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[L124]Law Firm In Australia

by M. Salvacion, M.

Law firms are rated based on their legal ability and general ethical standards. There are rating boards across the country, which conduct and evaluate law firms based on confidential opinions of members of the bar and the Judiciary. The ratings are given on a five-year interval, usually after a lawyer has been admitted to the bar.

The two components of the ratings system are:

• Legal Ability – This component is graded in three ways: C (good to high), B (high to very high) and C (very high to preeminent)

• The General Ethical Standard Ratings denotes ‘adherence to professional standards of conduct and ethics, reliability, diligence and other criteria related to the discharge of legal responsibilities'. The general recommendation rating of a law firm must be a “V” which it must first receive in order to gain the legal ability rating.

Ratings Classification

The ratings are typically described as follows:

• CV Rating – An excellent first rating, a statement of the firm's above average ability and high ethical standard

• BV Rating – Means an exemplary reputation and well-established practice, also indicates that law firm is in mid-career, with a significant client base and high professional standard

• AV Rating – The firm has reached the height of professional excellence, indicates long years of law practice with the highest level of skill and integrity

The Importance of the Rating System

The rating system on lawyers and law firms are conducted to help you determine which lawyer or legal entity is worth hiring. The rating will also show you the level of competence and experience of a law firm as seen on the classification grade. Nevertheless being un-rated does not mean a law firm has no credibility. Many competent and reputable law firms in the country remain unrated or choose not to participate in the ratings. In researching about a law firm's credentials, peers, colleagues and former clients are still the best sources of real information.

Important Characteristics of a Reputable Law Firms

For a law firm to be respectable, the following characteristics must be observed:

• Professional – Lawyers of a law firm must show a high level of professionalism by treating each client with their full attention and support

• Experience – Lawyers must meet stringent practice area qualifications and must be dedicated to the practice of one area of law

• Good Standing – Lawyers must be of good record in the bar associations where they belong and must have no record of disciplinary action against them.

• Respected – The lawyer and the law firm he represents must be respected by the community and his peers

Finding a reputable law firm is also like looking for the right lawyer who will suit your needs. However, when it comes to choosing the right law firm, you should look at the firm's experience and reputation as two important factors to be considered.

As a member of a small or solo law firm you are certainly faced with many challenges daily. If your firm is not growing as you had envisioned, it may be largely due to the fact that you are not utilizing effective law firm marketing strategies to get more. By not using proven legal marketing techniques, many attorneys remain stuck in the same old rut; doing the same old thing and getting the same miserable results.

If you have been looking for clients, using the same old advertising techniques and are getting nowhere, it is definitely time to make a change in your legal marketing strategy.

One of the primary reasons that a company or person hires an attorney is to alleviate some type of "pain". They may use words like "challenges", "problems", or "obstacles", but all of the words amount to the same thing; they are experiencing discomfort; they are experiencing pain. Their "pain" is whatever they are asking your assistance with. Successful marketing for lawyers relies upon your ability to identify their pain and effectively communicate how you will help them resolve it.

Many people sense they need some type of help but can't immediately identify what it is they need. That is when you are called upon to investigate to find the root cause; to use many of the tools you have in your "legal marketing toolkit". Some reasons prospects can't identify specific points of pain include:

Due to stressful conditions, they may not be thinking clearly and may be making bad decisions (like hiring the wrong attorney).

They aren't acquainted with the right terms; they may ask for "mediation" when they actually want a divorce lawyer.

They may use "things" or "people" to conceal the true pain source (Often, they will point to the wrong person or to the company as the source of their pain).

You can use this knowledge to increase your law firm marketing effectiveness by following these 7 guidelines to uncovering your prospects "point of pain":

1.You must know how your prospects define and describe their "pain".

2.You must talk about the problem using their language. (Using language they don't understand will lead to the failure of your legal marketing efforts)

3.Ask a lot of questions about their pain; they will feel listened to and that you truly care about their problems.

4.Do not waste precious time describing the process you will employ to resolve their pain; focus on helping them visualize your solution and the results.

5.You must give the client a sense of hope; let them know that things will get better and you know how to make that happen.

6.Project confidence in your ability to help them. Share a case study or an example of a success story.

7.You must listen to them and make them feel understood before they will listen to you.

Law firm marketing starts with successfully identifying the prospect's "point of pain", listening to them carefully and showing that you truly care.

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Both M. Salvacion & are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

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