Sooner or later, every hired lawyer thinks about creating his own legal advice. Absence career growth, problems with management or a fixed low income with a large amount of work may be reasons for the desire to work for yourself.

And the endless stream of clients, mostly associated with the illiteracy of our population or with constantly changing laws that are simply impossible to keep track of to an ordinary person not related to this industry, makes this type of activity very attractive for generating income.

After working for several years in an office that provides legal services, you can get a very clear understanding of what kind of advice is in demand among the population. Based on this experience, you can make a list of the most profitable services and provide them in your future company.

But can only a lawyer open his own business in this area and is it so easy to bring this idea to life? So, how to open a legal consultation?

If the presence of the phrase “legal advice” in the name of your organization is not important, the opening process will be a little easier. Theoretically, to create a company that provides All you need is money savings and determination.

However, it is much easier to start such a business if you have not only a higher legal education, but also experience as a lawyer.

If it is necessary to create a legal consultation, the requirements become more stringent. In addition to having the appropriate education, you will need to obtain the status of a lawyer, because only they can use the phrase “legal consultation” in the names of the offices being created.

To obtain such status, you will need to work for some time as an assistant to a lawyer, obtain permission to take the exam and pass it, and take the oath. Once you have successfully completed the path to becoming a lawyer, you can begin to study the instructions for opening your own office.

Procedure for opening a legal consultation

To organize a business in the field legal services you will need:

pass the stage
rent or buy premises;
purchase consumables, equipment, furniture;
select qualified lawyers;
advertise the office.

We will consider the features of each step in detail below.

Stage of registration and collection of documents

Entrepreneurial activity is possible if it is intended to provide services only to individuals. If the main goal is to advise legal entities, it is better for your office.

In the first case, it is necessary to provide the relevant authorities with a passport with copies of the receipt, application for, for example, the simplified tax system, registration and TIN. The second option involves a slightly larger package of documents, namely the same receipt and application, charter and minutes of the meeting of founders (if any), a document confirming the entry of the Criminal Code and copies of passports with originals.

Afterwards you will need register or purchase and sell for the found premises. Having carried out the necessary renovation work, you will need to invite employees of the SES and fire supervision in order to obtain permits from them. At this point, the paperwork can be considered completed.

Finding suitable premises

When choosing a future office location, it is important to consider two main points:

the presence of similar offices nearby;
busy street.

A large number of nearby legal clinics or firms providing similar services will significantly complicate the establishment of your business. But if there are no other options, you need to find out as much information as possible about your competitors: strengths and weaknesses, the range of services they provide, and, if possible, try to provide different consultations or a little cheaper.

The income of the office directly depends on the number of people turning to it. And the more people pass by it every day, the more customers there will be. Sleeping areas are immediately dismissed, even taking into account the fact that rent in them is lower.

For legal advice, 20 square meters will be enough. m. A separate building, an office in a business center or a converted first floor in a residential building can serve as a location for your future office.

After renting or purchasing such a premises, it is necessary to carry out repair work on it and obtain permission for its further use from authorized organizations.

Purchasing the necessary equipment for arranging the premises

Opening a legal consultation from scratch involves purchasing necessary equipment. So, to set up a legal consultation you will need to purchase:

office furniture;
office equipment;
Consumables;
reference publications;
safe;
stationery.

Furniture is purchased for both employees and visitors. People often go to consultations with lawyers in pairs with someone; it is necessary to take this point into account when purchasing chairs. It will also be necessary to equip a waiting room for visitors so that it is convenient for people to wait in line.

Each employee must be equipped work zone –table, chair, computer.

Hiring staff for legal advice

Even if you have experience as a lawyer and good knowledge of the law, it is recommended to hire assistants. Depending on the services that are planned to be provided, it is formed and It is better to start work in several directions and gradually expand, rather than trying to cover all areas from the very beginning.

