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If this is your first visit to The Attorney Marketing Center, there are a few important things you need to know about the marketing solutions I offer.

First, I want you to know that everything here is designed to help you start getting results in marketing your practice as quickly as possible. Why take ten years to achieve your goals if you can do it in two? I’m not going to make some pie-in-the-sky promises about getting rich in three weeks, but if there are two ways to achieve the same goal, I’ll show you the shortest path.

At the same time, the most productive marketing strategies, the ones that give you the greatest long term results, usually take time to develop. To build a referral-based practice, for example, requires building relationships, and that doesn’t happen overnight. You need to understand that and view your marketing activities and the results they produce with a long-term perspective.

Second, you won’t find any theoretical ideas, academic studies, or nice-sounding but impractical marketing methods here. Everything here has been tested and proven to work, either by me, the attorneys who have invested in my products or services, or by professionals or businesses in other fields.

Third, you won’t find anything here about marketing “the firm.” I don’t believe in marketing by committee. People hire lawyers not law firms. When someone hands your card to a friend, they never say, “Call my law firm,” they say, “Call my lawyer.”

Everything here is for the individual. Whether you are a sole practitioner, a first year associate in a mid-sized firm, or the senior partner in a large one, marketing is your responsibility, and I’m going to show you how to do it.

Fourth, I emphasize referrals. I believe referral-marketing should be the foundation of every lawyer’s practice-building activities.

But while I emphasize referrals, they are by no means the only marketing method I teach. There are many other strategies and techniques for getting clients and growing your practice. In fact, you’re using one of them right now!

Fifth, the systems and methods I teach work for any lawyer in private practice, no matter what your practice area(s). Moreover, jurisdiction is irrelevant. Lawyers in all fifty United States and in a dozen countries are using my systems.

Your level of experience also does not matter. I’ve taught new tricks to “old dogs” (lawyers with 40+ years in practice) and I’ve helped brand new lawyers open their first law office.

The number one question I get about my systems and products is, “Will this work for me?”

It’s amazing. Everyone thinks they are different, their practice is unique, their clients are more difficult, their city has the most competition, and their state bar has the strictest rules. These are not realities, they are excuses for not taking action. Everyone has challenges. Successful people look for solutions, not for reasons to justify their excuses.

Sixth, every one of my products is unconditionally guaranteed. If you aren’t satisfied for any reason, you get your money back. No questions, no conditions, no hassles.

When you deal with me, you take no risk. I stand behind every product and service I offer. If you’re not 100% delighted with the information and advice I give you, it’s my fault, not yours.

I also recommend other products at this web site, and while I do my best to choose vendors who share my “unconditional money back guarantee” philosophy, I cannot speak for everyone.

However, I’m going to tell you right now that you should not order anything I have for sale if you are not willing to make a sincere effort to implement what you will learn. It doesn’t do either one of us any good if you order something with no intention of taking action. If you’re just curious and not really serious, keep your credit card in your wallet and enjoy the multitude of free ideas available on this web site. I want to help you, but only if you are committed to taking your practice to the next level.

Seventh, I can’t help everyone. Even though my systems can help ANY lawyer, they can’t help EVERY lawyer. I can’t help you if. . .

