Organizations – Legal Chow

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)

During my freshman year in college, I took an entry-level sociology class. I candidly do not remember much from the class. After all, I was young and inexperienced. I still had a lot to learn about how social issues impact large groups of people.

Nonetheless, I learned a principle that has stuck with me for more than 40 years. Midway through the semester, the professor explained a concept that has forever changed how I view organizations.

When an organization is formed to address a cause, the continued existence of the organization becomes more important than the cause.

To emphasize his point, the professor referenced the March of Dimes, a group that was founded in 1938 to combat polio. The group was highly efficient in raising money to fight the dreaded disease. By the late 1950s, polio had been eradicated, thanks to the life-saving vaccine developed by Dr. Jonas Salk and funding from the March of Dimes.

My professor explained that the March of Dimes was a wonderful organization that had accomplished great things. The group came into existence to fight a horrible disease. And it succeeded in eliminating the disease.

But as a result of its success, the March of Dimes had a full-blown institution in place with no battle to fight. Rather than disband, the group changed its focus (today we would say it “rebranded” itself) from fighting polio to fighting birth defects because, as my professor cynically explained, “No one can ever eliminate all birth defects.” By changing its focus from fighting polio to fight birth defects, the March of Dimes became immortal.

My professor did not tell the story to condemn the March of Dimes. Rather, he referenced it to show the sociological phenomenon of institutional self-preservation.

I’ve thought about that principle repeatedly over the years. Every day, passionate people start new organizations to address serious social needs. Businesses, political organizations, and community groups all come to life around a common vision championed by true believers who are fervent in their desire to fight for their noble cause.

Over time, however, organizations that once operated on a shoestring can find themselves flush with cash. They hire professional staff to battle for their cause. The group accomplishes some worthwhile goal, which emboldens the organization to continue pursuing its cause. Gradually the focus of the organization changes from fighting for the cause to ensuring the continued existence of the organization, along with the attendant power, prestige, and paychecks that accompany the fight.

Consider the organizations that you belong to. Do they still meet the stated objectives that caused you to join? Or has the purpose of the group morphed into something other than what initially drew you into the group? If you and the organization no longer have compatible expectations, it may be time to leave the group. And if the organization has fulfilled its stated purpose, it may be time to disband the group.

Human nature recoils at shutting down a vibrant organization simply because it no longer fills the need it was created to address. Instead, once an organization is set into motion, it will grow and expand its reach as it morphs its mission to justify its continued existence.

Rather than seeking to fulfill an urgent need, the organization becomes a solution in search of a problem.

Category: Organizations

5 Tips for Finding a Job (Part 5)

A Solution in Search of a Problem