Bigger is not always better… especially when it comes to law firms. With today’s technology, there really is no benefit in hiring a big law firm over a small one. With e-filing, e-discovery, and online access to legal research a big law firm really has no greater access to resources than a small firm. But is there really an advantage in hiring a small law firm? If one wants more individual attention and more of a personal connection with his/her attorney then the answer is a resounding yes.
With a small firm lawyers are able to give more one-on-one attention to their clients. In a small firm every client and every case is a big fish and is treated as such. Typically, everyone in a small boutique law firm knows a client’s name, knows their case, and more importantly, is involved in the case. Since a small boutique law firm doesn’t handle hundreds of cases at once, causing them to have to prioritize some over the others, or worse yet, rush to settle a case for less than fair value because they don’t have time to deal with it.
By hiring a small firm, you will be hiring a lawyer, not a firm. Lawyers with small firms have the time to build personal relationships with their clients. Clients are not just a file number, they are a person going through a very sensitive and stressful time. Because of this, lawyers at small firms understand that it’s critical to have a personal connection with their clients and to understand them and the background of their case while working with them over time.
Many of the smaller firms also specialize in only a few areas of law…if that. This gives them to advantage to become highly skilled and experienced in their particular area of law and to focus all of their attention in those areas. The law in any field in constantly changing and it’s important for lawyers to keep track of those changes. If any one lawyer focuses on more than one, two, or three areas of law, that becomes very difficult to do.
Finally, with a small firm, individual lawyers are more visible, with their own reputation on the line. They can’t hide behind the reputation of the firm. Because of this, lawyers with small firms will be aggressive and tenacious, fighting to get the best results for each and every case, no matter how small.