When I first started practicing law over thirty years ago, it seemed firm announcements were a standard part of contact with clients. Over the years it appears as though fewer and fewer firms are using the traditional announcement to let people know about important changes or additions to their law practice. Taking every opportunity you can to be in contact with clients is the only way to maintain a viable law practice.

Previously, I discussed how in the early and mid-1980s the arrival of the computer created an incredible set of economic issues for law firms. Suddenly everything could be analyzed both by the law firm and the clients with regard to the exact amount of legal services that were being rendered, who they were being rendered by, on what day they were being rendered and the amount of time spent and the dollars incurred for all such services. At the same time all this information was available and everyone was jumping into the technology of computers in both hardware and software, the economy was in such a state that a lot of this increased cost could not be passed on to the clients. In the early ‘80s the overhead of all law firms began to grow. When the overhead grows, profits are squeezed. The cost of living continues to increase, salaries need to keep up with the cost of living and the competition and the thing that always suffers is profits. When profits start to suffer, people look for ways to cut down their overhead and things such as announcements begin to have less importance. The ironic thing about it is if you send out announcements and you get a single piece of legal business because of having sent the announcement, that piece of legal business more than pays for the total cost of the processing, printing and mailing of the announcements.

Every time a lawyer is added to your firm you should send out an announcement. Every time you move you should send out an announcement. Anytime that your phone number changes or your e-mail changes you should send out an announcement. Remember, the three most important words for defensive marketing with regard to trying to maintain the clients you already have is “contact, contact, contact.”

You can delegate to your staff the task of putting together the announcement and of processing them. You can wait until you have several things to announce so you don’t have to duplicate the cost of printing, processing and mailing, but remember the phenomena that if you continue to wait, you’ll probably never get around to it. Additionally, waiting too long between contact flies in the face of the suggestion that contact is the most significant way to continue to stay in touch with your former and potential client base.

I have seen some very slick brochures that announce changes in law firms but I have also seen some very plain ones that I thought were equally effective. The point is, take the time, make the effort and make the contact.

I have always tried to include the local judiciary in all the announcements I have sent. Additionally, I have also included contacts in the local law school as well as at the other places where I spend significant amounts of time outside of my law practice including my high school, my college and the local bar association. As I said in a previous column, lawyers do not get involved for the purpose of trying to get business; lawyers get involved because we are trained to be able to help and I believe we have the philosophy to help our community in our profession. As I have said, the amazing thing is how much we get in return that we next expect by continuing to give.

Continuing to tell other lawyers and judges about your firm is just simply good business. Continuing to contact your former clients and current clients and those who you believe are prospective clients by way of announcements is simply continuing to “sow the seeds” of being able to get additional legal business. Other than a little bit of cost and a little bit of time there is no down side.

The next time an important change or an addition happens to your firm, do an announcement! You will be surprised at the number of comments that you get back from people that get the announcement that will either acknowledge your effort to send them announcement either orally or in writing. Just do it!

Next week’s tip deals with dealing with clients at Christmas time and on other holidays. We will discuss suggestions with regard to using Christmas cards or gift and what the dividends are with regard to engaging in this practice with regard to law office marketing, management and economics. I think that you will find some of the ideas unique and some of the suggestions that I will give you I think you can immediately implement in your law firm. Remember, the whole concept here is to get clients, keep clients, and make them happy. What better way to do that, then to be remembering them at special times and letting them know that you care.

Talk to you next week!

Jim Wirken is a civil trial attorney and the Chairman of the Board of The Wirken Law Group in Kansas City.