Who Do I Need to Know and How Do I Meet Them?

November 10, 2007

The following outline accompanies a presentation by Debra Bruce about starting up a law practice in connection with the “Planning to Conquer the Real World of Private Practice” seminar presented to law schools in Texas by the Law Practice Management Committee of the State Bar of Texas:

I. Rule 1.01 of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct
A lawyer should not accept employment in a matter beyond his/her competence.Unless: 1.01(a)(1) a competent lawyer is associated with client’s prior informed consentCompetence defined as having the ability to timely acquire the necessary knowledge, skill & training.

Need to know:  lawyers

  • That you can call on to give you advice and guidance to expeditiously acquire such additional knowledge, skills and training as you may need.
  • That you can associate in your client matter with the client’s consent if the matter is too complex to handle on your own.

    • How do you meet them?

  • Houston Young Lawyers Association meetings
  • State and local bar association section meetingsSolos Supporting Solos.
  • Call your old professors, especially if you are practicing in the same town. They can answer questions and refer you to other lawyers. They may even be able to help you find employment down the road if you stay in touch. Established lawyers often contact their old professors when they are looking to hire a young lawyer.
  • Lawyers in firms where your friends are working. Even someone just 2 or 3 years ahead of you can be helpful.
  • Take on bar association duties or section duties

    •  Start attending meetings before you have questions, so that you will already have the relationships established before you have the questions. Most of the organizations have student memberships, but very few students take advantage of them. You will stand out as dedicated, plucky, and savvy.

    Find ways that you can benefit the lawyers you would like to benefit from. When you do them a favor first, they will want to find a way to benefit you.

  • Perhaps offer to 2nd chair a trial with them for free, or at a very cheap rate.
  • Handle some of their dog cases for them.
  • Find out what needs or interests they have and try to help get them met.
  • Baby-sit their kids in a pinch.
  • Give their high schooler a tour of the college campus.
  • Prepare a home-cooked meal and deliver it.
  • Take their college kid to lunch to tell them what law school is really like these days.
  • Teach them the slang they need to know to understand what their kids are saying.
  • Teach them how to do things on the computer.
  • Set up a simple website, listserv or blog for their ski club or charitable organization.

    • II. Rule 1.14
    A lawyer holding funds of clients must hold them in an account separate from the lawyer’s own funds, in a separate account, designated as a trust or escrow account.

    Need to know: bankers familiar with trust accounts, and preferably with IOLTA accounts. That banker can be essential to your practice for a lot of other reasons, as well.

    • If the banker knows you and trusts you, she can be a good referral source.
    • You may need a loan for capital improvements or equipment. Perhaps you will be able to negotiate a line of credit once you are able to demonstrate an income stream and create some receivables.

    How do you meet them:

  • Don’t just set up your account and do all your business thereafter at the ATM or drive-up window. Walk in to make deposits and make a point of saying hello. Call them by name.
  • Consider putting your accounts at a bank small enough that you can get to know the branch manager or a significant officer. Perhaps one in your building, so you can bump into them or stop in often.
  • Stop and ask questions about their services. Refer new accounts to them.
  • Take out a small loan and pay it off in 6 months or a year, just to establish yourself as a good and creditworthy customer.
  • If you do transactional work, find out who handles real property financings or business loans. Invite them to lunch and find out what kind of business they are looking for.
  • Attend some of the networking and holiday events that the bank has. For example, Sterling Bank has a women’s networking event each month.
  • Bankers move around a lot. That’s good and bad. It makes it more challenging to have a solid banking relationship with your bank when the people keep changing. It gives you an opportunity to have potential referral sources in multiple banks, however, if you keep up the relationship.

    • III. Rule 2.01
    In advising or otherwise representing a client, a lawyer shall exercise independent professional judgment and render candid advice.
    Comment 4 says, “Matters that go beyond strictly legal questions may also be in the domain of another profession. Family matters can involve problems within the professional competence of psychiatry, clinical psychology or social work; business mattes can involve problems within the competence of the accounting profession or of financial specialists. Where consultation with a professional in another field is itself something a competent lawyer would recommend, the lawyer should make such a recommendation.”

    Need to know: depends on your practice area. Often the people you may need to refer your clients to can be good referral sources to you, as well.

    For a Family Law Practice:

    • Therapists, counselors, social workers
    • Financial planners
    • CPAs (tax & auditing)
    • Ministers
    • Bankers
    • Investigators
    • Appraisers
    • Lawyers in other specialties

    For a Transactional (Business, Real Estate, Tax) Practice:

    • CPAs (tax & auditing)
    • Appraisers
    • Bankers
    • Investment bankers
    • Venture capitalists
    • Surveyors
    • Title companies
    • Real estate agent
    • Property insurance agent
    • Life insurance agent for key person insurance
    • Tenant leasing agent
    • Architects
    • Interior designers/space planners
    • Specialized licensing agents (like liquor licenses)
    • Engineers

    For a Trial Practice:

    • Court reporters
    • Court clerks
    • Mediators
    • Investigators
    • Doctors
    • Expert witnesses (engineers, safety experts, chemists, etc.)
    • Forensic computer experts
    • Document storage, retrieval and management
    • Demonstrative evidence presentation and multi-media specialists
    • Jury consultants

      How do you meet them?

      • Bar section meetings- talk to speakers & ask other lawyers
      • Networking groups
      • Chambers of Commerce
      • Civic groups
      • Trade association meetings
      • Ask for referrals by other service providers who serve the same client base
      • Your building directory
      • Events, parties, etc. they sponsor (they’re looking to meet people like you and potential customers)
      • Chat with people at the courthouse
      • Attend unusual CLE events with non-lawyer speakers
      • Judicial receptions
      • Events sponsored by Texas Lawyer or other companies that have exhibitors
      • State Bar convention
      • Ads in the Texas Bar Journal, the Houston Lawyer, Texas Lawyer and other legal publications
      • Online research, listservs & chat rooms for lawyers

      IV. Paragraph 5 of the Preamble to the DRs:

      “As a public citizen, a lawyer should seek improvement of the law, the administration of justice and the quality of service rendered by the legal profession.”

      You need to have your office well organized to be able to render quality legal services.What connections do you need to help you run a quality law office?

      Need to know:

      • Persons to recommend hardware & software tailored to the legal industry
      • Insurance agents for: malpractice liability, premises & general liability, fire, theft & casualty, flood, business interruption
      • Good legal secretary, legal assistant or office assistant
      • Computer technology professional
      • Landlord representative in your office building
      • Tenant rep to find your office space
      • Executive suites rep
      • Lawyers subleasing space
      • Banker “loan officer”
      • CPA or other tax advisor
      • Employment agency for temp and permanent assistants
      • College placement office & financial aid office for part-time help
      • Furniture dealer perhaps used
      • Bookkeeper
      • Printer for business cards, stationery, announcements, invitations, etc.
      • Promotional item sales rep
      • Business coach
      • Professional organizer
      • Legal research & forms guide company rep (Westlaw, Lexis, LoisLaw, BNA, etc.)
      • Nearby bigger law firm with a good library

      How do you meet them?
      See the other suggestions above.

    Posted by Debra L. Bruce | Filed Under Client Development for Lawyers, Law Firm Associates, Raising the Bar 

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