The Small Firm Difference – A Freudian Slip of the Tongue That Tells the Truth
We are often asked why a client should hire a small firm where clients speak directly with their attorney rather than a larger firm, with a large staff, large overhead, and levels of bureaucracy?
When it comes to heavily advertised areas of law such as workers’ compensation and personal injury, there may be another enormous difference: many of the larger firms have to feed their seemingly endless advertising budgets and pay for their TV ads and billboards. As a result, their business model (that’s what they call it) requires them to “move” files (in other words, settle cases) rather than fight every case as much as possible — even if that means going to trial, filing an appeal, or merely waiting to settle the case until the best tactical moment. After all, trials, appeals and waiting all take time, don’t generate fees, and don’t pay the advertising agencies’ bills.
Recently, one large advertising law firm included a page on its website in which it said that they “aren’t afraid to back down from any opponent.” That’s right, they are not afraid to back down from an opponent. Well, they are telling the truth. If they fought every case the way they should, it could mean a trial or an appeal, or waiting months until it’s the best time to settle. That’s why they aren’t afraid to back down.
Our office doesn’t have an advertising agency, we don’t have billboards, and we don’t run TV ads. We’re small, allowing us to provide client-focused representation that does what’s right for our clients, even if it means waiting months to settle a case to assure our client receives the maximum settlement.
We aren’t afraid to fight, and we don’t back down.
Insurance companies and defense attorneys know that we go as far as needed for our clients. They know this, and they know that they will have to either fight us, or pay top dollar to settle our clients’ case.
Some firms aren’t afraid to back down.
We aren’t afraid to fight long and hard if we have to. We don’t need to feed the advertising machine. That’s our small firm difference.