• You have unrealistic expectations. Some lawyers who use my systems bring in a lot of business in a very short period of time. This may happen to you. But it is foolish to expect results like these. If you demand overnight riches, sorry, I’m not what you’re looking for.
• You’re lazy. If you’re unwilling to do any work to build your practice, if you’re only willing to read about marketing but are not willing to do anything, sorry, I can’t help you.
• You think you can delegate everything. You can (and should) delegate as much as possible, but there are some things you must do yourself. You must be willing to do those things.
• You’re too cool to market yourself. If your ego won’t allow you to get out of your comfort zone and try new things, if you’re not willing to change, how do you expect your results to change? If you refuse to try anything new (or do what you’re doing differently), or if you’re stuck in the “I’m a professional and shouldn’t have to do that,” mindset, sorry, I can’t help you.
• You insist on reinventing the wheel. One lawyer I worked with was hard working and intelligent and despite some career setbacks, had a positive attitude. His only problem was that he didn’t listen. Although I told him not to, he insisted on spending gobs of money mailing letters to “cold” lists. He thought he knew better, but he didn’t know what he was doing and he blew thousands of dollars. If you are unwilling to listen to the voice of experience, sorry, I’m not your man.
• You’re desperate. If you have one nostril above water and you’re sinking fast, if you need to bring in $5,000 by next week or you’ll lose your home, if you’re down to your last few hundred bucks and need a miracle, sorry, I can’t help you. You can’t attract clients if you’re in “panic mode.” Don’t even try. You’ll cut corners, take unnecessary risks, and avoid the most powerful practice-building strategies, simply because they take a few months to develop and you can’t see past tomorrow. A young lawyer called me awhile ago. He had just gotten a divorce and was in the middle of a bankruptcy. He was sleeping on a friend’s sofa in a trailer. He had no office. He didn’t even own a suit. He was incredibly depressed (no kidding) but wanted to know if I could help him. I told him that if I showed him how to attract clients, they would take one look at him and run the other way. I told him to get a job and start rebuilding his life, and then give me a call. (He calls me every few months to report on his progress. It looks like he’s going to make it.)
• You have “no time.” Sorry, but marketing is going to require some of your precious billable time. It takes time to learn about marketing. It takes time to implement the strategies and techniques. It takes time to make phone calls and write letters and talk to people. It takes time to create new relationships and build your existing ones. If you have more money than time, there are things that you can do to generate new business, and I will show them to you. But building relationships is the best way to build a law practice, and that does require time.  How much time do you need to put into marketing? Not as much as you think. Consistency of effort is more important than the quantity of time invested. If you want to see meaningful results in growing your practice, you must be willing to invest a minimum of one hour per week. No, that’s not a lot. But you must do it EVERY week if you want to develop momentum. If you are unwilling to invest an hour a week to advance your career, sorry, I can’t help you. (Notice I said “unwilling,” not “unable.” You may be booked solid for sixteen hours a day, but if you want something bad enough, you’ll find the time for it. Want proof? When your spouse gives you the look that says, “I’m available,” do you tell them you’re too busy to “get busy.”)Well, as you can see, I like to tell it like it is. I hope you appreciate that. I know I would if it was the other way around.

I look forward to helping you achieve your marketing goals and I look forward to hearing your comments.

All the best,

David Ward

P.S. If you haven’t already done so, you may want to read my article, “What I learned about marketing in law school”.

The Lawyers’ Marketing Toolkit^™

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From: David M. Ward
The Attorney Marketing Center
Saturday, 11:17am

Re: Where do you go when you need a marketing document?

Dear Attorney Friend,

When you need a legal document—a lease, a pleading, a contract—where do you look? If you’re like me, the first place you look is in your “form files”. It’s almost always easier to re-write something you’ve used before than to create something from scratch.

But where do you look when you need a marketing document?

Suppose you want to send a letter to your former clients letting them know about your other services—where do you find a sample?

How about a referral letter to send to professional contacts? If you don’t have one you have used before, what do you do?

What if you want a brochure or newsletter? Or a press release to announce your latest victory. Where do you look for samples?

If you don’t have a “form file” of marketing documents, you have two choices: either you take precious billable time to conceive and write the document yourself (and cross your fingers) or you hire someone to do it for you.

Actually, there is a third choice, and for the first five years of my law practice, it is the choice I made—I chose to do nothing.

I didn’t take the time to write the brochure I knew I need, I didn’t write a newsletter, I didn’t send referral letters to my clients, and I didn’t hire anyone to do these things for me. As a result I didn’t get the repeat business and new clients I wanted and needed, and my income suffered.

If this sounds familiar to you, if you aren’t creating and using the marketing documents you know you need, I have the solution. It’s called. . .

The Lawyers’ Marketing Toolkit™

The Lawyers’ Marketing Toolkit™ is a one-of-a-kind collection of marketing documents for attorneys. This massive, two-volume set contains more than 800 pages of letters, brochures, ads, newsletters, coupons, referral cards, discount certificates, and other marketing documents used by practicing attorneys to market their services. The Lawyers’ Marketing Toolkit™ is. . .

A READY-MADE “FORM FILE” OF
MARKETING DOCUMENTS FOR LAWYERS

Imagine taking one of these volumes off your shelf, turning to the table of contents and finding the exact document you need. It’s all here:

• Letters to current clients
• Letters to former clients
• Letters to prospective clients
• Letters to referral sources
• Letters to other attorneys
• Newsletters
• Reports
• Brochures
• Yellow page ads
• Newspaper ads
• Referral cards
• Discount coupons
• Press releases
• Business cards
• And MUCH MORE!

Not sure what you want? Just browse through the pages of The Toolkit and you’ll find HUNDREDS of ideas — more than you can use in ten years of practicing.

It’s like digging through a treasure chest of
money-making marketing jewels!

Now you’re probably wondering who I am and what I know about marketing legal services. Fair enough. . .

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My name is David M. Ward. Although I no longer practice law, I did so for twenty years in southern California. As a sole practitioner, I built a successful law practice from scratch. (Twice, actually, but that’s another story).

