If you've added a new legal service to
your practice but aren't sure what that service should be, your first
step should be to analyze the people and businesses in your community.
The next step is to determine their legal needs and then to decide which
of those legal needs you wish to satisfy.
A good place to start is with the information available from local, state and federal government. The US Census through the American Community Survey provides
data on household income, age distribution, education levels and
languages spoken and information on area businesses and geography. These
facts can help you decide what areas of law are needed. If the
population is aging, elder law may be the right choice while a rise in
birth rates could foreshadow more family and juvenile law needs.
If your area has many immigrants such
as Spanish speakers and you want to attract their business, you might
add a bi-lingual lawyer and translate a portion of your website to
Spanish.
To find your community's business
needs, check your local Chamber of Commerce directory for local
listings. Businesses wishing to use an assumed name must file with the
County Clerk who periodically posts those new business listings online.
If your community has several new businesses, it may be you want to
focus more of your legal practice on their issues, such as taxation,
business plans or other business transactions. If there are several
writers or publishers, adding intellectual property could bring in new
business.
If new industries are coming into the
community that will hire more employees, there could be a need for an
employment or worker's compensation lawyer. Crime statistics are
important to those wishing to practice criminal law.
When there are several local, county,
village and city communities in an area, there is a need for a municipal
lawyer who can help with a wide range of issues, including everything
from police power, zoning, education policies, and property taxes. A
look at the map of your area and a check on the websites of the
municipalities will give you the information you need.
Volunteering at local events, sitting
on Boards of corporations and non-profits or doing Pro Bono work through
your local Legal Service organizations is a way to give back and learn
more about your community. Listening to the citizens will enable you to
learn of their concerns.
Whether you plan to add a new service
or are just starting out, researching the composition your community and
assessing the resultant legal needs will enable you to make
well-reasoned plans for 2016.
Roberta Gubbins has served as the editor of the Ingham County Legal News.
Since leaving the paper, she provides services as a ghostwriter editing
articles, blogs, and e-blasts for lawyers and law firms. She is the
editor of Briefs, the Ingham County Bar Association e-newsletter, and The Mentor, SBM Master Lawyers Section newsletter.
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