwork is sent to the
right agency, the correspondence is handled properly and someone
who will insure that everything goes smoothly beginning to end."

My clients heard "blah, blah, blah" and still wanted to know why
they couldn't file the paperwork themselves.

Honestly, I believe that some of them could have filed their own
paperwork but I also felt that they may jeopardize their cases if
they didnt have an attorney (preferably me). So, I came up with a
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simple explanation that was easy to understand. I told them "Yes,
you could file your own paperwork the same way I could change
my own car's transmission. If, however, one little thing is out of
place then you know what happens. So, for the same reason that I
would use an experienced mechanic to work on my car you need
an experienced attorney to work on your case." They got it.

Apply the same approach when working with your clients. They
need an ally that can explain even the worst news in a way that
theyll be able to understand. Don't throw statutes, form numbers
or case names at clients. They don't understand, nor do they care,
about that. Explain their case and the law as you would to your
parents or grandparents (unless they are attorneys as well).

Return Calls in a Timely Manner

You dont have to call clients ASAP, nor do I recommend that you
do, but by the end of the day is acceptable. My day (not my work
day) ends at 11pm and, yes, I DO call clients right up until that
time. Never let a clients phone call go unanswered for more than
24 hours. Its rude and just plain inconsiderate. Since most clients
want instant gratification, make sure your receptionist and/or your
automated voicemail indicate the timeframe in which clients can
expect their calls to be returned.

If you are not going to be able to return a call within 24 hours then
have your receptionist, assistant, paralegal or anyone else in your
office call them back this is particularly applicable if its
something that should be handled by your staff and not you.

If you are taking a vacation (and you will need them to recharge)
mention it on your voicemail and have your receptionist tell your
clients that you will call them when you get back. Make a
provision for your receptionist to reach you if it really is a dire
emergency (this is one of the shortcomings of being in a position
of responsibility you must be accessible manage it well).
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How do you get clients and more clients?

That is the question most frequently asked by attorneys (as well as
most business owners). You can have the most lavish,
technologically advanced office with a staff consisting of nothing
but Harvard graduates but without a client you are simply one
thing - out of business. There are two situations where you will try
to get clients. The first is when the client has a personal
connection to you and the second is when they don't. Our
objective is to take the latter and make it fit right into the first (or
at least appear so).

Word-of-mouth is your best source of new business. Why?
Because people who are referred to you:

1. Trust you without hesitation because you took care of their
friend, family member or a friend of a friend.
2. Will not unnecessarily question your fees. You are an
attorney that gets results and thats what theyre paying for.
3. Wont bug you too much. Most people who are referred to
you know that the referring party has a good relationship
with you. They won't jeopardize that with nonsensical
inquiries and other unimportant calls.

In other words, we want WARM leads. When you work with
people that know you (directly or indirectly) through a mutual,
personal connection your credibility goes up exponentially. People
want someone who will care about them and their case. Put
yourself in their shoes. When you work with a friend or a
friend of a friend, you expect to receive a higher level of care
than what you would get from someone that you randomly found
in the Yellow Pages. Keep in mind that people work with, and
buy from, people that they like. Your inexperience, and a variety
of other faults and flaws, will often be forgiven if your clients
like you.
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Never Consult for Free

I don't believe in free consultations and I don't believe that an
attorney should be using the same high-pressure sales tactics that
used car salesmen stereotypically use. A consultation is certainly
an opportunity for you to sell yourself but do it through it with
your knowledge and your charisma. Don't worry about the money
that comes from a consultation. Getting cases is what will pay for
your mortgage and BMW. If a client makes an issue about the
consultation fee, imagine how much of a hard time hell give you
for the case fee. Dont take that client.

I do however insist that you have a highly detailed consultation
policy which outlines what the client should do, what you will do
and what the client will walk away with. Ive gone as far as to
guarantee my consultations. My guarantee is that if they did not
feel that they received their moneys worth, they did not get their
questions answered or their concerns addressed they can simply
request that I refund their money at the end of the consultation.
Simple and I dont know another attorney that makes that same
claim!

There will always be attorneys who give free consultations and you
WILL second guess whether or not you are losing business by
charging for them. I assure you that youre not! There are certain
things in life are should be free but an attorneys time is not one of
them. Think about it. Your entire career is based on your
knowledge and expertise. If what is in your head is worth
something then its worth paying for.