When I began practicing in 1979, I knew absolutely nothing about marketing. After all, they don’t teach marketing in law school. My first five years in practice were a constant struggle to earn a living. I had some very rough times. Eventually, I stumbled onto a unique marketing method which allowed me to start bringing in clients. I started studying marketing and expanded my knowledge base. I experimented, found out what worked, what didn’t, and my practice continued to grow. In time, I built a successful personal injury practice in an extremely competitive marketplace.

Based on my experiences, in 1997, I created a marketing course to teach lawyers how to get more clients and build their practice. I focused on referral-marketing, and my course, Referral Magic: The Complete Guide to Building a Successful Law Practice, has been purchased by more than 5,000 attorneys in the US, Canada, and a dozen other countries. For nearly five years, I also wrote and published a paid subscription newsletter, The Attorney Marketing Letter.

I have had articles published in numerous law-related newsletters and web sites, including www.lexisone.com. I have been asked to speak at countless bar association groups, including the ABA. But more important than all this is what other attorneys say about me. Here are a few of their many letters and emails:

Click here for more success stories

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Since 1997, I have consulted with hundreds of attorneys on marketing, advertising, and management issues. I have helped sole practitioners and partners in 1000-lawyer firms, litigators and transactional attorneys, lawyers in just about every practice area you could name.

In the course of these consultations, I have reviewed hundreds of marketing documents and written hundreds of critiques. I took more than 100 of those documents – letters, brochures, newsletters, reports, ads, flyers, referral cards, and everything else – and created The Lawyers’ Marketing Toolkit™ to be used as a reference tool for the lawyers who enrolled in my Referral Magic Marketing Course. A couple of years later, I had enough additional documents for a second volume, and Toolkit II was born.

On a trial basis, I made Toolkit I available to lawyers who had not enrolled in the Referral Magic program. I have never offered Toolkit II to anyone outside the program.

Now, for the first time ever, I am making available the complete set — Toolkit I and Toolkit II – to lawyers outside the program, via a special web site promotion. (I’ll explain why in a minute.)

I know you’ll want to add this Toolkit package to your library. It will save you time, make you money, and jump-start your law firms’ marketing program. Whenever you need a marketing document, you’ll be glad to have The Toolkit on your bookshelf.

But The Lawyers’ Marketing Toolkit™ is not just a form file. It is also an instruction manual on how to write client-generating copy. Each document in The Toolkit comes with a detailed, line-by-line, word-by-word critique. These critiques show what makes the document work, what needs to be improved, and most importantly, how to improve it.

These critiques take you behind the scenes and let you “eavesdrop” on consultations I had with attorneys who hired me to critique their documents. You’ll see exactly what I told them, all my suggestions, comments, criticisms, and recommendations.

In these critiques, I leave nothing out. I go through the entire document, line by line, paragraph by paragraph, and show you what’s good–and what needs to go. Then, I give specific suggestions, including actual language to use, changes in headlines, sub-heads or bullet points, openings, closings, offers, even what to put in the P.S.

In a brochure, for example, I point out what should go on each panel. For a newsletter, I describe how to structure it so that more readers read it and respond to your offers. In an ad, I review the entire project from concept to copy, from art work to placement. Plus, you’ll also learn additional ways to use your marketing documents so that you get even more repeat business and referrals.

Not only that, I also show you how to save money on printing, mailing, and advertising. This advice can save hundreds, even thousands of dollars.

There is nothing like The Lawyers’ Marketing Toolkit™ anywhere because it not only shows you what to do, it shows you HOW to do it. Here are just a few of the strategies and techniques you’ll learn:

