NURSE AND LAWYER
Kathleen began her practice of law with a background as a registered nurse. Her goal was to develop a law practice emphasizing her experience with nursing, concentrating on the areas of medical malpractice and medical products litigation.
She was fortunate to join a very reputable law firm with a different ferment practice areas in a several nation-wide locations.
The partners in the medical litigation department had excellent reputations, and Kathleen's assumption was that cases referred to the firm would be referred to them directly. In order for her to develop her own clientele, she knew it would be necessary to develop an independent reputation as a competent and successful litigator within the firm.
EXPERT WITNESSES
A successful medical malpractice and medical products, ability practice requires the availability of expert witnesses. These are people who can assist litigators in evaluation of cases.
They also serve as witnesses at the respective trials of the various cases. Thus, the goal of developing this practice area requires developing a strong network of medical expert wit nesses.
Kathleen's marketing strategy was to differentiate her from other litigators and to stress her nursing background. She chose to begin marketing her practice to a group she was very comfortable with and a group with whom she would have a great deal of credibility - nurses.
Nurses in the state of Minnesota have continuing education requirements in order to keep their licenses. Kathleen contacted each hospital in service director in the state of Minnesota as well as the organizations which were offering continuing education courses for nursing. She advised them of her background, experience and willingness to make presentations to nurses regarding the legal aspects of nursing practice. The offer for her presentations was made with no strings attached; they would be free of charge.
THE SEMINAR CONCEPT
At each seminar Kathleen provided the participants with her name and phone number and offered to answer any questions the participants had following the seminar, or in the future - again without any charge to them.
Through the presentations to nurses, she was able to develop a network of individuals who knew of her skills as an attorney, and at the same time develop her vast network of ex pert witnesses. At every lecture, she would receive contacts for future lectures. Soon she was giving frequent lectures to large audiences of nurses. Nurses were telling their friends, families, colleagues and patients about Kathleen's services as an attorney with a strong medical background. Soon she was receiving many more case referrals. As her practice enlarged, she began receiving many more invitations to speak than she could really accept. To solve that problem, she produced a videotape of her seminar. The videotape was marketed independently and was also offered to individuals who had invited her to lecture when she was not personally able to speak.
SIDE EFFECTS
Just as synergy played a significant role in the combining of her two careers, so too did it play an important role in the combination of seminars and video presentations.
The contacts she made during those presentations served to substantially enlarge her network of referrals as well as expert witnesses. She also gained a great deal of experience in public speaking, a bonus which helped enhance her skills as a trial advocate.
