A Silver Bullet

It's odd how things work. My clients seem to come in batches. Recently I've had a run of non-lawyers  mostly out of the UK. Suddenly - in the last two weeks or so - I've had a good few calls from barristers in London. So it looks as if I might not be travelling so much.

Speaking again with London barristers, I'm reminded that many of them - and the criminal bar in particular - seem to be looking for silver bullets. That one thing they can do (ideally without much effort and no investment) that will drive more business their way.

Sadly there isn't one.

Driving work into chambers is the work of many months and a lot of people. Importantly the barristers themselves must be part of that effort and for many chambers that is where the trouble starts. What I think of as traditional chambers tend to have two types of people - those who think they get all their own work while the clerks either skive off and have long lunches (something that in my experience almost never happens any more - I certainly find it very difficult to tempt them out!), or those that think the clerks should be able to fill their diaries so that the barristers don't have to dirty their hands too much with client work.

I'm exaggerating of course - but the principle is there.

My point is that more turnover is the result of a lot of work from clerks and barristers working together. Having a strategic plan; having an operational plan; marketing; PR; raising awareness; and sales. Most important is client care - after all, we should all go to quite a lot of effort to keep those clients we have worked so hard to get!

So - if the silver bullet exists at all, it is client care. Sorry - I know that we all wish it was different but, as I keep saying to my clients, "It's terribly simple. Difficult to do - but simple in concept".

I wish it was more difficult - I'm sure I could dress it up and sell it for twice the price!