Today's issue of TL NewsWire covers an online marketing service for lawyers that connects them with prospective clients (see article below), an alert service for important email messages, bulk email software, an iPad note-taking app, and a Bluetooth speaker. Don't miss the next issue.
A MARKETPLACE FOR YOUR LEGAL SERVICES
Many lawyers don't necessarily dislike marketing. They either lack the time or the skill set (marketing is a discipline unto itself). Given the undeniable success of outsourcing, why not outsource marketing much like you outsource payroll? Outsourcing doesn't mean giving up control. It means letting someone else handle the heavy lifting — such as attracting a pool of prospective clients — with you overseeing the process.
UpCounsel … in One Sentence
Launched earlier this year, UpCounsel is an eBay-style marketplace for legal services.
The Killer Feature
Mindful of the regulations governing fee splitting, UpCounsel skirts this issue by having those who hire you through the service pay you your entire quoted fee. UpCounsel charges those who use the service a separate fee. Lawyers don't pay anything to use UpCounsel.
Other Notable Features
After creating an UpCounsel account, the company verifies your credentials and interviews you. Once you become verified, you can begin bidding on "jobs" (matters) posted by prospective clients. You can also offer $99 flat fee consultations up to one hour in length for those contemplating hiring a lawyer (e.g., someone considering a personal injury lawsuit).
Currently, UpCounsel focuses on a number of practice areas such as bankruptcy, employment, intellectual property, landlord/tenant, litigation, and real estate transactions.
Like all web sites, content is king. Thus, UpCounsel provides you with a profile page and encourages you to submit material such as model agreements. UpCounsel lists your contributed documents on your profile page, which may help persuade those seeking legal representation to hire you over competing lawyers. Your profile page also lists your photo and curriculum vitae
Prospective clients can send secure messages such as questions to you through the service during the proposal process to help them make a decision. After you complete a job, clients can post a review, which UpCounsel lists on your profile page.
What Else Should You Know?
You can continue working with clients on new matters through UpCounsel. The advantage of not making your relationship more traditional after the first matter is that you'll build a more robust profile with many completed jobs and accompanying reviews, which should make it easier to attract new clients. Learn more about UpCounsel.
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