Top 10 Legal Startup Ideas You Can Start Today

Our digital marketing agency , Oamii , works almost exclusively with law firms, and many of them are startups.  Consequently, we have had a lot of experience helping startups “find their sea legs” and ultimately get moving in the right direction, towards growth and an expanding client base.  

One common denominator with those firms that were able to get acclimated and moving forward more quickly was their ability to embrace and capitalize on innovation .  As you may know, law firms are traditionally notorious for being behind the curve with regard to innovations in business, even new startups.  

Generally, law firms were the last to get on the “having a website” bandwagon back in the day, they were late-comers to the party of utilizing Facebook to build client relationships, and they are still reluctant to try a true method until it is proven to be “tried and true.”

Is that changing?  Maybe. A recent law firm survey revealed that about 30% of law firms today have a dedicated “innovation manager.”  Not surprisingly, the larger law firms were more than twice as likely to report that the firm had someone dedicated to the responsibility of law firm innovation.

That really comes as no surprise to us at Oamii because we deal with some firms that have an employee-focused on innovative trends in the law firm industry.  So, in order to give advice to those law firm startups out there, we are going to draw from our first-hand experience and talk about 10 legal startup ideas based on innovation.  

Certainly, if you want more detailed information related to your specific firm, then we invite you reach out to Oamii directly and schedule a time to talk to a digital law firm marketing professional .  We have the resources and experience to give you tailor-made legal startup ideas, so you can find success.  Please fill out our online contact form , or call us at 561-228-4111 today. 

Now, as a primer for your conversation with an Oamii expert, here are the top 10 legal startup ideas.

Idea #1 – Sync Up Marketing by Practice Area

The typical set up at most law firms, large or small, is to have back-office support – which includes marketing and financial professionals – all in one place.  Those professionals provide support to the whole firm with those back-office functions. While that might seem efficient, think about making your back-office functions align with the front office.  In other words, for each area of specialization, have back-office specialists. This kind of format will mean that your specialized back-office will have a deeper understanding of a single practice area.  That will dramatically help business development, since the practice-specific approach will better able to capture clients, compared to an all-purpose approach to marketing and business development.

Idea #2 – Let Innovation Start from the Top

You have heard the phrase “tone at the top.”  Used usually in connection with the ethical integrity of an organization, it means that the tone for a company is always set at the top.  If an organization’s leadership has a positive, ethical tone, then the rest of those in organization will adopt that tone. Of course, the opposite is also true.  

With regard to innovation, the commitment to exploring and adopting new innovative ideas starts from the top.  The firms that are most successful at flexing to the current market and adopting news ways of doing things are those where the leaders take innovation seriously.  

Idea #3 – Lawyers Need to Use Tech Too

There was a time in which technology was the purview of the back-office support staff, and lawyers were able to navigate without having to engage in too much new technology.  That is changing. Legal startups need to view technology as something that will be used by the lawyers in the firm as well as those in the back office.

Idea #4 – Let One Idea Solve More than One Problem

As a legal startup, be open to the possibility that one project could actually solve more than one problem.  For example, a client asked that all of its personally identifiable information be encrypted for a certain case.  The tech support for the firm used that as an opportunity to encrypt all of the data at the firm. Now the firm can taut the fact that it makes data privacy a number one priority.

Idea #5 – Electronic Signatures

Waiting for a client to sign a document to make sure that you have a “wet” signature can slow things down.  How about taking advantage of electronic signature applications like Docusign. Indeed, a good idea for a whole legal startup company would be creating an application that allows all legal documents to be signed electronically.

Idea #6 – Digitizing Contacts

The physical business card is slowly going the way of the Dodo.  Legal startups may want to take advantage of technology to create a way in which lawyers at a networking function can trade business cards through an easy phone app, or business card scanning software.  It is time, however, to throw away those Rolodexes.

Idea #7 – Daily Meetings

In the corporate world, some managers hold daily brief meetings with the group so everyone on the team gives a quick update on the projects they are working on.  Partners might consider doing this with associates. A 15 minute meeting each day or twice a week would allow some team building, ensure that everyone knows what the other is doing, and some important information sharing can happen.

Idea #8 – Group Lunches

A lot of startups in the business world have a weekly or monthly lunch in which the CEO takes questions from everyone on the team.  Law firms would be wise to employ the same approach. A team that feels comfortable asking the managing partner anything, and there is a forum available for those type of questions, it would go far in getting buy in from associates, and help everyone know the firms vision.

Idea #9 – Legal Consultations

There are apps for everything.  If there is an app for someone to consult with a therapist, why not have an app for legal consultations.  An online lawyer assistant can open up lots of access to potential new clients, and app customers will lead to clients walking in the door.

Idea #10 – Push for Feedback to Improve

Many firms bristle at the kinds of online reviews that resemble Yelp reviews.  Change that mindset. A legal startup should embrace the power of feedback to improve processes and use positive feedback to market the firm.

Conclusion

These 10 ideas are legal startup ideas that can help you grow in positive, and lucrative ways. To learn more about how Oamii can help your law firm thrive, please fill out our online contact form , or call us at 561-228-4111 today.