North Carolina family lawyer Lee Rosen has something other lawyers should envy: A legal fee calculator on this website. Any potential client visiting his site can answer Yes or No to eight simple questions, then click a button to reveal a well-defined fee range if the matter can be resolved before filing suit. Click another button to get a range if the matter involves litigation.
I just love this idea. I loved it so much when I heard about it several years ago, that I suggested the story idea to the ABA Journal. They wrote a great story, and I thought fee calculators would pop up on lawyer web sites all across America. However, a quick search on Vivisimo, reveals only a handful of U.S. law firms have followed suit.
To me, this is a lost opportunity to capitalize on one of clients’ biggest fears: uncertainty over legal fees. Many clients make purchasing decisions based, at least in part, on cost. If they think you are going to be too expensive, they will remove you from consideration. If your fees are within range of their expectations, you will at least be one of the finalists in their lawyer search. That is why allowing a potential client to obtain fee information prior to an initial consult is such a great idea.
According to Lee, the simple part was designing the eight questions and writing the functional computer code to add to the web site. It took his IT person just a few hours to make it happen. The hard part was developing the dollar value for each question in the fee calculator; Lee and his staff invested dozens of hours to review prior files and client bills to create the range of fee estimates used in the calculator.
Lee has a family law practice, and having practiced family law for nine years, I know how hard it is to provide divorce clients with an estimate of fees. However, by investing time in reviewing a cross-section of client files and bills, Lee was able to identify key cost-drivers in client bills, develop fair ranges for each stage of the litigation, compare gross assets to gross fees, and translate that data into an understandable format for potential clients.
It may seem daunting at first, but try this: Print out the full bills of four or five representative clients over the past several years. Compare them. What are some similarities and differences? What conclusions can you draw? It is just a start, but it may be enough information to spur your firm into further action.
This is a significant investment of time for any lawyer in any type of practice. However, such an investment is sure to pay off if the calculator is incorporated into your marketing efforts. If you add a fee calculator to your web site, promote it in other marketing efforts. Inform potential clients that you are trying to provide some certainty in an uncertain world; that you are empowering your clients to have greater control over their potential fees. Use it as a way to distinguish your firm or practice in the marketplace.
Lee knows his investment has paid off: Fewer potential clients are calling, but a higher percentage of the ones that do call end up retaining his firm. More clients, no more wasted initial consults, fewer misunderstandings about fees. That is what I call a return on investment.
