Direct Legal Mail

North Carolina "Raise the Age" Bill

Mon, 15 May 2017 10:19:27 -0400

On April 10, the State of New York, passed a bill, which treats 16 and 17 years olds that commit a crime in the State as a juvenile and pushes their cases into the juvenile justice system. This leaves North Carolina as the only state that tries 16 and 17 years olds as adults regardless of the offense.

Keep Your Eyes Open: What to Look for When Hiring Legal Staff

Wed, 22 Mar 2017 19:55:17 -0400

Hiring legal staff is one of the most important tasks of an attorney. Hire the right people and the firm can floursh. Hire the wrong ones, and you could go out of business and even get in trouble with the Bar. This blog article discusses what you need to be thinking about when evaluating candidates for employment for your law firm.

Making the Decision to Hire Family ... or Not!

Wed, 22 Mar 2017 19:28:45 -0400

When starting out as a solo practitioner or even as an established attorney, one question is whether or not to hire family members. Compensation rates, the reality or perception of favoritism, and client confidentiality all can become an issue when hiring a family member. On the other hand, no one knows you better than family. A family member may know your work style, expectations, and you may have pleasant interactions with a family member at work that makes work more pleasant. This blog article discusses the pros and cons of working with family.

Dealing with the Unexpected

Wed, 22 Mar 2017 19:13:13 -0400

The problems that attorneys handle for clients tend to be complex - or why would clients need to hire attorneys in the first place? But this complexity can throw curve balls at an attorney when he least expects it. Yes, it is true that sometimes an attorney can lose a case that they expected to win. Sometimes an attorney has to explain to a client a bad and unexpected outcome. This blog post discusses how an attorney can deal with the unexpected defeat and disappointment practically and emotionally.

How lawyers can recognize and deal with stress

Wed, 22 Mar 2017 19:05:04 -0400

This blog article recognizes the obvious: attorneys are under a lot of stress nowadays. From problem clients to tight deadlines to huge caseloads, the stressors are never-ending. This article discusses how to identify stress, determine the root cause of it, and how to successfully cope with it.

Determining and Setting Your Fees

Wed, 22 Mar 2017 18:40:36 -0400

How do attorneys go about setting legal fees for their services. Pricing is one of the great challenges in any industry and for every business. Law Firms and legal services are no different. This blog articles discusses both the different philosophies in setting legal fees and gives tips on how to set ethical, rationale, fair, and profitable legal fees.

OMG! Where Did You Come From?

Wed, 22 Mar 2017 14:51:53 -0400

Problem clients come in all different types. Every law firm has them. This blog post discusses the different types of problem clients that lawyers can expect to encounter, such as The Needy Client, The Client Who Fails to Listen, and The Rude or Disrespectful Client. There are different strategies for dealing with problem clients and this blog post lays them out and discusses the merits and pitfalls of these strategies.

I’m A New Attorney, What Do I Do?

Tue, 21 Mar 2017 09:08:00 -0400

This blog post is the ultimate guide to what to do as a new attorney. It is natural to feel a little lost on your own after starting your law practice. There just isn't as much structure as law school. But there are some valuable things you can do to start off on the right foot as a new lawyer, including: getting a mentor, engaging in active learning, and being patient with the profession and your progress in it.

Get a Life: Avoid Legal Overwork

Thu, 16 Mar 2017 15:00:00 -0400

Lawyers seem to be working longer and harder hours than ever. If a lawyer works at a law firm, that law firm has an incentive to push that lawyer to work longer and longer hours. If a lawyer is an entrepreneur, he will push himself harder and harder. The result is overwork, and often burnout. This blog post discusses how burnout happens and what to do about it.

Which Offenses Are Best for Direct Mail in Virginia?

Thu, 16 Mar 2017 14:18:15 -0400

So if you have decided to make the wise choice and use direct mail advertising for your law firm and you have also decided between Traditional Service and Full Service and you have decided the geographic limits of your practice (which counties to handle), the final choice is to decide which types of cases to advertise for. This blog post walks you through the different types of Virginia criminal and traffic charges that attorneys most commonly use direct mail marketing for. The big ones are: DWI/DUI, speeding and other traffic offenses, and reckless driving.

Why Use Direct Mail Marketing for Virginia Attorneys

Thu, 16 Mar 2017 09:53:08 -0400

There is really nothing like it. Direct mail is a powerful form of advertising that Virginia attorneys can use to get new criminal and traffic cases. The Virginia Bar may regulate and restrict attorney advertising, but direct mail, when done correctly and in compliance with the ethical rules, can be incredibly effective in getting your name in front of people who have specific legal needs and would like to hire a lawyer right now. This blog post talks about why attorneys use direct mail, the kinds of cases they use it for, how direct mail works, and the idea content to go in a direct mail advertisement letter.

Are You a New Virginia Attorney? Tips For Starting Out

Wed, 15 Mar 2017 11:29:02 -0400

The choice of the newly minted Virginia attorney is not an easy one - start as an associate working at an established law firm, or "go solo" and open your own law firm. This blog article discusses what you should do if you decide to "go solo" and hang your own shingle. It talks about learning how to practice in the courtroom, how to get clients quickly, and how to build and maintain your reputation as an attorney.

How to Create a Letter for Direct Mail Marketing

Wed, 15 Mar 2017 10:00:13 -0400

Crafting the perfect direct mail advertisement letter is an art form. You cannot just include any old content and expect potential clients to want to call and hire you. It is competitive out there. Lots of Virginia attorneys are advertising using direct mail and are doing a good job of it, with effective mail pieces. To be competitive, you need to sell yourself. This blog post discusses the main items that need to be included in a direct mail marketing letter to make potential clients want to call and hire, namely: prior reviews from clients, your practice region (location), and a general air of approachability.