I had gone back and forth for years on this issue of paid versus free
consultations. I found that the clients coming in for free
consultations were also consulting with half a dozen other
attorneys (for free of course). These clients often asked irrelevant
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questions or asked the one or two questions that were not answered
at one of the other consultations. I became frustrated and ended up
giving sub-par consultations.

The clients who were paying for consultations, however, were
better prepared, asked relevant questions, were not shopping
around and were coming to me because of my name and not the
free consultation. The number of paid consultations that turned
into clients was also significantly higher than the free ones. The
quality of my consultations and of my clients improved
significantly by implementing a consultation fee. Still concerned
that you may be missing out on clients? Read below on how you
can justify your fee.

Heres how your consultations should go:

1. Show up on time for the consultation (not a minute early or
late). Charge a fee (i.e., $100.00 for a 30-minute
consultation). Go over the allotted time frame if necessary
(the client will appreciate it) but dont go significantly over
the time allotted unless absolutely necessary (i.e. if you
have scheduled a 30-minute consultation do not go over 45
minutes).

2. Offer to credit the cost of the consultation fee towards your
legal fees if they retain you to handle their case this week
(if they hire you after 2 weeks give it to them anyway this
is not a hard and fast rule and you always want to keep an
eye out for ways to build good faith with your client).

3. Weed out the good clients from the bad and get feedback
on your presentation by offering to refund their
consultation fee if, after the consultation, they feel that they
didnt get value for their money. If and when this occurs,
inquire about their dissatisfaction and request an
opportunity to get them what they need while STILL
refunding their consultation fee. You should never count
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this as a loss. This process will help improve your
consultation skills and at the same time identify the clients
you shouldnt have taken in the first place (these are the
ones that request a refund without explanation). In other
words, you are providing a 100% money-back guarantee on
their satisfaction with the consultation. This is one
additional way that you are providing your client peace of
mind (an invaluable component for a client when searching
for an attorney)

4. Provide an incredible, information- packed consultation
that blows the clients mind!

Your consultation should do the following for your clients:

1. Let them know where they currently stand.

2. Explain their options.

4# Explain your role and what you can/cant do for them (full
case assessment).

4. Explain best and worst case scenarios as well as any
problems that could arise along the way.

4. Establish REALISTIC expectations.

5. As accurately as possible, outline current or up-front
financial implications as well as those that will be incurred
along the way and at the end.

6. Explain incidental and/or unexpected costs. Never let a
client be surprised by one of your invoices.

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7. Reiterate the value of your services. Remember that clients
are looking for competence but they also need peace of
mind.

8. Address any lingering or unanswered questions. Give them
your business card at this point if youve not done so
already. Let them know they can contact you if
questions/concerns arise.

9. Tell them that you can get started right away and let them
know what documents and information they need to
provide you. They will also need to know to whom they
should make their check payable to and for how much to
make it out for (if you have a receptionist physically
present at the office he/she can handle the payment part).

If you've given an unbelievable consultation and provided your
potential client with invaluable information, analysis and hope,
getting them to sign on will be automatic. If, however, you hold
back information and provide them a sub-par consultation with a,
dont worry about anything, just give me the paperwork and Ill
handle it attitude, you can expect that they will check with half a
dozen other attorneys before hiring you (if they hire you at all).

Clients Work With You Because They Like You

Ive said it many times throughout this book but it really deserves
its own mention. Think about choosing a doctor. You work with
him (or her) because you like him, he makes you feel important,
and he "seems" like he knows what he's talking about. You have
probably never checked the walls of your doctor's office to see that
he was actually licensed, where he went to school or what his GPA
was.

The same rule applies with attorneys. People will work with you
because they like you, they trust you and you seem to know what
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youre talking about. You will not know everything there is to
know about the law when you first start out. Your knowledge will
inevitably grow as will the quality of your consultations and your
client service. So what do you have until then? You have your
license, an office and YOU!

Be friendly, approachable and professional. Greet your clients
warmly (if they speak a second language and you know enough to
get by then greet them accordingly). Offer them a cup of hot
coffee in the winter and cold water when its hot outside. If they
have traveled quite a distance ask if they need to use the rest room
before sitting with you. Take a few minutes to ask about their job
and family. Have candy available for those who bring their
children (ever been to a bank that didnt have lollipops?). Dont
keep your clients waiting for you it doesnt make you appear
more successful it makes you rude. Walk the client to the door
when they are done and shake their hand warmly. You get the
idea.

