Yes, I know, you are more powerful than a locomotive—at least that’s what you want your clients to believe. You’re invincible—in the courtroom, boardroom and everywhere else. 

As images go, that’s hard to beat. 

But are you faster than a speeding bullet? 

Your clients would like this, too. 

They would like you to complete your work, settle their case, or deliver your work product quickly, because the faster you do that, the sooner they get the benefits they desire. And (they hope) save a bundle on legal fees.

So you might make “speed” a part of your marketing message. 

It can’t be your “unique selling proposition” because, of course, lawyers can’t promise results, quick or otherwise, but it’s a good way to show prospective clients an advantage to working with you. 

Show prospective clients, and the people who can refer them, that you are someone who gets the job without delay.

How do you suggest “speed” without promising it, or sounding like a fast-talking car salesman?

Carefully.

• When you schedule appointments, offer to see the client today or tomorrow, instead of two weeks out, and schedule those appointments at ten-minute intervals, suggesting that you are busy and work fast.
• Under promise so you can over-deliver. Tell clients “two weeks” and complete the work in one. Surprise and delight them and create a story they can share.
• If you use testimonials or quotes from positive reviews on your website or in ads, highlight comments that praise how quickly you got to work and completed it.
• Talk about how you created many forms and checklists in your practice that allow you to expedite your work process.
• Update your website with a “modern” look, quicker navigation, and ease of use.
• Compare and contrast—describe how “most firms” (your competition) do things and show how you are different (better, faster).

Talk fast, walk fast, and show clients you have high energy. Because lawyers who move quickly usually work quickly. 

Most lawyers emphasize quality and trustworthiness and you must, too. But most lawyers don’t even hint at speed, so if you do, you’ll stand out. 

When it comes to aversion to risk, nobody holds a candle to lawyers. We’re trained to anticipate risks, protect against them, and quickly act to minimize damages when something goes wrong. 

We do this for our clients and for ourself. It’s kinda our thing. 

Risk management in any business or profession just makes sense. What doesn’t make sense are efforts to eliminate all risk, or helping clients do the same.

Why?

For one thing, it is an impossible task. As long as we’re in business (and alive), we can’t eliminate risk. It’s always there. It’s the nature of business. It’s a fact of life. 

But even if we could completely eliminate risk, we shouldn’t. Because without risk, there can be no reward. Without risk, you “risk” becoming stale and boring and losing clients to competitors who aren’t. 

If we eliminate all risk, we simultaneously eliminate new ideas and opportunities, which are, by definition, risky. If we’re unwilling to experiment with a new practice area, niche market, or marketing method, we’ll never enjoy the fruits of those efforts.

Without taking risks, our services look like every other risk-adverse lawyers’. Our advertising messages are stale, our articles say the same things said by every other lawyer, and nobody notices us. To protect yourself from mistakes and losses and criticism, you lose your competitive edge.

A business grows in proportion to the risks it takes and successfully manages. 

Successful lawyers take chances, innovate, and refuse to (completely) play it safe.

Instead of trying to eliminate all risks, we should reduce our exposure to unreasonable risks, prefer risks with a sizable potential payoff, and be ever-vigilant. And advise our clients to do the same.

Intelligently manage risk. Don’t eliminate it.