Marketing: When Should You Try a New Niche?
I have been asked many times if it makes sense to focus on a niche when you have done no legal work in the niche.
The beginning part of my answer is always the same: "What you do with your billable time and what you do with your non-billable time does not have to be the same." Then I continue with the typical lawyer answer that it depends. It depends on you, your firm, your passion, how crowded the niche is and a variety of other factors.
I began my focus on transportation construction contractors when I had no experience handling a matter for the transportation construction industry. Why did I pick that niche? Well, I had experience in the USAF litigating government contracts. Transportation contractors bid and are awarded government contracts, only most are state government contracts. So, I was building off of a foundation I already had.
I would have considered government contractors more generally. Only, none of the big government contractors were anywhere near Roanoke, Virginia where I practiced law at the time. However, there were large highway construction contractors in the area and two of them were owned by the families of my Virginia Tech classmates and friends. So, at least I knew someone in the industry. Finally,I did not know another lawyer in all of Virginia at the time who was focused on the highway construction industry. That meant I had a chance to be thought of as the "go to" lawyer for the industry.
I have written about Alison Rowe in an earlier post. She was an associate in my old firm who sought my advice on her future. At the end of our conversation she said: "I have an idea but you have to promise not to laugh." I promised and she told me she wanted to focus on equine law. She explained to me that she had a passion for horses and people who own horses. At the time she had never handled an equine law matter so we set up a plan to learn and to ultimately market the practice. Alison is doing very well after five years focusing on her equine practice. She is blogging and active in thoroughbred and other equine associations.
If you are wondering whether you can try a particular niche, give it the same kind of thought I did many years ago.