Be kind and caring and I assure you that you will never have a
problem getting clients or justifying your fees.

Where to Get Business

This is the chapter that will make you money. I want you to use
each and every method mentioned below to grow your business.
This will be a pain in the neck for the first year but it will repay
you handsomely for many years to come. If you can multi-task
then implement several of these methods at the same time. If you
cant, then just go down the list and keep knocking them out one at
a time.

All of the methods below are very effective at helping you grow
your client base. The best part about them is that they require little
(if any) money to execute.

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1. Divide your email list into 3 categories: friends/family,
regular acquaintances and people with whom you are on
good terms and people that you havent had a conversation
with in ages. Send a different email to each group
explaining that youll be starting your own law practice.
Include your address, all of your pertinent contact
information and indicate your area of specialty. Be
transparent in your communication. Dont pretend that
you are emailing them just to touch base and then throw in
a hey..by the way. Be upfront even if you have to say
something like, I know we havent spoken in ages, and
this may seem selfish, but I could genuinely use your
help.

2. Network, network, network. Spend time with attorneys
that do not practice in your area of expertise, attend your
local county bar association meetings and rub elbows with
anyone and everyone that can influence your business.

3. Once you build a rapport, your peers will be more than glad
to refer clients to you..especially if they know itll be
reciprocated. Do not underestimate referrals you can get
from other attorneys.

4. Ask your parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. for a list of all
their contacts and send an email (or snail-mail letter) out
with the title or introductory line, Hi, your
cousin/friend/uncle, [first name] [last name] felt that you
might be interested in my services and gave me your
contact information.

5. Get the contact information for all of your existing clients
and call or email them and ask them for the referrals of at
least 2-3 friends or family members who might be able to
use your services. Include a self-addressed stamped
envelope and a form for their friends information. This
will make it easy for them to get back to you. But note that
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stamps and envelopes cost money. Instead, I recommend
giving them a call on the weekend and spending 10
minutes on the phone with them. It builds better rapport
than an email and you get significantly more feedback.
Continue to ask new clients for referrals at each major step
of their case (particularly if their case is going well). Dont
go overboard. I would recommend you ask no more than
once every 3 months to 6 months.

6. Write a daily, weekly, or monthly column on your area of
expertise for a local magazine or newspaper (or one of
your organizations newsletters). Be sure that they allow
you to include a picture and your contact information
(people want to connect a face to the name). Include a
disclaimer about the advice that you provide and state that
your advice does not take the place of a proper consultation
with an [your specialty] attorney (then plug your name and
contact info). Guess who theyre going to go to for a
proper consultation.

Bonus: Scan and email a copy of your column to all your
clients.

7. Give free presentations at local organizations. If you are a
member of those organizations, thats even better.

8. Join the local Chamber of Commerce, BNI, or other
business networking group and be there long enough that
people know who you are and what you do before you
even say it.

9. Give your employees a thank you when they bring a
referral into the office. Give them a gift certificate to their
favorite store, tickets to a play or ballgame or take them
out for breakfast or lunch. Everyone loves a pat on the
back from time to time. Dont be cheap! If they brought
you a client who will typically be worth at least $500.00
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then a $50.00 lunch for your paralegal wont break the
bank. Remember, this is a client you would have not had if
not for the referral.

10. Instead of sending your clients holiday cards, send birthday
cards. Better yet, send birthday cards (or even a small gift)
to their children. Follow it up with a call in a day or two to
make sure they received it (unless they call you first they
usually will), ask how theyve been and dont miss the
chance to ask for two or three more referrals (be sure to do
it tactfully and be prepared to let it slide if the feel of the
conversation does not lend itself to asking).

11. As I mentioned earlier, have an ethical bribe on the back
of your business card. For example, if you are a real estate
attorney, the back of your business card may read, For a
free guide to the ins and outs of buying your first home
please visit www.JohnDoeLaw.com/realestateguide.
When clients visit that site they will automatically be
forwarded to the site for the download (your web designer
can help you with this) after providing you with their name
and email. Now you have someone who not only is
visiting your website but theyre also giving you their
email so that you may contact them in the future. Make
sure that you make it crystal clear that, by giving you their
email, they will receive future emails from you and your
office. Always provide them the option to get the
information without having to enter their email as well. If
they do give you their email, make sure theyre included in
your next marketing campaign.







