Ten Ways To Use #GenAI To Start Your Law Firm
Once upon a time, Jay Foonberg’s old chestnut, How to Start and Build a Law Firm was the only source of advice for lawyers seeking to start their own firm. Today, not only are there a myriad of resources including MyShingle.com and Solo by Choice but there’s genAI that can actually do some of the administrivia associated with starting a law firm for you. Here are ten ways that you can use AI tools to help you launch.
1. Naming your law firm
With law firm trade names now permitted in all 50 states, lawyers should seriously consider a trade name from the get-go. And with #genAI tools brainstorming a bunch of names has never been easier. Granted, many of the responses are junk but you’re still likely to find something you can work with.
2. Logo
Every law firm needs a distinctive logo but good design can take time and money. GenAI can hack an interim logo that you can ask a designer to refine once money starts flowing.
3. Operating Agreement for LLC
If you choose an LLC as your entity structure, you’ll want a simple operating agreement (which may also be required for formation in some jurisdictions). To improve the output, I uploaded a generic law firm LLC operating agreement that I found online as a sample.
4. Ideal client iteration
There are no silver bullets when it comes to law firm marketing. That said, understanding and marketing to your ideal client is one of the most effective marketing solutions. But what if you’re not sure who your ideal client is? Or if you currently have an ideal client who’s not so ideal anymore and you’re looking to change up.
5. Marketing to your ideal client
If you want to learn more about your ideal client and how to market to them genAI can help with that too.
6. Law firm announcement email and post
Congrats if you’ve just opened your doors! Now it’s time to tell the whole world with a law firm announcement. Here’s an example of how ChatGPT can help:
7. Outreach to colleagues for referrals
Social media grabs the spotlight in discussions about law firm marketing, but referrals remain the gold standard. To build referral relationships, lawyers need to indulge in outreach early and often. GenAI can brainstorm ideas for attracting referral partners.
8. Client policies
The most successful law firms manage client expectations at the outset to avoid unpleasant surprises and client complaints down the line. Starting out, you may not have any idea what to include in a client policy. But you can search the web for ideas and let genAI do the rest. Here’s how:
9. Website chatbot
Have time on your hands starting out? Why not build a Custom GPT trained on your documents to answer client questions. Here’s the Maryland Estate Planning Assistant, a custom GPT that my firm built. If you want to learn how to build a Custom GPT register for our on-demand course here.
10. Individual podcast about you and your law firm
Want to create a neat piece of content designed to catch colleagues’ attention? Auto-create a one- episode podcast using Google Notebook LM. Just upload your resume and click to generate a podcast that will make you blush at how impressive you come across!
This article was originally published on November 12, 2024, on Myshingle.com, the blog of Law Offices of Carolyn Elefant. It is republished here with permission.