GetSolicitors welcomes another new firm with DWT

GetSolicitors is going from strength to strength and signing up new law firms at speed as it promotes the mantra “More Business | Made Easy”.

The new network bills itself as “The Multi-Media Marketing Machine For Law Firms” and seeks to solve all the problems a typical practice encounters in marketing and responding to the digital challenge whilst allowing lawyers to concentrate on fee-earning and legal advice.

That there has been so much interest in the concept comes as no surprise given that GetSolicitors guarantees that member firms will make a profit on their membership, and will refund the cost of membership if they do not. Firms pay a simple monthly fee, and unlike other networks there is no additional requirement to allocate referral fees or share fee income.

GetSolicitors also offers territorial exclusively, and Managing Partner Brian McKibbin estimated that “there will be around 500 areas up for grabs across the UK.” Firms of between three to five partners at the lower end and upwards to around 20 partners are the main target for the network.

Kidderminster practice DWT Solicitors is one of the first GetSolicitors firms. Partner Gareth Thompson says that they investigated all the various options open to solicitors at the moment, having decided to “embrace the challenges ahead rather than run for cover”. It was also a recognition that “solicitors are to marketing what Julian Clary is to cage fighting”.

Gareth said that DWT had done extensive research before concluding there were a variety of drawbacks in the existing national networks, such as the impact on the brand of problems caused by other firms and the restrictions imposed by membership, while they were also sceptical as to whether a law firm network could compete with the awareness and resources of a brand such as Tesco or Virgin if they chose to enter the legal market.

“Why respond to alternative business structures by just creating another weak, supposedly national, umbrella brand?” he asked. “Why not build your own and become the local champion?”

The advantage of GetSolicitors’ approach was that “it’s nice to know that someone’s efforts are 100% focused on adding to your brand rather than theirs”, he said.

Mr Thompson said the problem for law firms is distinguishing themselves from one another, meaning a common response is to reduce fees so as to be the cheapest. “Lawyers make a good job of crucifying themselves,” he said.

Gareth continued “Firms should maintain their fee levels and concentrate on high-value service – because there’s often a reverse effect where higher prices bring in clients who are prepared to pay for higher quality.”

DWT’s focus is on communication and accessibility, meaning they either go out to clients or “make ourselves available in places convenient to them” – the firm has a network of serviced offices across the region – while they are seeking to become “truly the ‘GoTo’ local firm, the local business champions”, the solicitor explained.

Brian agreed, saying “GetSolicitors is all about creating “Local Super-brands” out of the best firms, not attempting to establish one homogenous national brand. This is what the savvy business client wants – and we know because they’ve told us!”

Solicitors who could benefit from membership can contact Brian direct at brian.mckibbin@getsolicitors.com – “I’d love to hear from switched-on lawyers who want to thrive in the future instead of struggling to survive,” said Brian. GetSolicitors is also available 24 hours a day on 0844 544 8880.

© CopyWriteGuru

Posted via email from Harvey’s posterous

GetSolicitors is in the news again!

From Legal Futures, the leading legal services magazine and website:

A network that aims to help law firms dominate their local market and guarantees that it will increase their income has gone live.

Seven law firms have so far signed up to GetSolicitors, which is billing itself as an alternative to national, branded networks by giving solicitors the tools to market and build their own brands. It says it has a list of another 100 interested firms.

Managing partner Brian McKibbin said the focus is online marketing, along with relationship building to help firms become lynch pins in their local business communities. There is also practice management advice.

“We don’t think the way forward is a homogenous legal brand,” he said. “The future for law firms is going to be in looking and feeling like a law firm, rather than like Co-operative Legal Services or RBS Legal.”

The emphasis is on business clients because “we just don’t think it’s sensible to set up against the bucket shops” in private client areas like conveyancing and personal injury.