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Wait Until They Ask

I have a rule about giving out my business card: I dont give it out
unless someone asks. Its important that the person you are
speaking with knows something about you and your business first.
If they then ask for your card its out of genuine interest rather
than obligation. If you are in a situation where you desperately
want to on the exchange contact information and they are not
asking for your card, ask for their card first.

You can always follow up with them at later date (be sure to make
a quick note back of their card so you can use it as a reminder of
what the two of you spoke about). If, in the worst-case scenario,
you ask for their card and they dont have any then ask, If I gave
you my card would you be as kind as to email me your contact
information? Whether they get you the information or not is up
to them but at least you have attempted to capitalize on an
opportunity.


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Chapter Seven:
The Human Side of Business















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Some Personal Notes

Ive done my best to provide you with great content and a genuine
way to work with clients in order to lead you to a successful
practice. What I have yet to mention are the personality
characteristics and practices of a successful attorney and
businessperson. The rest of this book is dedicated to those things
and they can be applied to practically any business arena. I have
applied (and continue to do so) all of the following to my own
practice as well as my other business pursuits. They serve me well
and Im confident that they will work for you.


Maintain Your Integrity

There are too many attorneys out there that lie, cheat and steal.
They do it to their clients and the do it in the name of the almighty
dollar. Dont let yourself fall into that category. Genuinely care
about your clients and the money will follow (this is a trust me
moment).

If you are unscrupulous in your practice of law you will definitely
make money initially. But within a short period of time, you will
inevitably end up losing your integrity as well as your clients. Be
honest with your clients. Let them know how good/bad their case
is going and give them hope ONLY when it exists. Lets bring
back the respect that this profession deserves.

Integrity is paramount in being a great attorney and a trusted
businessperson.


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Take the Heat

Things will go wrong; clients will get upset; you will get blamed
when cases dont go well, etc. Remember that at the end of the
day its YOUR business. Take responsibility for what goes wrong,
especially if there was a mistake on your end or anyone who works
for you (i.e., your paralegal, receptionist, even the Fed Ex carrier,
etc.). When the fault is on your end, you must accept
responsibility. Let the client know you screwed up and do
everything you can to fix it.

You will be astounded at the level of respect and understanding
you will get from a client when something has gone wrong on your
end and you accept responsibility.

When I first started out I inadvertently failed to keep up with a
particular update regarding immigration procedures. To make a
long story short, I neglected to advise a client soon enough to
allow him to travel outside the United States without
repercussions. He had to miss his own wedding due to my error.
Im not talking about a civil ceremony. Im talking about all the
bells and whistles and thousands upon thousands of dollars already
being spent on the wedding.

I felt horrible but I took full responsibility for the error and worked
feverishly to do everything I could to rectify the situation. The
wedding did take place but it was 3 months after everyone
anticipated. Nevertheless, the couple forgave me for my error.
They are still my clients and consistently send me referrals who
rave about the wonderful things the couple says about my abilities.


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Dont Burn Out

If you're practicing law ONLY to become filthy rich I suggest you
get out of the business. Yes, it can happen but if youre only
chasing money then it wont work. There are other ways to make
lots of money that don't require a law degree. What Im talking
about in this book is making a pretty damn good living without
having to sacrifice your family or your personal life. To me, that's
huge.

I came pretty close to burning out a few years ago. As you read in
the My Background section, I was running the practice, had a staff
that worked under me, a partner and a big office. Overhead was
running me close to $10,000.00/month. Putting that in perspective,
I had to bring in$120,000.00 a year before I got to see a penny of
it. But I was rocking, the clients were pouring in and I was
working like a madman minting money.

If you havent already figured it out, when you work that much
you get tired. But I was on mission to net over $250,000.00 a year
(after expenses) before my 5th year of practicing. I think I was at
around $186,000.00 by July of that year (hell, I had 5 months left
to make even more) but the stress was killing me. I couldn't keep
up.

SoI hired an executive coach. The guy charged more per hour
than I did as an attorney (part of my new found love of the
coaching business). Luckily, his advice proved priceless within
the first hour. He asked, "Do you take a lunch?" I told him that I
do every day. No he said, do you step away from your desk to
have lunch?

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Was this guy on crack? How was I supposed to make all my
money if I take time out for lunch? He asked me to take lunch
away from my desk only ONCE per week and see how it felt.

