Often, one of the biggest issues facing a small start-up firm or new solo practitioner is establishing credibility. After all, legal work isn something most people understand.  For them to trust you with their issues, they have to trust you, period.  As one of many small names out there, you need to distinguish yourself to draw in clients.

Thats all well and good, but the pressing question is how?

Gerry Leeseberg, of Leeseberg & Valentine, cut his teeth at Wolske & Blue before opening his practice in 1993.  The firms name recognition gave him the opportunity to practice, and hard work had to take over from there.

"In our model, you can just walk out of law school, hang your shingle, sit at your desk and wait for the clients to start walking in," he said.  "What it takes is years, literally, of developing a reputation.  It helps to start with another law firm and handle cases within that firm and show lawyers within that firm and the clients you work with that you can handle the cases professionally."

Many of Leesebergs clients came with him when the practice opened, he said, but after those cases were finished, there were no guarantees.  From there, reputation had to carry the day.

Getting that reputation is tough.  You can just be a nice person who works hard.  Just like anything else, it comes down to wins and losses.  If you are going to have a successful practice, youve got to produce results.

"Ultimately, if you are not successful, you are not going to survive in the long term," said Leeseberg.  I think people first and foremost are concerned with results.  They want somebody they e comfortable with, somebody they can trust and will put them at ease, but at the end, they e looking for a positive outcome. Your success is built on your successes."

Thats tough for a small firm, especially if, as is the case with Leeseberg, you are frequently going head to head against the bigger guys.  From a resources perspective, its a mismatch. 

"Its you against them, and them being plural," Leeseberg said. 

The trick is to take a creative approach and think outside the box.  Leeseberg & Valentine deals primarily with personal injury, medical malpractice and product defect litigation, so the firm has a full medical library along with three full-time nurses.  That might not be your standard employee breakdown at a law firm, but the medical expertise gives the attorneys a leg up on the competition.

As a small firm, Leeseberg said he has to be as efficient as possible, using the least amount of money to get to the point where attorneys can try to settle a case before trial.  If thats not possible, he spares no expense once it gets to that point. Hes in it to win.

For that reason, he recommends being careful about which cases you take.  You can say "yes" to everybody.  Make sure that, before you take a case, you think you have a good shot of winning it.  Otherwise, your reputation, and bottom line, could suffer.

Knowing your limitations doesn only apply to the court room.  You have a J.D., not an M.B.A.  Unless you are just naturally good at being a businessman, consider outsourcing some of the business aspects of running a firm.

"Youll stretch yourself so thin that youll be a jack of all trades and a master of none," said Leeseberg.  "Focus on doing what you do best, which in my case is being a trial lawyer."

Once youve won a few decisions and built a reputation amongst both clients and peers, you are off to a good start. He recommends becoming involved with local organizations, such as the Columbus Bar or Franklin County Trial Lawyers Association.  Its common advice, but its oft-repeated for a reason. Its that important.

"Its easy, its inexpensive and its incredibly important that you establish yourself within the local ranks," said Leeseberg.

Once youve gained some momentum, you have to keep it going.  In that regard, he said, many small firms overlook their employees.  The rule of thumb for many employers is to pay their people just enough to where they won leave, but Leeseberg disagrees with that concept.

"My philosophy is that (philosophy) just develops a staff of employees that are unhappy," he said.  "I would prefer to pay somebody as much as I need to, to keep them from wanting to go somewhere else.  As long as I have people that are incredibly talented, they are going to reward that investment in them."

As a result, only one of the 10 people on his staff (three attorneys, seven support staff) has been with the firm for less than a decade.

Think about how big a hole it would make in your firm if a major member of your staff left for greener pastures, he rationalizes.  You have to respect them, both with your checkbook and your actions.

"We treat all of our people with respect and we are like a family.  Our motto is work hard, play hard, and we work hard before we play hard," said Leeseberg.  "I will not allow any client to be abusive to my staff because my staff is more important than any client."

JOSH LEHMAN