The attorney cold call is probably one of the most overlooked and/or avoided legal marketing avenues that is available to attorneys.

Attorney regulation rules generally prohibit attorneys from having direct in person contact with prospective clients if the contact is for the lawyers own pecuniary gain. The exception is for direct contact with legal consumers who the attorney has a prior legal or family relationship with.

An attorney who has been practicing law for even a few years will have acquired a significant number of contacts, contacts who could and should be called upon to deliver additional legal work.

Contrary to legal ethics lore, a proactive approach to legal marketing is often welcomed with open arms by legal consumers. Even if the answer is “no thank you, I don’t need that service at this time,” that is much better than “I can’t find a lawyer, so I will turn to the internet to use a legal matching website to find an attorney.”

The reality is that finding an attorney who has time and is willing to take on a new legal matter is not an easy matter for clients. The cold call saying “hey, remember me?” can help clients feel that they have some in or connection with the legal market.

The “hey, remember me” call also gives the prior client the opportunity to stop and reflect on whether he or she has any ongoing need for the attorney’s services. This may seem like a basic premise, but legal clients often have a lot going on (which is often why they need attorneys), and the stress, deadlines, etc. of the prior client are the obstacles that prevent the client from (1) reaching out and asking for legal help when events are unfolding or (2) from even thinking that attorney X would be able to help or be able to help direct him or her to the right lawyer.

Here are some general rules to follow in making a legal cold call:

1. Do not suggest to the client that you have too little to do
2. Do not mention negative aspects of prior legal matters
3. Do not mention items that may be distressing to the client, such as mentioning hypothetical situations
4. Do tell the client that your call is just a courtesy call, with the purpose of checking in to see how things are going
5. Do start by mentioning facts about the prior engagement, to build a sense of familiarity (especially if the results or the case was positive for the client)
6. Do remember all names of the pertinent parties associated with the client
7. Do let the client know that they are not being billed for your time for the call
8. Do ask if there are any other legal matters that you or your firm might be able to assist the client with
9. Do provide some closing that allows the client to contact you in the future, preferably expressing your desire to have a continued relationship with the client
10. Do not continue the conversation if the client sounds anxious or appears to have some other priorities at the moment (do ask the client if there is a better time to talk)

These simple rules can help turn the legal cold call into one of the most effective legal marketing tools available to attorneys.