Can I tell you what a cathartic effect going out to lunch has on
you? I loved it. I got some fresh air, I cleared my head and I
actually started enjoying my food as food and not just fuel. The
second question my coach asked me was WHY I wanted to earn so
much money. I honestly didnt have a good answer. I was
exhausted, my love life was a mess and I wasn't getting any rest.
What I really needed was free time and relaxation.

That is why I wrote this book. To let attorneys understand that you
dont have to work insane hours and come to the brink of
exhaustion to be successful. You will not have the time to enjoy
life if you are running around like a madman and are available for
your clients (or corporate bosses) at the drop of a hat. If you want
to work 80-100 hours a week and make the same salary that I'm
showing you how to make working 1/4 of that time then by all
means stick to being a corporate attorney. But if you want to make
a great living and work a fraction of the time, then follow the
techniques in this book.

Be Ethical

I feel that many of the compliance regulations and ethical rules for
attorneys cut deeply into our ability to run our businesses as
efficiently as possible. With that said, I dont suggest that an
attorney violate any of these rules & regulations. Run an ethical
practice with integrity and your risk for an ethical violation will be
slim to none. Being ethical is one thing in the book that is
common sense but if you really are unsure as to whether or not
your practices are in compliance with attorney ethics just call them
and find out.

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Make sure that you keep your trust account in check, follow rules
for advertising, etc. But if a client comes to you and has some
crazy theory about how the two of you can bamboozle a few
million dollars out of his former spouse just turn him away (and
you don't even have to do it nicely just tell him you dont work
like that).

Youre Still a Salesperson

Allow me to make an important clarification: salesperson and
unethical are NOT synonymous. You will sell through your
knowledge and personality, not by strong-arming or deceiving
your clients. Read some good books on salesmanship (one that
comes to mind is Og Mandinos The Greatest Salesman in the
World). Zig Ziglar has also written some great books on
salesmanship.

All business people must sell themselves and their business. Some
people sell by being pushy, others by being nice and others by
being knowledgeable. Remember, you are NOT selling legal
services. You are selling the comfort and confidence that the client
gets from your knowledge and experience and the peace of mind
that comes from your caring. Dont forget that!

Make Bold Decisions

When you are in business for yourself you will have decisions to
make each and every day. Some will be calculated and others will
be based on your gut reaction. Make bold decisions. When you
know something is right (or feels right) go with it. When your
body doesnt feel quite right it means you are going against your
gut. Dont do that. The stress of making those types of decisions
will kill you (or at least significantly affect your health). When
you are unsure of making a bold decision consider whether or not
you will regret not taking any action (or taking the wrong action)
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:<

in a day, a month or a year from now. That question alone will
often be enough to make the decision for you.

Remember, one important piece of advice when things are going
wrong, whether you CAN or CANNOT do something about it,
worrying will not make a difference. You either act to change
things or you have no choice but to sit back and wait.

Care About Your Clients

Understand where your clients are coming from and watch out for
clients who are using you to exact revenge. It is easy to become
apathetic about your clients and their cases. You will often get
consumed by your business and family and your clients will
become secondary. Do everything you can to prevent this from
happening. Understand your clients situations and genuinely put
yourself in their shoes. See what outcome they are looking for and
do your best to achieve it. They will sincerely appreciate you for
it.

There will be circumstances where your clients are driven by anger
and revenge. Avoid these cases whenever possible. If, and when,
you do get these clients, make them understand that they hired you
to be impartial and to provide them with the best advice to achieve
the best results. If they want you to be vengeful on their behalf I
would advise you to turn them down. If you get caught up in their
anger and vengeance, you will lose respect as an attorney, you will
fail to represent your client professionally and you will jeopardize
your emotional and physical well-being.

Ask For Help

This is the most underused tool among lawyers. There is no shame
or weakness in asking for help. When you need help interpreting
the law or could use some assistance in running your business, ask
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for it. Those who have tasted success will be honored that you
asked and theyll be more than glad to lend a hand.


Dont Lie To Your Clients

This is an unambiguous rule. If you lie to your clients, they will
find out. When they do, they will tell others. Remember: a
satisfied client tells a friend about you but an unsatisfied client tells
TEN friends. Word-of-mouth is both the BEST and the WORST
advertising in the world. Never jeopardize your reputation.

Dont Let Anyone Discourage You

When you start your own law practice you will be one of few who
had the courage and bravado to break the mold. There will also be
people, maybe even colleagues, who question your abilities and
criticize your decision to go out on your own. Ignore them!
Follow your heart and listen to only those who have succeeded and
not those who wish they had the courage to follow your lead.

