With so many law firms in existence, starting another general firm that addresses all sorts of legal problems doesn’t seem like the most appealing business idea. Instead, many legal entrepreneurs are starting very targeted firms which cater to a specific kind of client within certain industries or niches. Engineering is one such field that many law firms have begun to service due to the inherent legal risks and challenges that come with developing and launching any kind of new product.
Every year, there are thousands of new inventions engineered and released on the market, each with their own set of legal concerns. If you’ve already recognized the massive potential in this sector and have started a firm to accommodate engineers, or are thinking about doing so in the near future, here are 8 tips you can use to improve your management and marketing efforts in that endeavor:
1. Study Business Administration
Taking a course or earning a degree in business administration will help you operate more confidently as the manager or marketer for an engineering law firm. You can find degree programs that are specifically geared towards the field of engineering. For example, Kettering University offers engineering-oriented online MBA programs in Michigan. In many ways, managing a law firm is lot like managing any other business, so becoming an expert in this area is one of the first improvements you should strive towards.
2. Target Popular Engineering Niches
Certain kinds of engineering are more popular than others, and those are the kinds you want to be targeting within your marketing and promotional efforts. Right now, the tech space is by far the busiest sector in engineering, with smart devices being one of the fastest-growing niches. By specializing in topics that modern engineers are gravitating towards, you make your firm an optimal choice for anyone who is looking for legal help in those areas.
3. Create a Content Strategy
A content strategy is essentially a compilation of topics, headlines, keywords, and trends that will shape the development of your web content. You can use SEO/keyword research software and trend-tracking tools like Google Trends to find out what your targeted audience is interested in at the current moment. By creating and distributing content that addresses those popular trends, topics, and keywords, you can make your brand more visible to the people who are most likely to need your law firm’s services.
4. Partner with Consultants
You may be a very experienced lawyer, but that doesn’t mean that you’re also an engineer or inventor. The fact is, any time you’re delving into a niche that requires a high level of specialized knowledge, it helps to have an expert on your team who can help you understand advanced concepts without the need for extensive research. Being able to ask a question and instantly receive a tailored answer will help you save time and reach more useful conclusions during your due diligence in each case.
5. Become an Advertising Expert
This is a tip that can be useful in any business, but one that you’ll definitely want to heed as an engineering law firm due to the complexity of this niche. There’s a good chance that you currently have no clue how to structure the ad content for a campaign that targets engineers who are interested in legal assistance. By taking a course or earning a degree in advertising, you can effectively steer and manage a team of marketers to produce optimal metrics every time.
6. Research Pivotal Cases and Follow News Related to Engineering Law
Knowing the history of engineering law is a prerequisite that the manager of any engineering law firm should strive to meet. This is important because it helps you identify opportunities to use legal precedence in order to gain leverage within each case. Likewise, you should be following all news stories related to engineering law suits. That way, you can take inspiration from the angles and defenses that are being employed by some of the most successful engineering lawyers.
7. Treat Every Client Like a Unique Challenge
While designing predefined processes can help boost productivity, problems can arise when you’re approaching every case in the same manner. Instead of getting into a system of rigidly dealing with every case using set procedures, take your time to become acquainted with the specifics of the regulations and competitive environment within the client’s industry. With touchy issues like copyright infringement presenting the risk for significant legal problems, you need to make sure you’re not skimming past anything. The best way to make sure you’re thorough in your due diligence is to set aside a generous amount of time for preliminary research in each case. Generally, it’s best to spend the majority of the first week becoming familiar with every aspect of the client’s case and market.
8. Offer Free Consultations
Every engineering law firm should be offering free consultations that last anywhere from 5-10 minutes. Even if you have to outsource this task to phone support and chat representatives, you need to have a way to instantly respond to the initial queries made by prospective clients. Having a strong front line of customer service agents or lawyers that can provide instant free consultations will inevitably help you appeal to more prospects than if you were to charge them to have the very first conversation with your firm. Plus, during the consultation, you’re really only introducing them to what kind of service you will be providing as an engineering legal service and how it will benefit them to use your services.
Targeting One of the Fastest-Growing Legal Sectors
In closing, it’s important to note that engineering-related legal cases are becoming increasingly popular as new inventive technologies are making it easier for anyone to collaborate with inventors, engineers, and manufacturers. By launching a well-rounded engineering law firm, you’ll be accommodating the rapidly expanding wave of tech inventors and engineers who require legal guidance and assistance.
