The answer: No.
If I am a client, that would not be a very satisfying answer no matter what legal issue or problem I had. Obviously, no lawyer can guarantee a particular outcome even with a good case. But think about how an online viewer searching for an attorney would love to hear about guarantees that you can make to reassure them that you are confident and capable of guiding them through the legal minefield known as litigation.
Can you guarantee that you will do everything possible to achieve a successful result?
Can you guarantee that you will leave no stone unturned in doing legal research to put forth your best legal position when arguing your claim?
Can you guarantee that you will respond to your client within 24 hours of their e-mail or phone call?
Can you guarantee that you will know what is going on with your client’s case at any time, whenever they call?
Ethically, an attorney can never guarantee that they can achieve a particular result for their client. However, there are other guarantees that you can make to your client that will provide them with comfort and reassurance that you know what you are doing.
How can you use video to present those guarantees? Simple.
Come right out and tell your viewer, in plain English what you can and cannot guarantee. I would tell a viewer:
“By law, I cannot guarantee a particular outcome for your case. This is true whether I give 110% effort on your case or 75%. Even with an excellent case, there is no guarantee that we will win your case. What can I guarantee? I guarantee that when you call my office, I don’t have to go to a file cabinet to know what happened last on your case. I can guarantee that when you call, my secretary will not ask you ‘How do you spell your name’?”
“I can guarantee that I will respond to your e-mails and phone calls within 24 hours, unless of course I am on trial with another legal matter. I can guarantee that you are not simply a file number in this office, but someone who deserves the respect that you are entitled to. I can guarantee that if I do not know the answer to your question, I will make every effort to obtain the most accurate, up-to-date answer in the shortest time period possible.”
What do you think? You think that these guarantees will help a potential client looking for an attorney online distinguish me from every other lawyer out there? Do you believe that these guarantees are ethical and responsible statements? As always, before creating any “guarantee” make sure your statements conform to your state’s ethical rules and regulations. No hype, no puffery, and certainly, nothing untruthful. If I were you, I would come right out and say what you cannot say, to give viewers an understanding of what you are technically not permitted to say. Then I would go ahead and discuss those things that I am able to talk about.
Video creates a compelling way for you to establish your credibility, and “guaranteeing” something that you can control simply improves your credibility.
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Have a great day!
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Gerry is a New York medical malpractice and personal injury trial lawyer in practice for over 21 years. He has produced and created over 200 educational and informative videos to help consumers understand how lawsuits work in the State of New York. If you want to see how Gerry has used video to promote his own practice click here.
Gerry created the Lawyers’ Video Studio to help lawyers get onto video. To get started with creating video to market your legal services, Gerry offers a simple and cost-effective turn-key video creation system where he does everything for you except appear on camera, click here to learn more.
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