How to Deal with Difficult Clients

Tue, 14 Mar 2017 22:37:36 -0400

Most clients are great and remind Virginia attorneys why they started practicing law in the first place. Other clients are difficult to deal with and highly unpleasant. This blog post discusses what you can do to prevent taking on difficult clients (such as screening clients), what to do to try to improve relations with the client (such as being a good listener) and what to do when relations are so toxic that you cannot effectively represent the client (such as withdrawing from representation).

How to Bring in Reckless Driving Cases as a Virginia Attorney

Tue, 14 Mar 2017 08:47:22 -0400

Virginia has the strictest traffic laws in the nation. Many ordinary, everyday, middle class people are charged each day in Virginia with reckless driving. Reckless driving is a serious crime under Virginia law. Conviction of reckless driving can carry life-changing consequences, like jail time, loss of license, and huge fines. Virginia attorneys make a lot of money handling reckless driving cases for clients. This blog post explores how Virginia attorneys can bring in more reckless driving cases for their law firm, and also explains the basics of how Virginia attorneys handle reckless driving cases.

Hanging Your Own Shingle: For the New and the Not So New Attorney

Sun, 12 Mar 2017 13:00:45 -0400

Many attorneys who have just passed the bar desire to start their own law firm. So do many experienced attorneys who are looking to leave a job with a more established firm and strike out on their own. Hanging your own shingle is a daunting prospect, but it can be done successfully. This blog post takes you through the steps of hanging out your shingle. While it is primarily for North Carolina lawyers starting a law firm in North Carolina, it can also be of use to lawyers in other states.

Advertising Ideas for Virginia Criminal Attorneys - Why Direct Mail is BEST!

Fri, 10 Mar 2017 13:14:57 -0500

Virginia is one of the most lucrative states for a criminal defense lawyer to practice in. But like with practicing in other states, one of the key struggles of Virginia attorneys is how to get new cases. This blog post shows that direct mail advertising is the best form of advertising for Virginia attorneys looking to reach criminal defendants and get new criminal and traffic cases.

How a Virginia Attorney Can Build Lasting Relationships with Clients

Thu, 02 Mar 2017 06:29:14 -0500

For a law firm to be successful, it must treat its clients well and provide them with not just good legal advice and service, but pleasant customer service as well. In today's age, customers expect to be satisfied with the services they receive. They are used to rating service providers online based on timeliness, courtesy, and the overall effectiveness of the service. To have clients become clients again in the future when they need additional help (repeat clients) is a major goal of a law firm. So is getting referrals from former clients to new potential clients. Thus, this blog post discusses how to keep clients happy during the representation (tip: lots of communication) and at the end of the representation.

Considerations Before Opening a New Law Practice

Wed, 01 Mar 2017 12:52:02 -0500

Starting a new law firm is usually a difficult but rewarding journey for an attorney. Before taking on that first client, a lawyer will have to decide on the corporate structure that the law firm will take, the area(s) of law that the firm will focus on, and how to go about marketing to potential clients. Other considerations will include what sort of office space to use for the law office and how much start-up capital is needed to sustain the firm while expenses exceed revenue. This blog gives an overview of the different considerations that an attorney needs to take into account when starting a new law firm.

Direct Mail: Just get the Data or Have a Company Do Everything?

Tue, 28 Feb 2017 17:04:57 -0500

So you have decided to use direct mail marketing for your Virginia law firm. This is a good choice, but now there is another choice to make - Traditional Service versus Full Service. With Traditional Service, you buy the data from the direct mail provider, like Direct Legal Mail, and then Direct Legal Mail sends you the data each day, and your law firm prepares and mails off the advertisements to the potential clients. With the Full Service, the provider, like Direct Legal Mail, handles the entire process, from collecting the data to sending off the mailings for you. This blog article discusses the two options in more depth and allows you to make an informed decision as to what is right for your law firm marketing needs.

Which Counties Should a Virginia Attorney Handle in their Practice?

Tue, 28 Feb 2017 09:31:03 -0500

For Virginia criminal and traffic defense attorneys, a key decision is the geographic limits of one law practice. This blog post discusses the following questions: Do you take cases in counties that are far away and will require a lot of time to travel to? Do you take on additional practice areas and stay put in one county or just a few counties? How to take into account the stress caused by trying to be in multiple different courthouses on the same day when formulating the geographic boundaries of the cases that you will accept.

Does Direct Mail for attorneys still work?

Tue, 14 Feb 2017 15:51:17 -0500

It is no secret that direct mail as a marketing platform has become more competitive over the years. It is hard to know for sure, but it looks like the first attorneys to ever use direct mail advertising where a pair of Arizona attorneys.

The Long Game with Direct Mail Advertising for Attorneys

Tue, 14 Feb 2017 15:50:30 -0500

Many attorneys eager start a direct mail campaign expecting it to be an instant client generator that produces lots and lots of money right off the bat. Unfortunately, they are often mistaken. The reason is this: if it was that easy, everyone would be doing it.

Why direct mail takes time to work?

Tue, 14 Feb 2017 15:49:51 -0500

One mistake we see attorneys frequently make is expecting direct mail advertising to be an instant success. They start mailing and the flood of calls they were expecting does not happen.

3 Best practices for your direct mail campaign

Tue, 14 Feb 2017 15:49:13 -0500

Obviously the most important thing is that your direct mail campaign comply with the Bar rules for your jurisdiction. No attorney wants to get in trouble with the Bar especially when it is so easy to make an effective yet complaint mail piece.