Among the new income streams the network seeks to deliver is an archive file management and digital storage service from Archive File Management Ltd – run by former lawyer John West – that includes the client receiving a CD-ROM of their file. It forms part of the firm’s terms and conditions, and Mr McKibbin said that during beta testing, fewer than 1% of clients objected to paying the extra ¬£25-30 charged for this.

Along with Mr McKibbin and Mr West, also partners of GetSolicitors are entrepreneur Eddy Ankrett – the chairman of dating agency Dateline – and Gez McGuire of Boost Digital Advertising, a Google AdWords specialist. Mr McKibbin has legal training and worked in marketing at law firms such as Allen & Overy and Lee Crowder; his wife is a solicitor who runs Sutton Coldfield firm Harvey McKibbin, which is the beta testing site of the GetSolicitors concept. Other consultants are also involved, including networking expert Will Kintish.

GetSolicitors guarantees that member firms will make a profit on their membership, and will refund the cost of membership if they do not. Firms pay a monthly fee, and there is no income sharing. It offers territorial exclusively, and Mr McKibbin estimated that there will be around 500 areas up for grabs across the UK. Firms of around five partners are the main target for the network.

Kidderminster firm DWT Solicitors is one of the first GetSolicitors firms. Partner Gareth Thompson told Legal Futures that they investigated all the various options open to solicitors at the moment, having decided to “embrace the challenges ahead rather than run for cover”. It was also a recognition that “solicitors are to marketing what Julian Clary is to cage fighting”.

He said they saw a variety of drawbacks in the national networks, such as the impact on the brand of problems caused by other firms and the restrictions imposed by membership, while they were also sceptical as to whether a law firm network could compete with the awareness and resources of a brand such as Tesco or Virgin if they chose to enter the legal market. “Why do it [respond to alternative business structures] by creating another brand?” he asked. “Why not build your own?”

The advantage of GetSolicitors’ approach was that “it’s nice to know that someone’s efforts are 100% focused on adding to your brand rather than theirs”, he said.

Mr Thompson said the problem for law firms is distinguishing themselves from one another, meaning a common response is to reduce fees so as to be the cheapest. “Lawyers make a good job of crucifying themselves,” he said. Firms should instead maintain their fee levels or even hike them, as there is often a reverse effect where higher prices bring in clients who are prepared to pay for higher quality.

DWT’s focus is on communication and accessibility, meaning they either go out to clients or “make ourselves available in places convenient to them” – the firm has a network of serviced offices across the region – while they are seeking to become “local business champions”, the solicitor explained.

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The time to act is short and getting shorter – but for switched on small and medium firms there is a huge opportunity if they have the courage and the mindset to take action and leap into the future – says GetSolicitors Managing Partner, Brian McKibbin

The recession has been hard on law firms and with the advent of the Legal Services Act in October it’ll be even more important for lawyers in the UK to get a handle on the fact that they are service providers to a demanding audience – because the days of automatic client loyalty are already in the past.

The general public simply no longer confer an automatic status to solicitors according to many surveys and the situation isn’t going to improve for lawyers anytime soon as the Act will bring a new level of competition from big brands and banks in traditional legal markets.

“The nub of the problem is that many lawyers are great solicitors but hopeless business people, with scant knowledge of marketing.” says Brian.

He continues “GetSolicitors was formed to help these lawyers (so long as they have the foresight to see the writing on the wall) to continue to be the great lawyers they are while we do the other stuff for them to turn them into the automatic "GoTo” firm in their locality. We believe the local business person will still want a law firm that looks and feels like a law firm – but responds like a 21^st century business.”

The network offers a unique 100% guarantee to members on network fees versus income from the membership – so unlike other networks such as Quality Solicitors, Contact Law or HighStreetlawyer, GetSolicitors is risk free.

Brian’s outfit uses a proven combination of cutting edge micro websites, tailored specifically for the most profitable niches of each member firm to achieve the results that mean they can offer this guarantee.

Brian says GetSolicitors also offers members complementary ancillary income streams from day one together with practice management help and adds that territories, taken on an exclusive basis, are selling quickly as solicitors wake up to the possibility that they may be staring disaster in the face.

