Your Law Firm is a Business

Take it to the Next Level

Part Two of Diving into Clio’s Legal Trends Report with Josh Lenon

By on February 1st, 2023 in Uncategorized

With the recent release of Clio’s Legal Trends Report, we continue our analysis of the data and identify ways to use that information in legal practices.

Josh Lenon is the Lawyer-in-Residence at Clio and is an expert at translating the law to technology and technology to law. He helped Mark and Melanie to again recognize some critical components of the report.

Clients prefer synchronous communication.

While it may sound old-fashioned, the Legal Trends Report strongly indicated that clients still want someone to take their calls or respond to their emails. In 2019, as a part of a secret shopper exercise, about 60% of law firms didn’t pick up the phone at all. Having someone who can answer the phone for your practice is a huge investment in your business.

Consider hiring an answering service or using a calendaring system to set appointments. If you have a Contact Us section on your website, you should be responding to it.

Clients prefer synchronous communication, which means phone calls or even Zoom will make them feel seen and heard. You can use asynchronous communication in other areas of your business.

Evaluate your billing practices.

Affordability is huge for potential clients. Offering flexibility when it comes to payments will attract more business. That also includes how clients can pay you. For instance, do you have an online payment portal, or do they have to pay you in person?

Consider offering some flat-fee services. As consumers, we want to know what we’ll pay for something upfront. If you’ve been an attorney for more than a couple of years, you’ll have a general idea about what your services cost. Offering some flat-fee options tells clients upfront what they’ll pay saves both of you time and hassle. It also provides a source of predictable–and increased–revenue for your practice.

If you want to learn more about diving into Clio’s Legal Trends Report, check out https://www.nextlevel.legal/episode/lfn077.