"You have to be able to get positive results under negative circumstances"- the great Dan Kennedy. It seems that every criminal lawyer I talk with is saying business sucks. One lamented "I've relied on word-of-mouth for 15 years - and it's not working anymore." Another said "This is the worst year ever for me - and I've been practicing 25 years."
It's tough all over. I don't claim to have all the answers. But, here are a few suggestions:
Take a case pro bono. "What?" you say. "Why would I take a case for free?" Because good things will happen to you if you help others with no expectation of anything in return. Also, it's another person who can potentially refer you business down the road. The biggest fee I ever got was referred by someone I represented at trial pro bono.
Care about your clients. If you don't really care about them, go do something else. Clients know when you care about them and when you are just doing it for the money. If you are just in it for the money, I hear bankruptcy and foreclosure defense are doing great. Go join them.
Be courteous to everyone - especially to the people who you think can't do anything for you.
Keep the big picture in perspective. You've always made money practicing law, right? You will continue to. Don't let the slump get you down. Keep a positive attitude.
Get a new suit. What? Spend money? YES. People notice. A fantastic tailor I use named
Mr. Sam is going to be in south Florida next week. The link is to a coupon. Get some custom made shirts (starting at only $149 for 4 shirts) and a suit (starting at $500 - about the price you pay for an off the rack Boss suit on sale).
Create great content on your website. Don't steal content. Write your own. Add content weekly. As
Mark Bennett says "I can create faster than you can copy."
Spend more time with your family. Life ain't all about work. When you die, do you really want your tombstone to read: "Here lies Joe Schmo. He worked a lot."
Grey Tesh is a board certified criminal trial lawyer in West Palm Beach, Florida and is President of the Palm Beach association of criminal defense lawyers. www.aaacriminaldefense.com