Get Rid of Your Ego (Its bad for Business)

Dont let your ego get in the way of your business. Business is
about growing your bottom line while still being ethical and
maintaining integrity. If a client chooses not to work with you its
not because you are incompetent. If a client wants to negotiate on
your fees it does not mean you are not worth it. If a judge has a
few stern words with you it does not mean that your abilities have
been questioned. Dont let your ego get in the way. Its business
and not a judgment of you or your firm. Keeping that in mind will
make it easier (much easier) to run a law practice. We are in a
business that is often emotionally charged. Keep your head clear
and your emotions in check and you will walk away victorious
more times than not.
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Treat Your Staff Well

The people you hire are your lifeline. Treat them well. Give them
respect and pay them well. You do not need to coddle your staff
and you should not deal with incompetence or insubordination but
let them know they are doing a good job. Everyone loves a pat on
the back.

When they do make a mistake they will listen more attentively, and
with more respect, knowing that you are equally ready to praise
them for their good work.

Also, when they do make a mistake, tell the client it was your fault.
The client doesnt care that your paralegal or secretary screwed up.
Its your practice and you will be portrayed in a negative light if
you blame the very people that support your success. However,
taking the blame will resonate very well with your staff. You
protected them. This will increase their respect and loyalty
towards you and your business. If you are always attentive to the
fact that your success is heavily contingent upon the loyal and
dependable people working for you, you will automatically treat
them with the respect and care they deserve.

FOLLOW- UP (Most important)

Finally, follow-up with your clients, prospective clients, past
clients and everyone and anyone else who has ever contacted you
for legal advice. Yes, this list will get huge! You must establish a
procedure for regular follow-up so that you remain in the eyes of
all your past and present clients and prospects. Not everyone will
need an attorney right now. But when they do only your name
should come to mind.

You do this through emails, phone calls, mailings, newsletters, etc.
With that all said it is difficult and only gets harder as your client
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:4

list grows. So to make it easier for you Ive put together several
follow-up services which you can use in your own business and
which make follow-up with your own clients simple. Just go to
www.ABALrecommends.com and youll get find several options
for continuous follow-up. Pick and choose the ones that work
best for you.

Give Something Back

This is not business advice, its personal advice which in some
inexplicable way, I know will grow your business. Once youre
doing well and making a great income, give something back to
those that are less fortunate than you. It keeps you humble, it
keeps you human and it just feels good. You can contact me at
Sameer@AmazingBusinessAmazingLife.com to see where Im
donating my money.

CONCLUSION

Make a decision! Weigh the variables and decide now whether
you want to start your own law practice. If the answer is yes,
then start taking definitive action towards that goal. Dont wait for
the someday that may or may not ever come. It takes some time
and a series of bumps, bruises, detours and rerouting to start a
successful practice. The sooner you start, the sooner you get them
out of the way. This book helps you avoid a lot of them.

My biggest mistake was in thinking that I had to do what other
attorneys were doing to be successful. Attorneys tend to develop a
confidence that doesnt necessarily accompany other professions.
This often results in a need to appear more successful than they
are, not only to clients but to other members of the profession. I
realized that there are a lot of attorneys that carry this appearance
well but are barely making ends meet. Dont make the same
mistakes I did and put up a faade to impress other attorneys or
anyone else for that matter.
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:5


Fake it until you make it is a load of crap. Give the best
appearance you can but dont lie to others or yourself about who
you are and where you stand. Do what you need to do for yourself
and forget how it will look in the eyes of your fellow JDs. Your
colleagues will have the choice to belittle the way you practice law
or learn from you. The smart ones will do the latter.

So.. get up off your butt and start putting in the work necessary
to achieve the lifestyle I have discussed in this book. Better yet,
exceed the lifestyle Ive described. But do me a favor. When
youve made it, let me know. Nothing is more satisfying to me
than knowing Ive helped change a persons life and career.

I wish each and every one of you great success and happiness and I
will do MY best to make sure I provide you the ongoing education
and support you need to succeed.

The days of talking and dreaming about your own practice are
over. Take action and make it happen!















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:6



Your Free Consultation


As a registered book buyer you are entitled
to a FREE 30-minute phone consultation
directly with me (a $1000 Value). You
MUST request your consultation within 60
days of the purchase of your book. Simply
tear out (or print) this page, complete & fax
to 732-875-0071.
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