• How to write compelling headlines that grab the readers’ attention and force him to read your ad, letter, or brochure
• How to use “multi-step marketing” to more than DOUBLE the number of new clients you get
• How to identify profitable niche markets for your services
• How to make your yellow page ads pull in 3-4 times more business (without increasing the size)
• The biggest “cash cow” for any lawyer in any market, and how to milk it!
• How to find the best subjects for your articles, reports, seminars, or newsletters
• Tragic marketing mistakes most lawyers make (and how to avoid them)
• Why you should never use a resume or C.V. Here’s what to use instead.
• A simple way to get all the testimonials you’ll ever need
• Why 7 out of 10 yellow page ads fail to break even — and what to do about it
• How to earn additional income from your “one time” clients
• How to create an ongoing “dialogue” with clients and prospects that inevitably leads to their hiring you (again), referring to you (again) and becoming your clients for life
• TV & radio advertising for lawyers: what you need to know before you spend your first dollar
• How to create simple “Referral Devices” that bring in clients while you sleep
• Advertising principles every lawyer needs to know–even those who never advertise!
• Why you must have a newsletter, and how to write your first issue in two hours or less!
• Why you might never need a brochure—here’s what I use instead
• Why you should always include a “P.S.” in your letters, and how to write them correctly
• Why changing a few words in a letter can increase response by up to 300%
• How to avoid having a closet-full of out-of-date brochures
• How to turn your newsletter into your best source of repeat business and referrals
• The first three things I recommend to every lawyer in our first consultation
• How to use coupons and certificates to get more people calling for a consultation, more people sending you referrals, and more people hiring you for more services TODAY
• How to use “fear of loss” to make clients hire you now
• Strategies to get readers to clients and prospects to take immediate action (You can nearly eliminate the “I-have-to-think-about-it”s—if you know how)
• Three ways to find out if your yellow pages ad will work before you run it!
• How to write irresistible offers that attract more clients and increase your bottom line
• Answer this question and you’ll know which size yellow page ad is right for you
• Where to get all of the content you will ever need for your newsletter—100% free!

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Through these critiques, you’ll learn the “tricks of the trade” used by the highest paid copy writers to create documents that generate more clients, more referrals, and more fees.

YOU’LL LEARN HOW TO CREATE ‘KILLER’ COPY
THAT ATTRACTS CLIENTS LIKE A MAGNET ATTRACTS PAPER CLIPS!

Each document in The Toolkit was chosen for its instructive value. Your creative juices will really start flowing the very first time you use The Toolkit.

But. . . I’ll be honest with you. . .

These documents are RAW. I literally emptied my file cabinets, ran everything through a copy machine, and slapped them into three-ring binders. They are NOT pretty. I’m sure they could use a good editing. You’ll undoubtedly see me repeating myself. And I’m not sure, but I’ll bet there are one or two instances where you can actually catch me contradicting my own advice! That’s what I mean by raw.

Not only that, most of the documents in The Toolkit have problems. They are either poorly written or missing key elements. In my critique, I show what needs to be done, and why, and I usually supply a few sentences or a paragraph or two of suggested language. Sometimes, I re-write the entire document. But for the most part, you shouldn’t expect to find “perfect” documents that can be used “as is”. Look at them more as templates for creating your own documents with all of the right elements in all the right places.

For example, one of the letters in The Toolkit is from a young lawyer in Massachusetts who was planning on sending a letter to his clients telling them he would appreciate their referrals. It was typical of many letters I see. Frankly, it needed a lot of work.

I sent him my analysis, going through the letter sentence by sentence, showing him what to remove and what to change or add. I gave him 22 different ways to improve the letter, including an enclosure I suggested he mail with it.

He revised the letter and mailed it, with the enclosure, to a small list of 200. As a direct result of this one letter, mailed one time, he later told me, he earned over $7,000 in fees.

So be prepared to study the critiques. Learn from the mistakes of others. You will gain a wealth of knowledge that you can use over and over again, throughout your career, to create letters and other documents that bring in a steady stream of new business and increased income.

The bottom line is that The Lawyers’ Marketing Toolkit™ will make you money.

Okay, you’re convinced. You want me to send you The Toolkit. Right way. But how much is it?

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Before I answer, let me ask you what you think something like this will be worth to you. What is it worth to have a letter you could send to your clients over and over again and generate one, two, five or ten additional referrals each time you send it? What is it worth to learn how to write a Yellow Pages ad that brings in 400% more business without increasing the size (or cost)? How much would you pay to learn how to write a brochure that consistently brings in 20% more business?

I should mention that I charge $750 for each document critique. Considering that it often takes me two or three hours to do a critique, sometimes more, I’d say that this is more than fair. And if you consider that the recipient of that critique benefits to the tune of thousands of dollars (or more), I’d say they’re getting a bargain, wouldn’t you?

The Toolkit contains more than 100 critiques. At $750 each, this means The Toolkit is worth an amazing $75,000! Wow, I’d bet that would make this one of the most expensive set of books ever sold. (I wonder if I should list them on Amazon.com.)

Okay, I’m not going to charge you anywhere near that. No way.

I’ve sold Volume I for $495. Volume two is valued at $595. That’s $1,090 for the set. Does that sound fair? Considering what you get, I think it’s a bargain. One new client and you’ve more than paid for the set. But hold on. I’ve come up with a better deal for you. In fact, it’s so good, my wife and my secretary both told me I wasn’t charging enough. Actually, when she heard what I was going to ask, my wife said. . .

“You’re giving it away!”

Well, whether or not I am giving it away, here goes: For a limited time (no kidding—I reserve the right to withdraw this offer at any time and without notice) you can get The Toolkit (Volumes I and II), all 800+ pages, for just $367.

