Attorneys have target markets; are you a good fit?

Dave, what’s your target market? What type of client chooses you? What type of client do you refer to other attorneys?

The last question is the easiest to answer. For ethical reasons, attorneys may not accept clients facing problems in areas of the law in which they lack competence, cannot become competent with reasonable effort, or do not wish to associate with a competent attorney. Beyond that, it is personal preference and interest.

I am personally interested in legal issues, conflict, and disputes involving businesses, neighborhoods, and churches. My preventative law practice focuses on transactions, contracts, business documents, and business policies, but if a conflict has escalated to the level of a dispute, I move into settlements, negotiations, use of the collaborative process, and mediation. I do not care for family law (even though I help many individuals in this area through the in-take process at Legal Aid), because I respect the sanctity of marriage (“…let no man put asunder… etc.”) even though there are plenty of innocent parties out there. I also don’t care for criminal law or personal injury cases.

So what is my target market? It would have to be the business people who make decisions and wish to be in control of their destinies. It includes entrepreneurs who developed their businesses through their own sweat and do not have funds set aside for litigation. It’s those people who realize that telling the attorney to “sue the bastards” is a no-win situation for the client. It includes the construction industry, the high tech industry, and many shops and operations in between. My clients want to be able to talk to a business person about business problems. They are willing to consider out-of-the-box solutions. They want to do things on their own but sometimes need a sounding board or a little guidance. They are self confident, know they don’t know everything, and know they don’t have to know everything.

Sadly, from the perspective of a seasoned professional, the vast majority is relatively young – more mature individuals, who should have more wisdom, seem to be tainted from having grown up in a litigious society that rewards winning at all costs. Younger folks seem to understand the societal shift toward cooperation and collaboration. Most have grown up with the internet and understand the value of information and time. Yes, there are some of us who remember the tag line, “And that’s the way it is”, but we realize it doesn’t have to be that way.

Am I like most attorneys? Certainly not. According to one survey, I am least like lawyers and most like Operations Managers, Manufacturing Managers, Construction Managers and Information Center Managers. This means I have more in common with problem solving executives in action-driven organizations than I do with individuals earning a living from the litigation process. (Survey results available upon request.)

When hiring legal expertise, be sure you have a good fit. As with other professions, there are competencies and personalities; choose your counselor carefully.

It may be legal, but is it right?