FindLaw White Paper: Law Firms Failing At The Finish Line

In the world of sports, moments of unexpected failure are both memorable and instructive. Take, for example, the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI, who led 28-3 only to see their victory slip away in a historic comeback by the New England Patriots. Similarly, the Golden State Warriors, despite their record-setting 73-win season in 2015-2016, were stunned in the NBA Finals by the Cleveland Cavaliers, losing a 3-1 series lead.

These moments remind us that even the best can falter at critical junctures.

How Law Firms Fail to Intake Potential Clients

This phenomenon is not limited to sports. In the legal profession, law firms often execute sophisticated marketing strategies, drawing significant traffic to their websites or generating numerous calls to their offices. Yet, when it comes to converting these prospects into clients, many firms stumble at the finish line.

The issue often lies in the intake process—the system a law firm uses to capture and manage leads with the aim of converting them into clients. Despite its critical importance to a law firm's success, intake processes are frequently mismanaged or neglected. Ironically, while many attorneys believe they excel in this area, a discrepancy exists between their perception and reality.

FindLaw's white paper, “Failing At The Finish Line: How Law Firms Lose Prospective Clients At The Front Door”, sheds light on this disconnect through revealing statistics. For instance, it highlights that one-third of voicemail messages left with law firms remain unanswered for at least 24 hours. The response time for emails is even less encouraging.

The implications of poor intake practices extend far beyond mere customer service shortcomings. The white paper quantifies the tangible impact on a law firm's financial health, underscoring the urgency of addressing these issues.

Fortunately, improving intake processes is achievable. The white paper offers practical advice to foster a culture of urgency, persistence, and empathy within law firms. It also recommends implementing robust data collection practices, enabling firms to learn from previous mistakes and increase the conversion rate of leads into clients.

Embracing these strategies can transform a law firm's approach to client intake, turning potential setbacks into opportunities for growth and success. Just as sports teams analyze and learn from their defeats to come back stronger, law firms can refine their intake processes to secure a winning record in converting prospects to clients.

“Failing At The Finish Line” is available for download here. I hope you find it challenging and revealing as you consider how to improve your law firm’s business practices.