At the initial stage, you can limit yourself to two lawyers with whom you will work together. As the client base expands, the following units can be hired:

lawyer for working with individuals l.;
lawyer for work with legal entities l.;
secretary;
legal consultant;
cleaning woman.

To keep records of expenses and income, it is necessary, however, you can use special companies that will keep records at a distance. The quality of services provided in such accounting agencies is at high level, and their work is cheaper than introducing and paying for the labor of another staff member.

The secretary can also be hired at half the rate and his work done remotely. Responsibilities will include answering phones, scheduling appointments, and providing consultations.

Advertising campaign

It is possible where people can familiarize themselves with a list of services provided and their prices, address, information about the lawyers working for you and their experience.

Business plan for legal advice

Before opening your own legal consultation, you will need to study the market for the provision of such services in order to identify the most popular areas. The most promising cases are those related to family, business and real estate, as well as debt collection.

Costs of opening a legal clinic

Having chosen the most suitable areas, you can proceed to calculating the approximate costs of opening a consultation:

Legalization of activities and obtaining legal addresses about 30,000 rubles.
Office rent from 90,000 rubles.
Repair and arrangement from 60,000 rubles.
Purchase of equipment from 80,000 rubles.
Stationery from 4,000 rubles.
Costs for software, Internet, communications from 40,000 rubles.

At the initial stage you will need invest from 300,000 rubles in opening.

Cost-effectiveness of legal advice

The profitability of such a business is considered high and with the right approach, a consultation can pay for itself in just 2 years. With quality service customer base will increase rapidly, and with it income.

The minimum cost of a lawyer’s services, for example, a consultation, costs 1,500 rubles, and the liquidation of a legal entity. persons 50,000 rubles. For example, if in the first month 5 lawyers manage to serve 20 clients with an average price for a service of 5,000 rubles, the profit will be 500,000 rubles.

Reducing this figure by (20% = 100,000) and the initial costs (300,000), We get a profit of 100,000 rubles. Considering that the flow of customers, as a rule, increases every month, we can assume a stable increase in profits.

The main problems encountered on the way to opening a legal consultation

Possible difficulties

high competition;
difficulties in finding clients;
lack of awareness among employees.

How to solve emerging problems?

1. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of law firms for future entrepreneurs. When starting your own business, you need to be prepared for anything and go to the end. If you don’t know how to open a law office on your own and make it successful, then And learning experience existing organizations and working in contrast, reducing prices for services, offering travel lawyers will help to interest and lure clients from other firms.

2. To attract as many clients as possible, you need to put a lot of effort into promoting and advertising your office.

3. The human factor plays a big role - full-time employees do not always care about the company’s image and sometimes take their work too frivolously. To prevent such situations, it is necessary to motivate employees with various bonuses, unscheduled days off, etc.

For those who have a legal education and experience in the field of law, over time it becomes crowded in the enterprise. Having grown to a certain level of qualifications, a lawyer thinks about how to open law firm from scratch and work for yourself. This means prestige, freedom of action, greater income, but also greater responsibility.

The success of such a business idea directly depends on the experience of the staff, and the owner of the company does not necessarily have to be a lawyer. A law firm is not subject to licensing, so there are no difficulties in matters of registration.

Legal business must combine professionalism in the legal field and commercial spirit. These can be the qualities of one or two people: a business manager and an experienced lawyer. The manager’s task is to find and attract clientele, as well as select personnel.

Choosing a field of activity

There are many areas for a law firm to operate, the most popular being services for registration and liquidation of legal entities. This simplest option to start, does not require special qualifications from employees. But there is a lot of competition in this area and large players who offer low prices.

