The Game Changing Attorney: How to Land the Best Cases, Stand Out from Your Competition, And Become The Obvious Choice in Your Market
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The Game Changing Attorney - Michael Mogill
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Advance Praise
Honest. Thoughtful. Engaging. I wish I’d had something like this to read when I was new and small and starting out.
—Randall M. Kessler, Esq., past chair of the American Bar Association, Family Law Section
Google ‘law firm marketing’ and you’ll find a ton of books, most written by charlatans preying on a market they believe is (1) wealthy and (2) stupid about marketing. Michael Mogill ‘gets it.’ You are trying to do a good job for your clients, your family, and the folks you employ, and Michael is one of the few I’d trust to lead you to a happier, more productive life in the legal profession.
—Ben Glass, founder of Great Legal Marketing and Ben Glass Law
Michael Mogill’s The Game Changing Attorney is a must-read if you are an attorney who wants to attract your ideal clients in the new legal landscape of the modern solo/small firm practice. He offers real insight and advice on distinguishing your brand and identity. This book teaches what lawyers need to know in the light, often-funny, and honest voice of Michael, making it an enjoyable read.
—Alvaro Arauz, founder of 3a Law Management
Michael Mogill understands the power of emotional connection in the business of law. The Game Changing Attorney is a must-read for any law firm owner who wants to learn how to grow their practice exponentially.
—Rich Sierra, Esq., CEO of Florida Small Business Legal Center
Michael has written a must-read guide for any law firm owner who’s trying to figure out how to take things to the next level. Take it from the man who grew his business 1,157 percent in three years. This guy gets it.
—Ken Hardison, founder of The Personal Injury Lawyers Marketing & Management Association, PILMMA
As an executive within the legal industry, I’ve seen firsthand how hard it can be to set yourself apart as a law firm owner. Many people have tried and failed to teach law firm owners what it takes to truly dominate your market. The Game Changing Attorney gets it right. If you want extreme law firm growth advice with a healthy dose of honesty and wry humor, read this book.
—Magnus Simonarson, president of Consultwebs
The Game Changing Attorney is funny, honest, and gives you a much-needed kick in the pants. Simply put, you need this book in your business.
—Seth Price, founding partner at Price Benowitz LLP and founder of BluShark Digital
The Game Changing Attorney will be a go-to guide in your law firm for many years to come. If you follow the steps outlined in this book, you will grow your law firm—no doubt about it. This book is fresh, honest, insightful, and jam-packed full of great law firm growth tips.
—Howard Spiva, owner of Spiva Law Group
Michael Mogill’s The Game Changing Attorney will help you get clear on the steps you need to take to achieve massive growth in your law firm. This book is truly a game changer.
—Chris Dreyer, founder of Rankings.io
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Copyright © 2018 Michael Mogill
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-5445-1245-7
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To my family, for putting up with me while I was learning all of this.
One hundred percent of my portion of the proceeds from this book will go to provide humanitarian aid and assistance for refugees via the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS). They helped my family and countless others escape anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union and establish themselves in America. They are true game-changers.
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Contents
Disclaimer
Foreword
Introduction
1. A David and Goliath Story
2. Lawyering Ain’t What It Used to Be
3. The Best Cases Go to the Best Marketers
4. Become the Obvious Choice
5. Tell Your Story
6. From Story to Value Proposition
7. Go Small to Go Big
8. The New Buyer’s Journey
9. The Case for Video Marketing
10. Getting the Most Out of Your Video
11. Marketing 101
12. How Do You Measure Success?
13. The Biggest Video Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
About the Author
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Disclaimer
I’m sure it comes as no surprise that a book for lawyers has a disclaimer. Besides, my publisher thought it was a good idea to include this.
This book is not intended to be legal or ethical advice. Legal requirements and ethical standards governing advertising, marketing, client relationships, and duties to clients vary from state to state.
Only you are responsible for your own actions.
Some readers will learn from the insights in this book, take massive action, and see strong results. Others will buy this book but, lacking true ambition, will never crack the cover.
While it’s possible to make a large profit through a well-marketed and well-managed business or practice, it is up to you to take all of the actions necessary for business success as you define it.
