By Renée N.G. Stackhouse
This article was originally published in the July/August 2020 issue of San Diego Lawyer.
In the last few months, business-owner lawyers have had to transition to working from home, keeping our businesses running, figuring out how the court closure affected our work, keeping our clients up to date, bringing in new clients, and balancing family demands. Many of us are exhausted. Some lawyers are contemplating closing their businesses, changing their practice area, or retiring. Those may be good options. But they are not the only options. Here are five steps for rebuilding after COVID-19:
STEP 1: STOP THE BLEEDING
You will not be able to make calm, rational decisions about your business if you are financially bleeding to death. Look into the CARES Act, Paycheck Protection Program, and any business interruption claims you may have. Go online to see resources available to businesses from the City of San Diego, State of California, and Small Business Administration (SBA).
Review your existing contracts to see which have no,
or acceptable, cancellation fees. Review your repetitive monthly expenditures to identify necessary expenses and cut the rest.
STEP 2: CONTACT PAST AND CURRENT CLIENTS
Let your network know you’re open and that you’re available to answer questions or provide referrals to someone who can. The outreach is thoughtful and it could have the additional benefit of driving business to you.
Invoice your current clients. You deserve to be paid for the work that you have done. Email your latest invoice to your clients and provide them with options to pay such as cash, check, or credit card. Offer payment plans if necessary. The easier it is for them to pay you, the more likely you will get paid.
STEP 3: WORK TO STAND OUT
If you have extra time right now, make sure your website and social media are accurate and send the messages you want to potential clients and referring colleagues. Start writing or recording blogs, study for the board specialization test, get that realtor license, take that online course, start learning that language, or even just read that Trial Guides book. Every achievement not only helps you stand out, but makes you a better lawyer.
STEP 4: THINK ABOUT COOPERATIVE WORK
There are two kinds of people out there in the legal community right now: those who are drowning in work and those who need work. While you must make sure you follow the California Rules of Professional Responsibility, there are a lot of opportunities for people to come together to be successful. It may be as simple as making sure people know to refer cases to you in a certain area of law or bringing in a colleague to help on a case that is taking up too much of your time.
STEP 5: REMEMBER TO TREAT EVERYONE WITH CARE
The world feels like it’s on fire right now. In some places, it is. People are hurting. Make sure to slow down enough so that you can treat everyone — clients, colleagues, court staff, judges, co-workers, and YOURSELF — with care, kindness, and respect. Potential clients will feel your authentic concern. Your current clients will feel safe knowing they made the right choice in representation. Your colleagues will appreciate you. And you deserve it, too. At the end of the day, we are our business. We can’t be successful when we’re not caring for ourselves.
Renée N.G. Stackhouse (renee@stackhouseapc.com) is a founder of Stackhouse APC.