List of promising branches for a law firm:

Consulting and assistance to individuals on all legal issues: civil, administrative, as well as banking, which arise quite often. To defend yourself in criminal proceedings, you need a lawyer's status.
Consulting small businesses in the field of legal disputes and other issues. Large enterprises, as a rule, resort to the services of foreign agencies.
Registration and liquidation of legal entities is assistance in opening, re-registration and liquidation. Registrar services mean a low barrier to entry into the market, ease of operation, and a regular clientele.
Outsourcing or subscription services for legal entities, which involves concluding an agreement for servicing corporate clients on issues of law, contractual relations, documentation, personnel registration, contact with government agencies, representation in court, etc. The advantage of such work is a stable income, however, a wide range of issues need to be resolved.

The smart choice is to provide a wide range of services to maximize your target audience.

Registration of a law firm

State registration for a law firm it is not only legal activity, but also prestige. Step by step description opening a law firm from scratch:

registration as an individual entrepreneur or LLC;
registration with the tax office, OKVED code 74.11;
choice of taxation system – 6% of income or 15% of income minus expenses;
opening a bank account;
registration with the Pension Fund.

The cost of registering an LLC includes 10-15 thousand rubles for registering a legal address, as well as authorized capital from 10 thousand rubles in the form of money for bank account(one of the options). However, this form of ownership is preferable if you are going to work with reputable clients. The entire registration process will require 25 thousand rubles.

According to the law, a law office must obtain a special status, and the person creating such an organization must pass an exam and take an oath.

Office

A law firm needs an office, which does not necessarily have to be located in the central part of the city. It all depends on your capabilities and scale future activities. For small company you need a room of 25 square meters good repair. An office center or a residential building renting out the first floors for offices would be suitable. It’s better to start with an inexpensive space to rent (7-8 thousand rubles), and then change the location as it develops.

Advertising

The main task of a new entrepreneur is to attract clients who will become regular or bring other clients. How to promote a law firm from scratch? In addition to standard methods such as online advertising and outdoor advertising, personal meetings are needed. This is a lot of work on communicating with company owners - potential clients.

Think over a company name that evokes respect, trust and a sense of stability. The use of the founders' surnames is also practiced. Name options: “Advisor”, “Guarantor”, “Agency of Fomin and Govorov”, etc.

The most successful promotion methods:

Contextual advertising on Google and Yandex.
Providing your services through free online consulting services. This allows you to answer people's questions, thereby showing your abilities and providing contract data.
Distribution of proposals for cooperation in the form of a complete package indicating the cost and service options.
Calls, personal meetings with managers and company executives.
Conducting trainings and seminars as a way to earn extra money and make your presence known.

To give the impression of a reputable company, you need to take care of business cards, as well as creating your own website. The minimum cost of such a business kit is 15,000 rubles.

Furniture and equipment

The main costs go to equipping the law office office. To do this you need to purchase:

Furniture – 20 thousand rubles;
Computer, printer, fax, telephone, etc. – 40 thousand rubles;
Air conditioning – 15 thousand rubles;

Total: 75 thousand rubles.

Personnel

A legal business from scratch can be started with one professional who is also the owner, but the ideal option is a partnership of two lawyers. A company must gain momentum and clientele before it can afford to hire professionals.

The agency will need an assistant secretary. His tasks: take calls, do routine work, send emails, print and sort documents (salary from 14 thousand rubles).

The accounting of a law firm using a simplified taxation system has simple accounting. The easiest way is to turn to a freelance accountant (outsourcing), paying 3 thousand rubles monthly for his services.

Law firm business plan: investments, profitability and payback

Opening a law firm will not require significant capital investments

How much does it cost to open a law firm from scratch (capital investment):

registration of an LLC – 25 thousand rubles;
office renovation – 30 thousand rubles;
furniture and equipment – 75 thousand rubles
creating a website, printing business cards – 15 thousand rubles;
advertising costs – 10 thousand rubles;
Software, Internet, security – 20 thousand rubles;
purchase of office supplies – 5 thousand rubles.

Total: 180 thousand rubles

The income of a law firm is the fee for its services, which constitutes monthly revenue.

