JD Diversity has learned that many minority attorneys are taking the plunge and starting their own practices. Marketing is undoubtedly key to the success of these endeavors. However, many lawyers have no clue where to start when it comes to this area. Here are a few helpful tips on how to get started . . .

Law school does a great job of training lawyers to be professional skeptics. That's part of the reason their own marketing efforts are often destined to fail. Effective marketing takes a certain amount of faith and patience. It doesn't just happen overnight. To make matters worse, most lawyers tend to over- analyze any marketing plan. Some gain satisfaction in proving "beyond a doubt" that there is no way marketing can be effective for them.

When it comes to marketing, most lawyers don't have a clue. It's not their fault. No one in law school ever told them that the practice of law involved actually starting a business.

Here is some guidance about what it takes to successfully market your law firm:

1There is some risk involved in lawyer marketing--so start taking a little risk!  Even a turtle has to stick his neck out to make progress.

2Being a lawyer is being a business owner.  Start thinking like a business person.  Stop defining yourself as "an attorney". Instead, define yourself as the owner of a law firm.

3Realize that when it comes to marketing, you need to stop arguing with the marketing experts.  You went to law school.  Unfortunately they didn't offer even one single course on actually marketing your practice.

4Realize that traditional law firm marketing is dead.  The old yellow pages ad and "word of mouth" isn't going to cut it anymore in the Internet age. You need an "effective" Internet presence to exist in today's law firm marketing space.

5You are no longer considered an "ambulance chaser" just because you advertise effectively.  Times have changed and so have the attitudes and perceptions about lawyers who advertise.

6Realize that effective law firm marketing comes at a price.  Start focusing on the end result (more billable hours) instead of fixating on the beginning cost.

7Realize that "Education Based Marketing" coupled with a solid "Client Referral System" is the recipe for effective 21st Century Law Firm Marketing.

OK, so let's say you buy into the fact that you need to start an effective law firm marketing campaign. Where do you start? With the basics of course. If you practice law in New Jersey or the surrounding states of NY, PA, or DE you are really in luck.

Here is a bit of shameless self-promotion. Start by getting a listing in the Law Firm Directory. http://www.jerseyjustice.com/resources/add.cfm Otherwise, look to obtain a listing in another highly trafficked legal site in your state.

If you don't already have a dedicated law firm website, it's time to get one. But don't just throw up a few web pages and expect clients to start beating a path to your firm. Your website needs to be effectively designed and marketed as well. Otherwise it becomes a solitary billboard in the desert that receives little or no traffic from clients searching the Internet superhighway for attorneys able to relieve their pressing legal problem.

Find a professional legal marketer with a proven track record and experience in promoting individual as well as multi lawyer firms. Then listen to what they have to say and act on their suggestions. All the while be sure they provide blind control testing all of your marketing efforts so that you know what is working best.

Every practice area has it's own set of characteristics that influence results. In other words, one size legal marketing does not fit all firms. Allow your marketing consultant to custom-tailor a program that works.

Learn how to attract new clients, increase referrals, strengthen client loyalty and build your image as an authority in your practice area. When you first begin marketing your legal services it is common to rely on intuition and common sense to make decisions. But in most cases the results from your own marketing efforts won't produce the desired result. That is why it is wise to hire a professional legal marketer.

How do you find a qualified legal marketer? Simple. Go to any major search engine and type in "Lawyer Marketing" followed by your geographical area. Then look for the top generic listing. If he or she is a good enough marketer to earn the number one or two spot for the term "lawyer marketing" (considering all of the formidable competitors), they should be good enough for you.

About The Author--Tony Merlino is webmaster and Legal Marketing Consultant at http://www.jerseyjustice.com.