“There’s still time to do something” he says. “I’d simply love to talk to any senior partner who reads this and who feels resonance in this discussion. We guarantee that a first meeting with us will be worth an average of ¬£18,000 for an hour of their time – so they really have nothing to lose and everything to gain by talking to us.”

It’s probably true to say that even the most expensive lawyers in the country might see ¬£18,000 an hour as reasonable remuneration for their time.

“Yes!” smiles Brian. “Internally we call it ‘The ¬£18,000 Challenge’ – but when we get down to brass tacks then it’s all about discovering how we can help them turn the current struggle to survive into an environment where they thrive instead.”

If you’d like to get in touch with Brian and find out more about GetSolicitors simply email him at brian.mckibbin@getsolicitors.com or call anytime on 0844 544 8880.

© CopyWrite Guru

Posted via email from Harvey’s posterous

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The time to act is short and getting shorter – but for switched on small and medium firms there is a huge opportunity if they have the courage and the mindset to take action and leap into the future – says GetSolicitors Managing Partner, Brian McKibbin

The recession has been hard on law firms and with the advent of the Legal Services Act in October it’ll be even more important for lawyers in the UK to get a handle on the fact that they are service providers to a demanding audience – because the days of automatic client loyalty are already in the past.

The general public simply no longer confer an automatic status to solicitors according to many surveys and the situation isn’t going to improve for lawyers anytime soon as the Act will bring a new level of competition from big brands and banks in traditional legal markets.

“The nub of the problem is that many lawyers are great solicitors but hopeless business people, with scant knowledge of marketing.” says Brian.

He continues “GetSolicitors was formed to help these lawyers (so long as they have the foresight to see the writing on the wall) to continue to be the great lawyers they are while we do the other stuff for them to turn them into the automatic “GoTo” firm in their locality. We believe the local business person will still want a law firm that looks and feels like a law firm – but responds like a 21^st century business.”

The network offers a unique 100% guarantee to members on network fees versus income from the membership – so unlike other networks such as Quality Solicitors, Contact Law or HighStreetlawyer, GetSolicitors is risk free.

Brian’s outfit uses a proven combination of cutting edge micro websites, tailored specifically for the most profitable niches of each member firm to achieve the results that mean they can offer this guarantee.

Brian says GetSolicitors also offers members complementary ancillary income streams from day one together with practice management help and adds that territories, taken on an exclusive basis, are selling quickly as solicitors wake up to the possibility that they may be staring disaster in the face.

“There’s still time to do something” he says. “I’d simply love to talk to any senior partner who reads this and who feels resonance in this discussion. We guarantee that a first meeting with us will be worth an average of £18,000 for an hour of their time – so they really have nothing to lose and everything to gain by talking to us.”

It’s probably true to say that even the most expensive lawyers in the country might see £18,000 an hour as reasonable remuneration for their time.

“Yes!” smiles Brian. “Internally we call it ‘The £18,000 Challenge’ – but when we get down to brass tacks then it’s all about discovering how we can help them turn the current struggle to survive into an environment where they thrive instead.”

If you’d like to get in touch with Brian and find out more about GetSolicitors simply email him at brian.mckibbin@getsolicitors.com or call anytime on 0844 544 8880.

© CopyWrite Guru

Posted via email from Harvey’s posterous

Harvey McKibbin Solicitors are pleased to announce that they are one of the first firms to sign up for this revolutionary “Multi-Media Marketing Machine for Law Firms” having seized the territory of Sutton Coldfield on an exclusive basis.

“We’re really delighted to be one of the first firms in this exciting new network” said Principal Harvinder McKibbin. “GetSolicitors is set to be the most exciting development for the small or medium law firm in years – and we simply had to be part of it!”

She added “During beta testing we achieved an average of more than ¬£20,000 per month of new income from a spend of just ¬£1,000, which is phenomenal.”