Table. Cost and income received from services provided

Table. Calculation of company profitability

Table. Calculation of investment attractiveness

Obviously, the payback will not be 4 months, but more than six months, since the first 2-3 months are spent reaching the break-even point.

Choosing a strategy

The answer to the question of how to open a law firm is multifaceted, as is the possible range of services. A successful strategy is to enter into partnership agreements with lawyers, auditing and similar agencies during the work. At the same time, there is no need for a staff of expensive specialists, a large office and the cost of its maintenance. You focus on your specialty while benefiting from partnerships.

The hero of our article, Demid Emelyanov, created his own company while studying in his fourth year at university. He, acting as a manager, registered the company and hired several employees - including a fairly experienced head of the legal department. Of course, you will need the education of a lawyer, but, as our hero says, theory is very different from practice, and knowledge of your business comes with experience. Therefore, if you are not yet very confident in your abilities, then you will need more experienced employees, whose work you will organize. For the latter, you must have leadership qualities. And don’t limit yourself to just this role: the manager must be a highly qualified lawyer.

Demid Emelyanov

When I opened the company, I did not conduct market analysis. I had friends in this area, and I knew that there was a lot of work on the market, a good lawyer is always in demand. Later, of course, as we developed, we began to study the market and analyze niches. It’s one thing to be a generalist lawyer, another thing to lead a specific legal direction. There is no point in doing everything. To be a professional, you need to hone your skills in several areas, otherwise you will not be able to provide quality service. You need to choose several niches. That's what we did. We have gradually mastered several niches and are working in them. We are focused only on small and medium-sized businesses - liquidation and registration of companies, bankruptcy. Sometimes we take on the personal affairs of client-business owners as an exception. To determine which niches were the most profitable, temporary marketers were hired to conduct research. I advise beginners to immediately hire marketers, if funds allow, or contact a third-party organization. Or go, as we did at the beginning, by trial and error.

The legal services market is saturated. Many new firms open every year, and many lawyers believe that they are ready to open their own company. But, experts say, there are few market participants providing high-quality services. However, in order to occupy a certain percentage of the market, you need to provide services competently and be competent. Currently, quality and price on the market are not comparable: companies often charge a lot of money for their services, but do not complete the work. If you want to work long and fruitfully, do not repeat their mistake: know that the higher the quality of your services, the more regular clients you will have.

What other market nuances do you need to know? It is necessary to constantly monitor changes in legislation. Because the relevance of the service line directly depends on these changes. For example, over the past few years we have noticed that legislation is changing very often, this is due to the economic crisis and the government’s attempts to reach a new level of interaction with business. To stay afloat in such a situation, you need to always be in trend, study innovations, create and practice new directions, “reshape” your services to suit changes in the law and provide always up-to-date and New Product to the client.

Investment size

Demid Emelyanov

CEO legal center "KNOW"

8 years ago, when we opened the company, investments required only 50 thousand rubles. We rented an office, bought inexpensive furniture, sat down ourselves, hired a lawyer and started working. This was enough to start moving. We hired promoters who distributed leaflets with information about our company. This is how we started getting our first clients.

Demid Emelyanov

General Director of the legal center "ZNAT"

Nobody taught me how to do business; I studied literature on my own. We started with an office of 12 sq.m., paid 400 rubles per sq.m., five people sat in this nook. Now we have an office of 200 sq.m., a staff of qualified lawyers and partners throughout Russia.

Demid Emelyanov

General Director of the legal center "ZNAT"

Previously, I combined several positions. He himself was a secretary and answered calls. But after some time I realized that my time is valuable and I can bring more money if I hire a secretary. Therefore, it is better not to optimize work, but to increase incoming traffic.

Step-by-step instruction

In your activities, you will, of course, interact with representatives of government agencies, as well as with office supply suppliers, cleaning services and courier services. There is a lot of paperwork involved in running a law firm, and you need to find a good courier service that can deliver these papers on time to Right place- and often these are other cities. As a rule, the most famous courier company works better than others. But you will still have to choose by trial and error: if they do not have time to do everything on time, change the counterparty.