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That’s less than four dollars per document/critique. Less than you would pay to hire me to do one document critique.

Why would I do this? First, you need to know that I am ONLY offering this Toolkit Special on the Internet. I would never make this offer “offline”. I can’t afford to. The cost of advertising offline, in Bar Journals (which I have done for many years) is very high. My advertising budget was over $20,000 a month for a very long time.

But on the Internet, my costs are next to nothing, so. . . if you order through this web site, I can afford to pass along my savings to you.

That’s how I can afford to do this. As for why, the answer is equally simple. A lot of attorneys tell me they can’t afford my Referral Magic course. They want help with their marketing but aren’t in a position to invest $1,000 to $1,500 in my course. And so I wanted to provide something that just about anyone could afford, and, well, this is it.

I’ll sweeten the deal by giving you the following GREAT bonuses:

Free Bonus #1:

The 30-Day Referral Blitz: A Step-by-Step
Guide to Getting Clients Quickly

The 30-Day Referral Blitz is a powerful method for getting your clients to refer new business. When you use The Blitz, you’ll bring in a maximum number of new clients in a minimum of time. And, you can use The Blitz over and over again, whenever you want, to create a new surge of business.

But that’s not all. This report also shows you a powerful way to get new referral sources. No matter how many referral sources you have now, when you follow the simple instructions in The Blitz, you WILL get more!

The Blitz is easy to do. It takes about two hours to set up, and THEN, it’s just 15 minutes a day, five days a week, for 30 days.

Free Bonus #2:

The Lazy Lawyer’s Guide To Wealth:
How to Earn More By Working Less!

Most lawyers think the only way to increase their income is to (a) work more hours, (b) raise their fees, or (c) spend more money on advertising.

What if there was another way?

In this report, you’ll learn a simple 12-month plan for increasing your income by at least one-third — working smarter, not harder.

Free Bonus #3:

How To Make Your Business Card Pull In
400% More Clients Than It Does Now

Marketing does not have to be complicated. Believe it or not, you can get more clients just by putting a simple phrase on your business card.

But you’ve got to know exactly what to put on the card.

(Hint: it’s something you write on the card just before you hand it to someone.)

“It took me nine years to discover this neat little trick. In this report, you’ll learn how to use this zero-cost money-maker in just nine minutes.”

Free Bonus #4:

An Amazing Secret That Can Triple Response
To Your ‘Free Consultation’ Offers!

Many lawyers who offer free consultations are disappointed with the results. They either get too few responses, or they get too many unqualified responses (people who can’t afford to hire them or who just want to ‘pick their brains’ and get some free advice).

How would you like to triple the response to your free consultation offers and at the same time, be certain that the people who call you are ready, willing and able to sign your retainer and pay your fee?

Actually, it’s easy (when you know how). Believe me, this idea alone is worth more than the entire cost of The Toolkit. And, best of all, you’re going to learn all this absolutely free.

Free Bonus #5:

How To Use “N.M.” To Find The
Clients Who Can Make Your Rich!

The biggest mistake lawyers make in marketing their services is not targeting the right clients.

Let’s face it, some clients are better than others.

The right clients can provide you with a lifetime of steady income, a thriving practice built on referrals and repeat business, and a lifestyle that is the envy of others.

The wrong clients? They will destine you to a lifetime of mediocrity.

How can you identify the clients who are right for YOUR practice? Which characteristics should you look for? Which should you ignore?

When you read this report, you will know the answers to these vital questions. Listen. I consider the information in this report to be the single most important thing I can teach you about marketing. Don’t practice another day without it.

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Okay, those are the five bonuses. Each report is a $50 value, but you can’t buy any of them. They’re not for sale. You can only get them with my $1,000-$1,500 marketing course or through this special Toolkit offer.

And listen, these reports are POWERFUL (even if I do say so myself). Any one of these reports could bring you tens of thousands of dollars in revenue. Seriously. You get all five reports, FREE when you order The Toolkit package through this web site. And again, I reserve the right to remove this offer at any time, for any reason, and without prior notice.

What’s that? This is still not good enough? You want ANOTHER bonus?! Are you kidding me!? You’re already getting The Toolkit for less than half what it’s worth, plus $250 in bonus reports, and you still want more!

Okay, okay, you win! (Lawyers!)

I’ll also send you a “Document Critique Coupon” so you can send me one of your marketing documents (letter, ad, brochure, etc.) for review.

What that means is. . .

