Being an attorney is not just about getting your potential clients to come through the door. A common oversight by most attorneys is that there is just as much - if not more - importance in keeping past clients close. You may have heard me refer to my “herd” before and that is who they are. My herd consists of hundreds of clients I’ve had over the course of many years.

I don’t call them each Sunday to catch up, I don’t send funny jokes over a social network or throw parties so that we can all catch up; but I do keep constant communication with them by producing a monthly newsletter.

The reason having a newsletter is so critical, in my opinion, is because you’re reminding people that they should love you or why they already love you. You’re allowing them to see into parts of your world that aren’t necessarily the attorney parts. When they get this newsletter, they become more and more familiar with you and your life. Remember, familiarity breeds trust. This person that you already have a good relationship with (which is why they are in your herd!) starts to grow their affections for you over time.

When someone has this familiarity with you, this trust in you, and a comfort in you as both an attorney and a family-known friend, they don’t have any intentions of using another attorney. Why would they go to another attorney when they already have one that they know and trust? Even if they find themselves with a legal problem that you don’t necessarily work on (Say you’re a bankruptcy attorney and they’ve found themselves needing a personal injury attorney) they will likely come straight to you and ask “Who do you think I should work with?”

Not to mention that referring a family member or friend to you wouldn’t even be hesitated. They’re familiar with you, they know you, they want their loved ones to be treated well and they trust that you will do just that.

Now, with all of these possibilities, you’re probably (hopefully!) considering starting your own newsletter. You may think of it as incredibly daunting with everything else you have to deal with and start to wonder if it’s “worth it”.

Don’t worry, it’s not as hard as it sounds. You’re already writing content for your website, right? (If not, you need to start.) Writing for a newsletter is even easier. Just include a few stories about your family or the staff. Tell your “herd” about what’s happening at the firm. Did you get any new members of your team? Did you settle or win a case? Even something as simple as talking about organizing your office is a good thing to include in your newsletter.

It doesn’t have to be sent out every month like I do mine, you can do yours quarterly or bi-monthly. Whatever you think the best system is for you and your firm. I would even suggest taking it one step farther and asking your herd for their opinions on a certain topic. If you painted one of the rooms in the office or got a new desk, take a picture and ask your herd what they think of it. Again, building this trust-based relationship and constantly keeping them in the loop.