Photo by Steven Wright on Unsplash
No. 5 – Find (or create) an underserved niche that excites you, and become a thought leader in that area.
Lawyers are an odd bunch. We try to distinguish ourselves by copying our peers. We dress alike, we speak the same language (legalese), and we market ourselves indistinguishably, using the same words to extoll our differences that our competitors use to describe themselves.
And then we wonder why prospective employers cannot tell us apart.
New graduates don’t have a monopoly on this problem. Law firms have difficulty articulating how they differ from their competitors in a way that resonates with their target clientele. Virtually every law firm web site describes its practice areas using the same words. And they all do “top quality work” for “competitive prices.”
If you want to stand out, you need to look and sound different from your competition. You must think differently about what you do and about what you want to do.
You are not limited to describing your practice in the standard vernacular. Find your own niche. Create your own practice area. Combine your interests – including interests outside of the law – and be the first one to stake your claim to that legal territory.
For example, if you are a new lawyer who wants to practice plaintiff’s personal injury law in the Phoenix metropolitan area (where I practice), you must go to the end of the line where thousands of “experienced, aggressive” lawyers are practicing ahead of you. You are in direct competition with each one of them.
Instead of fighting the crowd, find an underserved segment of the market. The market can be segmented into a limitless area of needs. Your market segment might be based on geography, industry, economic status, cultural background, or other demographic distinction. It might be tied to developing trends (e.g., legal analytics), new laws (GDPR, anyone?), or emerging industries (cloud computing).
Once you have chosen your niche, ask yourself what keeps your target clients up at night. Identify what your prospective clients need, and then figure out how to meet those needs.
Many people complain that there are “too many” lawyers. A number of years ago I participated in a marketing webinar that debunked this notion and changed the way I think about marketing myself.
The speaker was a seasoned lawyer who had practiced for more than 40 years. He identified the array of federal laws that had been enacted in the time that he had been practicing law. The list was stunning: Title VII, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, Environmental Protection Act, Obamacare, Family and Medical Leave Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Clean Air Act, Defend Trade Secrets Act, and dozens of other pieces of legislation. Many of the acts also have state equivalents.
Each of those acts creates a confusing maze that organizations and individuals must learn to navigate. Each of the acts creates a ready-made pool of clients for savvy lawyers who can confidently speak the language and give meaningful answers to questions. Each gives you an opportunity to create a niche, become an expert in the niche you created, and distinguish yourself from the competition.
As long as legislatures keep passing laws, people will need smart lawyers to help them avoid legal quagmires. Be that lawyer. Find the need, and figure out how to meet it. Then go to the head of the line, market yourself as an expert, and help your client navigate through the legal maze.
(Last in a series)