The GetSolicitors network provides small and medium firms with an array of “weapons” in the fight against dwindling high street revenues, the recession, and most importantly the looming Legal Services Act which will commoditise many traditional income streams such as conveyancing.

“We’re here to make sure that the best local firms not only survive but thrive in the new legal landscape” said GetSolicitors Recruitment Partner John West.

He added “GetSolicitors is unique not only because it has been designed by lawyers for lawyers – but also because we are able to offer a 100% Guarantee, which no other network can do. That’s how confident we are that GetSolicitors will succeed for your firm!”

Other leading practices have also rushed to join the new network in the 14 days since a clamour of law firms scrambled for a place on the launch Webinar.

“We pride ourselves on being one of the most cutting edge medium firms in the UK” said Gareth Thompson of DWT Solicitors. “We have pioneered the ‘virtual practice’ in the Midlands – and we have investigated all the alternative networks. Amongst others, I actually met with the MD of Quality Solicitors myself – but GetSolicitors has simply blown me away. In fact we reserved and paid for 4 territories right away (with options on others) as we simply couldn’t let them fall into the hands of our competitors!”

According to John West there will only be 600 or so territories available in the UK, and they’re going fast. “We’ve been amazed by the response” he said. “In fact we couldn’t be happier with how things are going.”

“We really see GetSolicitors as the antidote to networks like Quality Solicitors, who want to try to fight homogenised legal services with… a homogenised legal brand! This doesn’t make sense to us and our research and the response from firms shows they want to keep their identity and the buying public want to use a law firm that looks and feels like a law firm! We’re about making our members the “go-to” law firm in their local area by making them champions of what they do best.”

And how is the future looking for Harvey McKibbin?

“We’re really going from strength to strength” says Harvinder. “And we’ve joined the winning team for sure!”

© www.copywriteguru.com 2011

Posted via email from Harvey’s posterous

“Who says the property market is flat?” asks Solicitor is Sutton Coldfield

In a sale that eclipses the previous most expensive property in the UK a flagship penthouse apartment at the “One Hyde Park” development has been sold for ¬£140,000,000.

So what can the new owners expect for their massive investment? Naturally you’d expect a huge apartment for this money – and the flat doesn’t disappoint as it comes with six bedrooms and has views across the Serpentine over two floors. It is also bullet proofed, and has 24 hour protection from security trained by the SAS. Peckish inhabitants can order room service snacks around the clock from the world-renowned Mandarin Oriental Hotel which is adjacent to the development.

And the identity of the buyer? Well, it is routine, in the rarefied market for £140 million properties, that the buyers tend to want strict anonymity. However, experts in the high end London market note recent enquiries from China and the Middle East in particular feeding a surge in prices at the highest level.

The stamp duty bill on the record-breaking apartment alone would set the buyer back a cool ¬£5,600,000! However, Harvinder McKibbin, owner of Harvey McKibbin Solicitors in Sutton Coldfield says: “It is not unusual for such rich buyers to actually avoid paying tax ¬ñ both on income and on property transactions.”

She goes to say “Depending on the particular buyer’s needs at our firm we have a scheme that is unique in the Midlands which “mitigates” the liability for stamp duty to zero ¬ñ so if we had acted for this buyer they could have saved a few million, even if it might be small change to them!” Harvinder says the scheme works for any property over ¬£500,000 ¬ñ so you don’t have to be a multi-millionaire to benefit.

The One Hyde Park development comprises 86 properties starting from a mere £20 million and culminating with the penthouse apartments. The concept has been created by the Candy brothers, Nick and Christian, and is being marketed by Savills and several subagents.

And while the property market continues to be in the doldrums due to the squeeze on finance, it seems the super-rich have no such troubles. In fact in the last six months activity has become somewhat frantic in some quarters according the Trevor Abrahamson of Glentree Estates who are one of the subagents for One Hyde Park.

“London is the capital of capitals”, said Mr Abrahamson. “Even international businessmen with no interests in London want to have a home here.”

And it seems that if they really want it, then money is no object!