What Kind of Cases Do You Want?
I’ve been talking to a few people about what kind of cases they want to handle, what kind of work they want to do for a living and what kind of life they want to live.
I think this is a constant reevaluation. Even if you find something that you are really good at, are successful and profitable, it won’t last forever. You only have a limited window where it will be a real good opportunity and then you have to find other opportunities.
I worked my way through law school writing a computer system for an asbestos plaintiff firm. That was good for awhile, but has dwindled down. The large mass torts and ‘warehousing’ of cases was very profitable for a period of time, but that time period has passed. I have a friend that did very well with stucco cases for a period, but now those have dwindled down.
What’s the moral to this story? Even if you get a lot of cases that are profitable and that you’re good at, it won’t last forever.
So what kind of cases do you want? More complex high dollar cases? Medium size cases that don’t bring in as much money, but are easier to work up? Lots and lots of little cases that are very easy to standardize and you can hand off to an associate? Cases that you feel you’re making a difference in your clients life? Cases where you feel that you’re making a difference in upholding (or changing) the system?
Once you identify the kind of cases you want, where do those cases come from? Who are the clients? Who do the clients go to for advice? Where are the gathering spots for the referrals? Who are the connectors in the industry? And by connector, I mean who out there knows everyone and can give you referrals.
This takes thought. The high dollar cases with clear liability, serious damages and unlimited insurance/collectability are few and far between.
There’s a lot of legal work out there and the clients are going to hire someone. It might as well be you.