If you have a “sick” yellow pages ad, I’ll show you how to cure it. Want to send your clients a referral letter that works? I’ll show you what to do. Need a brochure that showcases your capabilities? Don’t make the same expensive mistake most lawyers make. Send it to me first, and I’ll show you what you need to know. You can even use the coupon to have me critique your web site!

This coupon is worth $750, and so that’s like getting The Toolkit. . . for free!

Order today, and your Toolkit package and all the bonuses will be on their way to your home or office. The Toolkit will pay for itself the first time you use it. In fact, I’m so sure you’ll be delighted, I’m offering this incredible, Ten-Times-Money-Back-Guarantee: Use The Toolkit to create your own marketing document and submit it to me with your free “Document Critique Coupon.” When  you receive the critique from me and make the changes I’ve suggested. . .

. . .if you don’t earn AT LEAST $3,670 in additional fees,
you can return The Toolkit for a 100% refund!

Not only that, this 100% Money Back Guarantee is good for. . .

ONE FULL YEAR!

Let’s recap. . . $75,000 worth of advice. . . $1,090 package value. . . $250 in bonus reports, a $750 Document Critique Coupon that makes The Toolkit “almost free,” and a ONE YEAR 100% money back guarantee. . .

I don’t know what else to say. If you’re not convinced that this is an incredible deal, you need to re-read this page to find out what you’re missing. If you agree that this is one heck-of-a-deal, then order now before I come to my senses and change my mind!

Sincerely,

David M. Ward

P.S. Remember, The Toolkit package is worth at least $1,090 and could be worth thousands to you and you get it for only $367 plus you get $1,000 in extra bonuses that could be worth thousands more!

P.P.S. One of the most valuable marketing documents for any lawyer is a press release. I’m probably crazy for doing this, but as an additional bonus, if you order within the next 24 hours, I’ll also send you a free copy of the incredible new software, Press Release-O-Matic. This amazing software tool lets you create a perfect press release in under a minute, formatted for printing or for use on your web site. No other tools or special skills needed. Just click one button and your perfect press release is created for you. It even creates perfect “cover letters” to go with your press release. It’s yours free and you can keep it even if you decide to return The Toolkit. Just check the box on the order form and Press Release-O-Matic is yours!

Order The Lawyers’ Marketing Toolkitâ„¢ Internet Special!

Dear Attorney Friend,

I’ll never forget my first day of law school. It was the fall of 1976 and I had just entered Professor Martin Wolman’s Torts class.

He was in his 50’s, with a neatly trimmed white beard and matching colored hair, silver-framed eye glasses, and an open-collared dark blue shirt. As we filed into the room and took our seats, he stood scowling in front of the amphitheater seats, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

He looked like the Devil himself.

Most professors put their name on the blackboard, but not Wolman. As we later heard, this was law school and it was up to us to know if we were in the right room. He was trying to intimidate us, and he was succeeding.

He said nothing. When the seats were filled and the room grew quiet, he dropped his cigarette in the remains of a cup of coffee. The hot ash made a ‘ssss sound as it hit the cold liquid, a signal that he was about to speak. When he did, it was like listening to a judge sentencing us to death.

“Look at the person to your left,” he said. He spoke slowly, deliberately. Every ear was listening. “Now, look at the person to your right.” He began to pace. “Next year at this time,” he continued, “one of you won’t be here.”

We then heard a lengthy “law school is tough” lecture, and about the first-year drop out rate. A young man in the second row made the mistake of giggling, probably out of nervousness. Wolman jumped on him like a hungry jackal on a wild boar. When the tirade was over, the young man was close to tears. Wolman told him he would probably be one of the ones who don’t make it.

“You’re not in college anymore!” Wolman shouted. We were not to be mollycoddled. If we were to become attorneys, we had better get very serious. And thick-skinned.

He then told us what we would need to do to make it: how cases were to be briefed, how many hours to study, what was expected of us in class. He took great relish in explaining, or rather NOT explaining the Socratic method.

One day, about a week into the term, Professor Wolman approached me and told me he would like to speak with me. He asked me to come to his office after class. Was I nervous? Strangely, no. Even though I had witnessed his Professor Kingsfield-like intimidations, for some reason, I didn’t think I had anything to fear.

When I got to his office, he asked me if I had any previous legal experience. It seems I had made the mistake of frequently raising my hand in class, and even worse, when called on, not making a fool of myself. What he really wanted to know, I thought, was why I wasn’t afraid of him.

I had clerked for my father before law school, and told him so. He told me that I shouldn’t get too comfortable, that school was going to get tougher, and I shouldn’t take anything for granted as far as graduating was concerned.

“I know I’ll make it,” I told him.

