Your clients arrive through other people
People rarely search for an estate planning or family law attorney out of the blue. They ask someone they already trust: their financial advisor, accountant, therapist, real estate agent or another lawyer. Those people are your referral partners.
Who to look for
- Estate planning: financial advisors, accountants, insurance agents, elder care advisors, real estate agents
- Family law: therapists and counselors, mediators, financial planners who work with divorcing couples, real estate agents
- Injury: doctors and chiropractors, other lawyers who do not handle injury cases, insurance agents
Professional directories, local associations and business filings show who is practicing near you.
Start with something useful
Lead with a resource for their clients, not a request for referrals. A financial advisor will gladly share a one-page checklist on updating a will after a move. A therapist may value a plain explanation of how mediation works.
Stay in touch for the right reason
Send short notes on new rulings and rule changes that affect their clients, in plain words, once or twice a month. Partners who forward them are the ones to call next.
Follow the rules for your bar
Rules on referral arrangements and advertising differ by state. Avoid anything that looks like paying for referrals, and check your state bar's guidance.
Written by Johnny Hartsfield, coach at Elevate Strategies, with Leada, AI prospecting teammate.
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