Harper & Smith, LLC used
LegalBall
to build a sustainable book of business
in less than a year.
LegalBall is litigation analytics software that analyzes data from court dockets statewide using the power of A.I. It’s as easy as doing an internet search. You can then take that data and create a chart, graph, or list so you can see trends over time or make comparisons.
The Challenge:
Increase new commercial law firm’s competitiveness in getting and retaining clients
The Outcome:
With LegalBall, the law firm built credibility with potential clients, making it competitive against more established law firms. The firm used detailed charts, graphs, and lists to provide clients with concrete data on the value of its services and to manage client expectations. It built a sustainable book of business in a crowded legal market in less than a year.
Jillian Harper and Kevin Smith, the founders of a commercial litigation firm, faced a typical problem: getting and retaining good-paying clients.
Their inexperience made it difficult to compete–with a scant track record to point to, clients didn't trust them. Also, they were unfamiliar with local judges and opposing counsel, making it harder for them to be as effective as their more experienced cohorts.
They needed a way to build credibility and trust with potential clients.
"It's hard to convince businesses to take a chance on you when they know nothing about you."
Jillian had always wanted to start a law firm but envisioned that she would have a book of business before striking out on her own. She had worked for a large firm in Seattle for five years and quickly built a reputation as a talented and effective litigator.
She boldly decided to leave Seattle and start fresh in Atlanta after her mother was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. "I could have easily found a job with a local firm [in Atlanta], but I needed control of my life to be there for my mother."
Jillian knew no one could match her legal skill, but her demeanor visibly shifts and her confidence wanes when she speaks about her lack of connections in the Atlanta legal market.
"It's hard to convince businesses to take a chance on you when they know nothing about you."
Her law partner, Kevin, also has a robust entrepreneurial spirit. However, he was given little responsibility during his three-year stint at a large firm. The firm's focused on billable hours, so much so, that he didn’t even have time for networking.
So he jumped at the chance to partner with Jillian in starting a new commercial litigation practice.
Unlike Jillian, Kevin oozes charisma that no doubt gets clients to the table. However, he still needed a little more to convince businesses to trust that the firm could handle significant litigation.
"Clients like to have drinks with me, but when it's all said and done, they want attorneys with a few rodeos under their belt."
LegalBall proved to be that one thing that nudged clients into taking the plunge with Jillian and Kevin.
Their first lucky break came soon after Kevin spoke at a continuing legal education course run by the state bar. A general counsel at a scrappy startup fintech company contacted the firm about a brewing contract dispute with a local lender.
The other presenters had years of entertaining war stories to drone on about. Kevin didn't have any notable stories, so he took a different approach:
With LegalBall, Kevin compiled fascinating statistics on judges and their style of managing commercial litigation cases. The presentation proved to be engaging and informative.
"People tend to choose attorneys based on who they trust…and numbers don't lie. I didn't have the experience to fall back on, but LegalBall helped fill in the gaps."
But getting clients is only a tiny part of the battle to a law firm's path to profitability. You also need to keep those clients happy.
Jillian understood the importance of managing client expectations. The law is different from other fields because defining victory is often subjective.
It's not just about Ws and Ls. A client who thinks a motion is a sure thing may take the attorney's skill in achieving that result for granted.
On the losing side, clients who understand that they have an uphill battle may be happy if the attorney effectively explains that to the client and quickly develops alternate strategies.
"Legal Ball Has Been My Secret Weapon in Managing Client Expectations"
Jillian calls LegalBall her "superpower" for managing client expectations. "If I tell a client we have a bad judge, it sounds like sour grapes. But they instantly 'get it' when I pull out a chart showing that a certain judge only rules in favor of small businesses against large ones in tort actions less than 10% of the time."
After securing a stunningly unexpected victory for the Fintech startup, the duo's caseload exploded.
The judge on the case leaned hard in favor of big corporations. With LegalBall, Jillian determined which factors were most instrumental in winning cases for clients like hers.
Less than one year after they began using LegalBall, the dynamic duo now have enough business to turn a respectable profit the next fiscal year. Not only that, but they project that they will be adding associates to handle the increased caseload within the next two years.
"The attorney-client relationship is all based on trust. That makes word of mouth the most effective way to get new clients." Kevin said, beaming. "It's even better when those clients aren't basing their accolades just on their own warm and fuzzy feelings for us personally, but on objective data."
With LegalBall You Can Generate Stats on
Decision-making tendencies of individual judges on specific issues
.