Of course he was right. About law school being tough. It’s supposed to be. I think those of us who made it expected it to be rigorous, so we were prepared for it. Looking back at your law school experience now, aren’t you glad it was tough? That they didn’t just hand out diplomas to anyone who showed up?

Professor Wolman told us something else. He told us that after we graduate and pass the bar exam, we would look back at law school and it will seem easy compared to the struggle to earn a living as a practicing lawyer.

He told us about his early days as a practicing PI lawyer, how it had been years before he was able to pay the rent on time each month. He warned us that we should not expect to earn more than a bare subsistence for at least five years.

I did not want to hear this. Law school, I could handle. Three years of busting my hump, okay, but then, when I’ve got that license in hand, I just knew the clients would be there. I didn’t know how this would happen, just that it had to happen. No way I was going to suffer for five years. He couldn’t be right!

But Professor Wolman was right again.

Getting a legal education does not assure us of success in our profession. Passing the bar guarantees us nothing except the right to call ourselves an attorney. There are no guarantees, no safety net. There is no $200 an hour minimum wage law for the legal profession. Whether we open our own office or work for someone else, it is up to us to create our own success.

My first year in practice I found out that it didn’t matter how smart you were or how hard you worked. Clients don’t appear by themselves. You have to bring them in. Wolman had warned us. He’d told us that you have to work to bring in clients and build a practice. What he didn’t tell us was how.

• How do you attract clients?
• How do you keep them happy, so they’ll return and refer others?
• How do you create effective marketing documents?
• How do you develop referral sources?
• How do you craft a marketing message that tells people why they should hire you instead of any other lawyer?
• How do you get your message out to the world without appearing unprofessional?

On the day I graduated law school, I had no answers to these questions. Hell, I didn’t even know the questions. I just assumed that if I do good work, word would spread about me and my practice would grow. I’d get cards printed and give them to everyone I know, and ask them to tell their friends about me. How hard could it be? Soon, I would have all the clients I could handle. That talk about five years was for others, not me. . .

What a dope I was.

My first few years were even worse than Wolman said it was going to be. It wasn’t just a struggle, it was pure hell.

I thought that because I was a “professional,” marketing was somehow beneath me. I didn’t realize that while law is a profession, it’s also a business. A demanding, competitive, make it or break it business. We sell a product (our services). Our customers are called clients, but they’re still customers, who have wants and needs. We generate sales, pay our expenses, and earn profits (or losses).

It wasn’t until I had experienced the harshness of the real world that I “got it”. I finally figured out that everything depends on bringing in paying clients, and that nothing else matters unless you do.

But I still didn’t know how to do it. And so for a long time, I earned next to nothing.

I was scared all the time, and frustrated that I had worked so hard but had so little to show for it. When I think about that time in my life, I remember how alone and empty I felt. Even now, as I’m typing these words, in my mind I hear Peggy Lee singing, Is that all there is?

My frustration grew and I came to despise what I was doing. Monday mornings were especially dreaded. I hated the ups and downs, and I longed for something else. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and in 1988 I quit. I closed my practice and went into the real estate business with another lawyer who had given up practicing some years earlier.

It was the ’80’s and real estate was hot. We were making pretty good money, but I had a personal conflict with our third partner, and I decided it was best for me to leave, and so I did. I didn’t know what I was going to do, but at the time, I thought it was the best thing to do.

For the next year or so, I got involved in a few other business ventures. One by one, they went south. There I was with no business, no law practice, and the money quickly running out. When it did, I started living on my credit cards while I looked for the next thing I was going to do. I got deeper into debt, but I still didn’t know what to do. . .

My wife pointed out that the only thing I had ever done that had made any money was practicing law, and she urged me to re-open my practice. Ugh, I really didn’t want to do it. That part of my life was over. I had gotten rid of my law books, thrown away my Rolodex, and we had moved to a new city where I didn’t know a soul. How was I going to start over again under those circumstances?

But I had no choice. I opened a small office and began making appearances for other lawyers while I tried to figure out how I was going to bring in some clients of my own.

Well, it was no better the second time than it was the first. At least the first time, I was naive enough to think things were going to change; now, I knew they were not going to get better, at least not any time soon. But this time, I had a family and a mortgage and I could not afford to wait it out. I had to do something – and quick.

But things kept getting worse.

I was scared to death. Even though I had practically no clients, every day I went home physically and emotionally exhausted. And depressed.

One day, I met someone who worked for a lawyer across town who was bringing in a ton of clients, mostly through referrals. It didn’t look like he was working very hard, but he seemed to have plenty of money. (The matching Mercedes’ he and his wife drove were a definite clue.)

Needless to say, I was curious to find out how he was doing it, and I pestered him until I found out.

