This post is Part 2 of the series, How to Grow a Probate Practice. Because of its length, I’ve broken it into two posts. The second post will appear tomorrow
The Uncomfortable Reality
There is an uncomfortable reality about probate practice: someone dies before there is a need for an attorney to handle the probate.
It should take your breath away every time you get a new probate case. Someone’s life passed away and, in the wake, everything is different for the survivors. For many of us, this is one of the reasons we chose to practice probate. It is an opportunity to enter into the survivors’ chaotic world and help bring order and calm to their lives. It is an opportunity to help people rebuild their lives. It is an opportunity to make a real difference.
Yet the uncomfortable reality remains: every probate means someone has died and you must have contact with the survivors soon thereafter. You can’t possibly come into contact with enough survivors on your own to make a probate practice.
That means you need referrals. If you want the phone to ring with business, you need high-quality referrals to bring in new probates.
The Hierarchy of Referrals
But not all referrals are created equal. I’ve notice over the years that there tends to be a hierarchy with referrals. Some are better than others. Although there are exceptions, the quality of the referrals typically follow the list below, starting with the best referrals:
- Referrals from other probate attorneys
- Referrals from other attorneys who don’t practice probate
- Referrals from other professionals, such as financial planners and accountants
- Referrals from acquaintances and referral networks (e.g. BNI)
- Calls from advertisements
- Internet referrals
Let’s examine each of these.
1. Referrals from other probate attorneys
Referrals from other probate attorneys are hard to get, obviously. If a probate attorney in your geographic area refers something to you, there is likely a problem with the probate. Perhaps it is a conflict-of-interest or perhaps the other attorney is too busy or doesn’t have the expertise required.
But don’t overlook these referrals simply because they are hard to get. You may offer something the other probate attorney doesn’t. For example, I typically don’t handle probate litigation. When a probate comes in that requires litigation, I have an attorney on my referral list that I contact. Last year alone I probably sent at least three or four probates to this firm for probate litigation.
Think through your strengths and see if there is a way to maximize your “refer-ability” in the minds of other probate attorneys. Then start making connections.
Probate Attorneys Outside Your Area
Second, form relationships with probate attorneys outside your geographic area. If you are in the metro-area, how many probate attorneys do you know out-state, and vice versa? You need to build a network. Build a database of probate attorneys by county. Figure out a way to connect with these people and do it. A strong connection may not start until you refer someone to them. Even if you plan on doing a probate outside your own county, it will be valuable for you to have contacts in that county who you can consult with about county-specific customs.
What about probate attorneys outside Minnesota? A few months ago I got a referral from an attorney in Florida that I’d never heard of. Apparently, he heard about me through this blog. Don’t overlook this opportunity. Very few Minnesota probate attorneys are known out-of-state. Why not you?
It is tougher to make connections with attorneys outside Minnesota, but there a ways you can do this pretty effectively online. Start by following estate-related blogs outside of Minnesota. Go to the Wills, Trusts, & Estates Prof Blog and follow some of the ones listed in the left-hand column.
Don’t forget about using Twitter and LinkedIn to get connected nationally. Though Twitter has been maligned by many, it can lead to forming a network. I have referred a probate case outside Minnesota to someone I heard about through Twitter. There is no reason it can’t come your way too. Not sure who to follow? Start here.
2. Referrals from other attorneys who don’t practice probate
This class of referrals is pure gold. Surely you know attorneys who don’t practice probate, right? Good, make sure they know you do. Here’s the primary reason why these referrals are so good: attorneys know how to screen clients. If you get a referral from a colleague, it will probably be good. Call some of them this week and offer to buy lunch or coffee.
If there is one thing I wish I would have done earlier, it would have been to regularly meet with attorneys outside my practice area. I don’t know why it took me so long to realize that non-probate attorneys could be excellent referral sources. I was running around networking in groups like the chamber of commerce and not getting anywhere. Don’t make the same mistake. Focus your time on what will bring in the highest-quality business. Here’s a hint: BNI and the chamber of commerce won’t do it for probate. Save your dues and spend it on a non-probate attorney at Ruth’s Chris Steak House or buy tickets to a Twins game and invite an attorney. It will be memorable and remarkable in the mind of that attorney. Isn’t that exactly what you want?
Tomorrow we’ll discuss #3 through 6 on the hierarchy list. Until then…
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