There is no need to specially establish relations with government agencies. The longer you work, the more officials will know about you. But this is not always good for a lawyer. After all, they may also not like you, knowing how persistently you fight for the client.

Demid Emelyanov

General Director of the legal center "ZNAT"

When recruiting employees, the main criteria for us are education, experience, and psychological qualities. We already have an image - a psychological portrait of the person we need. The team is friendly, and we need people to join it. When the company is small, this is important. The most important thing is the climate in the company. I am against employees being friends, but their psychotypes must match. For a lawyer, such qualities as determination, perseverance, and the desire to achieve assigned tasks are important. Like extraordinary people who have their own point of view and are ready to defend it, are ready to prove their competence in work and learn.

We usually post vacancies on the HR website. After this, we identify suitable candidates. But I have this rule: until I look at about a hundred people, we won’t fill the vacancy. Usually 50-70 people come out. It happens that already at the fifth or sixth interview the same person comes, but as long as there is an incoming flow, we make sure to look at everyone. There are two interviews - primary and secondary, then three months probation. If a person shows himself earlier, within a month, we are ready for a permanent relationship.

How do we attract people to work? We have good wages, everything is created so that the employee receives the necessary work experience, we have everything necessary tools. In some companies, an employee is simply given a Yellow Pages directory and tasked with looking for “I don’t know what.” We have training. Some specialists spend 3-4 years searching for our vacancies in order to get an interview with us. In general, lawyers with experience know the status of companies on the market and understand where they want to get a job.

The work schedule for a law firm is standard - from 8 to 17 or 9 to 18, five days a week. There may be extra-hour working hours, but by agreement with employees. Occasionally, you may need to meet with clients on Saturday and Sunday.

You can also create your own club card. According to them, regular customers receive several services for free (for example, an extract and a Unified State Register of Legal Entities) or at a discount. Naturally, clients who will cover your monthly revenue with one order will require a special approach.

If your company is aimed at serving small and medium-sized businesses, then it is convenient to be located next to the registration authority - the Federal Tax Service, since you will often need to be there. But the Federal Tax Service is not always located in a place convenient for clients. Of course, a regular client will come to you anywhere, but if you don’t have many of them yet, then the best option is to open an office in the city center, where it’s easier for people to get to.

There are no special requirements for the premises. But, notes the hero of our article, as you develop, you should at least have a reception room where the secretary sits, in separate rooms there should be a legal department, managers, and management. You also need a cozy meeting room. This is very important, because a regular client comes to a lawyer as a psychologist, and in order for him to trust you with his problems, a favorable environment is needed.

Documentation

Demid Emelyanov

General Director of the legal center "ZNAT"

Our center was first registered as an individual entrepreneur, and later an LLC was opened. It is customary in society not to take this form of individual entrepreneur seriously. However, from a legal point of view, an individual entrepreneur bears more responsibility in the event of litigation, while a legal entity has ways to evade liability. However, it is easier to run an individual entrepreneur: it is easier to report taxes - choose UTII and have an outsourced accountant. For example, we didn’t have an accountant on staff for five years.

You do not need to obtain a license to open a law firm. A license will only be required to provide specific services - for example, if you are engaged in bankruptcy of individuals, the employee in charge of this area must obtain the status of an arbitration manager, be a member of the SRO, and pay membership fees.

Opening checklist

Is it profitable to open

In order to correctly set prices for your services, you need to constantly monitor the market and find out competitors’ prices for similar services. You also need to correctly evaluate the quality of your service.

Demid Emelyanov

General Director of the legal center "ZNAT"

Sometimes we don’t break the price, we don’t even go down to the level of the average market price, because we know that the quality of our service is very good. And people come to us - albeit a little, but they know that with us they will achieve a positive result. New companies entering the market resort to dumping and reduce prices because they have no customers. But, as a rule, the quality of the service provided suffers from this.