At the end of the day, you’re a capable adult and must take ownership of your own decisions. Don’t blame the author if things don’t turn out as you hoped—and don’t blame anybody else either.
I’ll say it again: only you are responsible for your own actions.
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Foreword
By Harlan Schillinger, Legal Marketing Expert
I never really knew Michael Mogill until three years ago. We met in an untimely manner. I was put in the most awkward situation two days before the National Trial Lawyers Summit in South Beach, Florida.
One of my key speakers during the Business of Law
segment of our conference had to cancel. Frankly, I started to sweat and burn up with anxiety.
I reached out to several well-respected friends and colleagues for help in replacing this most important time spot.
Three out of four of my contacts told me that this young fellow from Atlanta was my guy. I did some quick homework and suddenly realized that this young fellow who likes skinny suits and ties had the exact same mindset as I did about quality and substantive case acquisition. Consequently, I tracked him down and interrupted his date night with his fiancé, now his lovely wife, just days away from my biggest gig.
Michael promised me that he would put together a rock-solid presentation and that I should not worry about him looking so young. He was so humble, it scared me.
Michael Mogill rocked the summit with his explosive presentation and understanding of innovative law firm growth strategies. He made me look a lot smarter than I really am. He made everyone in the audience feel like they had to immediately learn something. He completely educated eight hundred hungry lawyers salivating for something new.
Over the past three years, I have had the pleasure of working with Michael and his team on several important projects. He and his team exceeded all of our expectations.
My bar is set very high. I have been involved in legal marketing for many of the top law firms nationally and internationally (over ninety-eight markets) for thirty-nine years. I would like to say I have seen everything. I have not.
The best and most effective marketing for lawyers is storytelling.
Michael and his team taught me a better way to tell a story and how to get that story out into today’s internet-driven market. He sure taught me a thing or two!
What you are about to read will transform your practice. He can teach you to tell a story and utilize a media that my generation and even younger generations can only guess and dream at succeeding in. Be prepared to really learn how you can represent yourself and your firm with great dignity, substance, and zeal for the law.
If you take the golden nuggets in this book and actually use them, you will profit greatly from what you have learned.
I thank Michael Mogill for teaching me a new kind of marketing, and you will thank him too.
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Introduction
Does Anyone Really Care about Your Law Firm?
I’ve met attorneys like you. You’re passionate about your work and your clients. However, you’re equally puzzled that you can’t seem to consistently attract the high-value cases that you know you’re worth. Maybe you’re a solo attorney, or maybe you own a larger twenty-person firm. Either way, you’re beginning to suspect that you’re no longer competing on an even playing field.
Your suspicions are correct.
The harsh reality is, the legal landscape is changing. The Goliaths of your market have more resources, more money, and more marketing savvy than your one- or twenty-person show. While you strain to cobble together the resources for even a modest marketing push, they’re burying your firm in billboards, advertising, refrigerator magnets, you name it. Despite your best efforts, you’re falling behind, helpless as the market pulls farther away from you.
The way I see it, in the face of this harsh reality, you have two potential paths:
Endure your slow decline until you or your practice dies. Then, head off to the local bar meeting to commiserate about how hard it is to compete and remain relevant in your market, especially when other attorneys keep getting all the good cases.
Adapt to the new legal landscape, understand how today’s legal consumer makes decisions, and meet them on their terms. If you can do this, you can differentiate yourself from the competition and the commoditized masses and finally begin to attract your ideal clients.
No doubt, the second path is harder. It means understanding your clients, identifying what channels have their attention, and learning how to market in a way that will engage your audience. More than that, it means giving your audience a reason to care and the opportunity to connect with you as a human being.
That’s what this book will teach you.
The good news is, by highlighting your unique strengths, you can be far more competitive than you think.
How do I know? Simply put, I’ve experienced the results firsthand in my own business. I’ve struggled, I’ve suffered, I’ve endured, and I’ve been there. And I’ve found that the strategies I used to grow my business are nearly universal—in fact, I’ve used those same strategies to help thousands of attorneys around the country grow their law firm, and my goal is to do the same for you.
