Working as an immigration attorney can be quite daunting. There are very many professional values and ethics that you have to observe to succeed in this demanding profession. So, how do you ensure that you survive your immigration lawyer job? Here are 33 tips on how to survive your immigration attorney job;
Print tons of business cards- Print high quality business cards for your businesses. Give them out to random clients and other lawyers for distribution.
Employee Business cards- If you have staff helping you at the office, give every employee his or her own business cards with name, title and e-mail address, along with the name of the law firm. People are more likely to hand out cards with their own names on them.
Get a high quality website set up-Hire a web designer to design a high quality website for your law business. This is how clients will reach you quickly when searching for immigration attorneys online.
Learn a foreign language-Most clients with immigration cases normally are foreigners either Spaniards or Mexicans. Learning a foreign language will only help you succeed.
Participate in local proceedings-Comment on local immigration cases even if it’s for free. It will only make you be visible to the locals and they will know about you-they might end up hiring you.
Community service-Apply to volunteer at a local community college, community centre or similar venue. This could be a for-credit course or a one-day course on your area of legal expertise. It will help your career big time.
Advertise in the community-Make adverts in school and church newsletters and local marketer newspapers. This sort of advertising is usually cost-efficient and such publications are surprisingly well-read by their target audiences. You never know when a client will run into your advert.
Identify hotspots- Identify the areas where most of the immigration clients end up living and target these areas more. In America for example, towns next to borders are a prime spot for immigration law business.
Donate law services-Sometimes you just need to offer free legal service for the community to be aware of your existence. Volunteer to represent an orphan or the less privileged in the society and do a stellar job.
Hire a social media specialist- He/she will help maintain and update your website for you. This is important for the sake of marketing.
Volunteer in local schools- Offer to speak at your local high school about immigration law-related topics. Not only might the students become clients, but their teachers and parents just might, too.
Be very professional in your service-Always uphold the code of ethics of law when serving clients. This will help you build a reputation.
Join local legal bars-There are numerous local bars that you can join to boost your knowledge and expertise in the field.
Refer to other attorneys-Always feel free to refer clients to other attorneys when applicable. You will also start receiving referrals.
Cross-sell– When you complete work for clients, remind them that you handle other matters as well. List the services that you can competently handle and ask the clients to refer you to their friends and family.
Send out press releases. Have you launched a new website, why not let the community know? Release press releases to the small local newspapers.
Build long lasting relationships- Always keep in touch with clients even after their cases are done. You never know when they will be in need of your service again.
Offer services at an affordable cost- cheap legal services are always a win in immigration cases. People want quality services at affordable prices. Don’t stoop too low though, just be decent and don’t jeopardize with the quality of the service.
Make cases personal- Try to understand cases from a personal perspective. Be in the client’s shoes. This way you will be able to solve cases easily and earn more clients.
Make use of social media- Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter can be very good areas to market your practice and reach thousands of immigration clients.
Follow up on all your clients- Follow up on all your clients to find out how they are faring on in life even after the cases are done and dusted. This personal approach to cases is important if you are to establish a successful practice as an immigration attorney.
Go out of your way to ensure client satisfaction-always strive hard to ensure that you help clients get the satisfaction they are looking for in cases. Even when you know that cases are very tough, work as hard as you probably can to try and win the case.
Don’t prioritize money-Any successful attorney will tell you for free that money is never a priority in law. If you are here to make money, then you are in the wrong profession. Client satisfaction should be your key focus. Even if you don’t win cases, let the clients feel the commitment you put into the cases.
Learn to pick yourself up-Sometimes you work so hard into winning a case but unfortunately you don’t win and your client is charged. Learn to appreciate the fact that you can’t win all the cases and pick yourself up after setbacks.
Research is any attorney’s best friend-Research and refer to prior cases to equip yourself with knowledge on how to solve the current cases you are handling.
Ensure you are on the same boat with the clients-Before presenting any case to the jury or judge, always ensure you have all the information you need to solve the case. There are cases where the client and attorney present contradicting information and the case is jeopardized.
Interact with other attorneys-Always surround yourself with other attorneys if you want to be successful in immigration law. Share insights and seek clarification from them whenever necessary.