When I found out his “secret” I was amazed. I was amazed that it was so simple (and amazed that I hadn’t thought of it before.)

Anyway, even though it was simple, with my track record, I was sure it wasn’t going to work for me. And even if it did, there was no way it was going to get me out of this very deep hole I had dug for myself. But again I had nothing to lose, so. . . I tried it.

To my surprise, and delight, I started bringing in new clients almost immediately.

What a relief! An enormous weight had been lifted off me. New clients were calling, I had money to pay the bills. For the first time in my entire career, I started to enjoy practicing law. Let me tell you…

I learned something that day. I knew, of course, that most lawyers get the bulk of their business through referrals. What I didn’t know was how important it was to have a referral system.

Without a system, referrals are. . . unpredictable. You may get new business this month, you may not. But a referral system can bring in a steady stream of new clients, month after month, year after year.

Anyway, I continued to use what I had learned and each year, I made more and more income. I investigated other techniques for marketing legal services, and kept trying all kinds of different things. Some worked, some didn’t. But the more I tried, the more I learned, and I quickly found that marketing was not the burden I thought it was going to be. In fact, I found that I enjoyed it.

I enjoyed showing people how I could help them. I enjoyed being able to help clients without having to worry about my own needs. I enjoyed the freedom I had to choose the cases I would accept, who I would — and would not — represent.

And I sure did enjoy the money. . .

But you want to know something? What I enjoyed the most was the free time I had. Seems crazy, the idea of bringing in more work and working fewer hours, but there I was doing exactly that. In fact the more business I brought in, the less I worked! (I went from a working six days a week to working only three).

People ask me how I could possibly do that. Three reasons, I tell them. First, I specialized, which meant I could become more efficient. I knew what to expect, and had forms and procedures for just about any contingency.

Second, I learned to delegate. That’s not something lawyers find easy to do, especially sole practitioners. But if you’re going to run your practice like a business, it’s something you’ve got to get good at. There are only so many hours in a day and if you insist on doing everything yourself you will never realize your full potential.

My third “secret,” of course, is marketing. Knowing how to bring in business means being able to bring in the best cases and the most loyal clients. It means you can find referral sources and generate a steady stream of new business. And it also means being able to get rid of the unproductive cases, the troublesome, time-wasting clients that plague every law practice.

Anyway, I took what I had learned, continued to refine it, and began writing down my system. One thing led to another and in 1997 I began teaching the system, which I named, “Referral Magic!” to lawyers throughout the U.S.

Today, more than 5,000 lawyers, all over the world, are using the Referral Magic Marketing Program to get more clients and increase their income. I’m proud to know I have helped so many lawyers, and I look forward to helping many more through my products and through this web site.

I began teaching lawyers how to get more clients and grow their practice. I have learned that it is much easier to do that by first growing oneself. And so the focus of The Attorney Marketing Center has changed slightly since it’s inception. Now, in addition to providing information and advice on developing a law practice, it also provides insights for developing the lawyer. Personal development has helped me in so many ways and I want others to enjoy the benefits. Marketing can help you make a living, personal development can help you make you a life.

Another concept to be explored here is how to create passive income. Lawyers are well paid for their time, but when you trade “time for dollars,” you can only earn so much. I know a lot of wealthy attorneys but I also know a lot of attorneys who are up to their eyeballs in debt and struggling to pay their bills. Many earn a lot of money but spend it all and have nothing left for retirement.

I did well in my law practice and I did well in my marketing business, but several years ago, I realized that I was one of the ones who wasn’t saving enough for retirement and I went searching for a viable way to create passive income. I looked at a lot of alternatives but couldn’t find the right thing for me. Eventually, though, I found something that was a perfect fit, and, over the next five years, developed a six-figure passive income. Enough to retire, but then I’m having too much fun to retire, and besides, I see myself as a seven-figure kinda guy. But now I work because I want to, not because I have to. Passive income made it so.

I remember the day I graduated law school in 1979. After the Dean gave me my diploma, I shook hands with some of the faculty in a receiving line. Professor Wolman was there. He offered me the perfunctory, “Congratulations,” and as he did, our conversation three years earlier came flooding into my mind. As I shook his hand, I smiled and took great pleasure in saying, “See, I told you I would make it.” Had he run into me a few years later, I imagine he would have said, “See, I told you it would be tough.”

I hope law school continues to be tough. But I also hope they start teaching marketing. There’s no reason why starting or growing a law practice should be the frustrating, demeaning struggle it is for so many attorneys.

Sincerely,

 

 

 

David M. Ward

P.S. I may not be able to help you. Read this article to find out why.