Why I Wrote This Book
In the chapters that follow, you’re going to learn a lot about me. For now, I’ll simply say this: I am not some trust fund kid who founded my company out of boredom with unlimited funding from a host of wealthy benefactors. I started Crisp Video with $500 to my name, and I’ve dealt with the exact same challenges that our clients have—and perhaps the same challenges you’ve had as well (more on this story in Chapter Five).
I know what it’s like to be sitting in the office on Thanksgiving night not knowing if you’re going to be able to make the next payroll. I know what it’s like to find yourself endlessly hustling for just one more client—only for that opportunity to fall apart in your hands right before you close. I know what it’s like to work hundred-hour weeks for years on end and to collapse from exhaustion every night when you get home. In short, I know what it’s like to struggle.
This book came from that struggle and my desire to pay the lessons I’ve learned forward. This is the book I wish had existed when I started my company and became a business owner. I’m not here to be a cheerleader and tell you that all your problems will be solved if you post a video to YouTube. Rather, I’m here to tell you the reality of your profession, where it’s headed, and how you can get out in front and make a dent.
This book is about you.
Consider me a third-party observer in the legal industry, who decided to stage an intervention. In just a few years, we’ve helped thousands of attorneys—from solo and small firms to larger practices—capture a bigger market share and make a greater impact in communities across the country. The success stories I share throughout this book were not included to brag about how great we are, but rather to give you a book rooted in real-world application. I’ve seen too many self-proclaimed gurus write books or get up on stage telling everyone what they should be doing without implementing these theoretical best practices in their own business. We practice every word of what we preach to our clients—and our results speak for themselves.
The strategies outlined here have helped grow our business by over 1,100 percent in the three years leading up to this book’s release. During that time, we earned spots on the Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America, were named Best Places to Work, and became the fastest-growing marketing company in the legal industry. In metrics such as revenue, team size, and capabilities, we’ve grown by over 200 percent every single year since our inception. During this time, I’ve become a regular speaker at numerous national legal conferences, and my articles have been featured in publications such as Forbes, ABA, The National Trial Lawyers, Avvo, Inc., The Huffington Post, and The Wall Street Journal.
I’m proud of the success we’ve achieved at Crisp, but I’m more proud of what our success has meant for the clients we’ve worked with—good attorneys who care deeply about their clients and yet struggled to stand out in an increasingly competitive field. Collectively, after working with us, these attorneys have seen hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue. That said, it’s not all about the money (more on that in just a moment). Because of the returns they’ve seen, the attorneys we work with are able to grow their business in a way that allows them to give back and impact their communities in a way that helps bring about lasting change.
The strategies outlined in this book have worked for thousands of attorneys in every market and every practice area—from personal injury to family law, from the rural plains of Oklahoma to the urban bustle of New York City. By positioning themselves as the obvious choice in a saturated market, these attorneys have not only been able to attract more cases, but better cases.
The New Legal Landscape
The game has changed, and consumers don’t have a good way to evaluate attorneys. Yes, there are some sites like Avvo, which is essentially like Yelp for attorneys, but that’s not enough. Many consumers don’t even know that site exists, and even still, they’re still pressed to differentiate between good and bad. How can they know if they’re hiring the right person?
The trend in the legal profession is that it’s getting worse and not better. It’s getting harder to capture your share of the market and land the clients you deserve. The guys at the top who have all the money and market also have the ability to invest that money, land more cases, invest that money, land even more cases, and so on. The cycle continues.
No matter how you look at it, it’s not a level playing field. Not everyone can advertise and invest in the same capacity. The only way to raise the bar and level the playing field is to improve the public perception and public trust in attorneys. It won’t surprise you to hear me say that there’s not a lot of trust in attorneys.1 As the old saying goes, nobody likes an attorney until they need one.
This is unfortunate, of course, because the minority of bad attorneys in the world are giving the majority of good attorneys a bad reputation. If we can raise the bar, if we can change the way lawyers are perceived, branded, and marketed, if we can change the perception of lawyers, then it’s good for everyone. When people are marketing in a way that puts their prospective clients at the center of it, the cream will rise to the top.
The problem is that a lot of the best lawyers have no idea how to market. Until they learn the legal landscape and how prospective clients make decisions, they won’t