020: Implementing the Non-Lawyer Initial Meeting with Elizabeth Clark
Non-lawyers who conduct initial meetings with prospective clients can be a secret weapon for law firms. They save the attorneys time, money, and hassle. And they don’t give out legal advice for free.
Empowering team members to take over initial meetings with prospects is something many lawyers need help embracing. However, transitioning a trusted team member into someone who can take initial meetings off your plate can be a game-changer for a busy firm. With training and knowledge, they can determine whether or not new prospects will be a good fit as a client, what their needs are, and offer an in-depth consultation without providing free legal advice.
In this episode of Great Practice, Great Life®, Elizabeth Clark, Client Services Director of The Legacy Elder Law Center in Leesburg, Virginia, joins Steve to discuss her success with the firm and how she accidentally entered the role. She enjoys a great deal of trust from the attorney, who has her conduct 95% of the initial consultations.
Elizabeth shares some of the processes she uses to meet with and vet clients. She also explains how some clients become more personal and why the people working in the firm have so much empathy and sympathy for their clients. She’s excited to explain why she loves her role, how she developed the skill it takes, and why her attorney places so much trust in her.
In this episode, you will hear:
- What the Legacy Elder Law Center is, how it helps its clients, and Elizabeth Clark’s role there
- How she accidentally landed at the Legacy Elder Law Center as an assistant and eventually moved into conducting initial client meetings
- The process inside of the initial consultation and how Elizabeth’s firm determines if the potential client is a good fit
- How Elizabeth having the discretion to adjust the process and the service offered provides a distinct advantage to her firm
- Why her personal journey plays a role in how she speaks with clients and how they impact her
- Why she is so careful with the authority the firm has given her
- How having firm price points and not hiding them helps remind the client that they’re in charge
- Elizabeth’s advice to law firms who want to go through the process of empowering non-lawyer team members to qualify prospects and onboard clients
- Why she likes her role as Client Services Director
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Supporting Resources:
https://atticusadvantage.com/what-we-do/our-great-life-couples
Steve Riley
Certified Practice Advisor & Attorney
Steve Riley has coached attorneys for more than 20 years. His one-on-one coaching focuses on a limited number of top producing attorneys committed to taking their practices to new levels of excellence, profit, and personal success. He also presents at group coaching workshops around the country for individual law firms, state bar associations, and other legal organizations.