Law firms have traditionally been built on the back of referral marketing. You know, lawyers going to events, meeting other attorneys and business owners, and thus generating inbound leads to their firms. That is pretty much how it has always been. That focus exists for a number of reasons: First, it is a free (mostly) form of marketing—talk is cheap, right?  Second, lawyers are effectively limited in direct client outreach models due to non-solicitation rules.  Third, attorneys are never actually taught any marketing tactics—so, they gravitate to the easiest and simplest option.

A funny thing happened on the way to 2024.  The pandemic had everybody locked in their homes, which meant that lawyers retreated to web marketing tactics, in the absence of in-person events and gatherings. Also, more and more digital natives are entering the legal space, including as law firm owners; and, those folks may be more likely to lean on web marketing pathways, rather than traditional referral marketing. So, it may be that, for the first in . . . forever—some lawyers may need to get back to good, old-fashioned referral marketing.

So, if you feel as though your referral marketing has been lacking of late, you can start to pick that up, in the near-term.  Just carve out a three-pronged marketing plan that you can roll out in the next quarter. Maybe you will start regularly attending meetings through an organization you belong to. Or, perhaps you could schedule an in-person presentation through a local stakeholder organization.  Or, you can attend a community event and talk about what you do for work.

It is time to open up again. If you want to talk over your marketing strategy, just reach out.

WCBA Members-Only Benefits
The WCBA offers discounted law practice management consulting services through Red Cave Law Firm Consulting.
To access consulting services https://redcavelegal.com/wcba/ and start running your law firm like a business.

Jared D. Correia, Esq., is the Founder and CEO of Red Cave Law Firm Consulting, which offers subscription-based law firm business management consulting and technology services for solo and small law firms. Red Cave also works with legal institutions and legal-facing corporations to develop programming and content. A former practicing attorney, Jared has been advising lawyers and law firms for over a decade. 
He is a regular presenter at local, regional and national events and regularly contributes to legal publications, including his column, ‘Managing,’ for Attorney at Work, and his ‘Law Practice Confidential’ advice column for Lawyerist. He is the host of the Legal Toolkit podcast on Legal Talk Network. Jared also teaches for Concord Law School, Suffolk University Law School and Solo Practice University.