Building Trust and Expertise: The Growth of Pinellas Family Lawyer
Now that our law firm is well established, we have become a trusted source for family law information, especially regarding divorce and paternity issues. My partner and I have reached a point where other attorneys call us because they trust us to be honest with them and know we understand our area of law. The number of referrals has increased in proportion to people simply finding us on Google.
When I first started Pinellas Family Lawyer, nobody knew who I was or what cases our law firm handled. The first challenge of starting a new business was getting people’s attention and educating them on what services our firm could provide. The second challenge was earning people’s trust.
Overcoming the Challenge of Inexperience
As a brand-new attorney out of school, you know little about the practical side of practicing law. You may have book-smarts and probably know how to find the answers to your questions, but you likely don’t have any actual experience. Who wants an inexperienced lawyer to handle their high net-worth divorce or help them fight for custody of their children? Who wants someone with little or no experience to help them through one of the most stressful times in their lives?
Many of my first clients were people who couldn’t afford to hire a more prominent firm or a more experienced attorney. Having newer attorneys provide legal services for lower-income clients is not something we really do in Florida. However, other countries (and New York) require new attorneys to do just that. The Florida Bar still sets an aspirational goal for all attorneys to provide pro bono legal services to low-income clients, and our law firm does its share, but the work falls mainly to non-profits.
Learning Through Experience
One thing I learned as a new attorney was that just because I didn’t have experience didn’t mean I couldn’t help people, do a good job, or get a good result for my client. It meant that I would have more hiccups than other more experienced attorneys, but experience is the best teacher.
Having to start from scratch gave me an experience that not everyone gets—the ability to make mistakes and learn from them. It allowed me to do a paralegal’s job, a legal assistant’s job, and an associate’s job. As a one-man show, you have to wear all the hats, which gives you experience in each position in the company. However, as you progress toward growing your business, you must learn to delegate tasks. Deciding which tasks to delegate and who to delegate them to becomes your new job.
Growth and Specialization
We currently have four attorneys and a few support staff on our team. While my partner and I typically handle initial consultations and decide whether or not our firm wants to represent a client, we can distribute the workload more effectively now. Our goal is to assign tasks to the employees best suited to accomplish them at the lowest rate. This allows our clients to get the best value rather than having to pay a senior partner to handle every aspect of their case.
It also allows each employee to become more specialized while still having the ability to lean on someone with more experience when needed. New and unique issues still arise that require additional legal research, but at this point in our careers, my partner and I are well-versed in the basics of divorce and family law, as well as the preferences of the judges in our judicial circuit. Things that used to take me hours to figure out are now second nature and require only a cursory check to ensure the law hasn’t recently changed.
The Value of an Established Law Firm
I now understand the benefit of retaining a law firm rather than a solo practitioner fresh out of school. I’m grateful for some of my early clients and the experience they allowed me to gain, and I’m happy I was able to help people who otherwise may not have been able to afford legal representation. I’m also grateful for the knowledgeable team we’ve grown and the ability to handle more complex cases I was too inexperienced to manage years ago.
Ready to Hire a Full-Service Family Law Firm?
If you’re ready to hire a full-service law firm for your divorce or family law case, schedule a confidential consultation with us today. Our experienced team is here to help you navigate the legal challenges ahead with expertise and personalized attention.