If you start with small investments and low expenses, with an office of 10 sq.m., then you will reach point zero in the first month. If you rented an office in the city center, hired about 10 people, and spend 700 thousand rubles a month, then you can break even no earlier than in a couple of years, having initially invested at least 10 million rubles.

Is it difficult to open a law firm? What permissions are needed for this? Where to start and how to finish it? How strong is the competition in the market? From our article you will get answers to all your questions, after which you will not be perplexed by the question of how to open a law firm.

Business Description

The law firm provides paid legal services to private and corporate clients, advising on various issues: from registration of an organizational form to divorce proceedings.

The company can work in several directions:

One-time consultations for individuals. This includes all types of law (from civil and criminal to banking and administrative), representation of interests in court and government agencies, acting in the interests of the client by proxy. The advantages of such work are the ability to quickly find customers, the disadvantages are the average and low solvency of the main target group.
One-time consultations for legal entities. Legal assistance is provided already at the stage of company registration, upon obtaining special permits, as well as during interaction with government authorities. The undoubted advantage is high rates for services provided, the disadvantage is the possible hidden insolvency of the client (it can be more difficult to collect money from corporate clients than from private clients).
Work with legal entities under an outsourcing agreement (subscription services). In this case, the company becomes the client’s partner, takes on all tasks related to the management of law, personnel work(registration of employees, contractual relations, interaction with government agencies). Advantage - rhythmic payment, disadvantages - wide range of issues resolved (from selling real estate to appealing illegal actions and decisions law enforcement).
Services for individuals and legal entities under individual contracts. The premium segment of the market is private consultations for very wealthy clients. Such persons need “their own lawyers” who can be entrusted with confidential information. The advantage is high wages, the disadvantage is difficulties in finding clients.

So, a law firm must take its place in the legal services market, that is, find a niche that is more or less free from competitors. It is worth noting that new areas of work are constantly emerging in this area. For example, 3-4 years ago, registration of an online store in payment terminals was an exotic service, today it is offered by dozens of companies.

Business target audience:

Individuals facing legal problems. The range of potential consultations is very wide: family, civil, housing, administrative, tax law. Therefore, it is necessary to decide on a narrower target group and concentrate on certain tasks.
Small firms in need of ongoing legal assistance. Such companies engage legal organizations under outsourcing agreements. In fact, the counterparty takes on all the legal work of the partner, establishing the principles of payment (fixed, premium).
Medium and large companies that need one-time advice on complex issue. Questions may arise in the field of economic, customs, and administrative law. For effective assistance Law firm specialists must have good knowledge of narrow issues.
Small and medium-sized companies in need of a specific service. This could be purchasing equipment on lease, obtaining a loan, commercial mortgage, etc. The law firm will accompany the transaction, or select a counterparty, ensure legal security, etc.
Foreign companies in need of representation in Russia. These clients are the most interesting, since you can get high payments from them. Foreign companies require a full range of services: registration, submission of reports, obtaining licenses, interaction with government agencies.

Is there a special procedure for opening law firms?

To create a lawyer’s education (office, board, bureau), according to the Federal Law “On advocacy and the legal profession in the Russian Federation,” it is necessary to obtain the appropriate status. Persons wishing to establish such an organization must pass a qualification exam and take an oath. At the same time, the “tests” will be more than rewarded, because lawyers have a wide range of rights and powers: representing the interests of the principal (defendant) in civil (criminal) proceedings, sending requests to various organizations, conducting written surveys of citizens.

In addition, to conduct private notarial activities in accordance with Part 3 of the Federal Law “On Notaries”, it is necessary to obtain a license. To count on it, you will need to pass a qualifying exam, after which you can open your own office. Notary dealing private practice, has the right to rent an office, hire workers, and keep a bank account.

A special permit, according to the Federal Law "On Licensing of Certain Types of Activities", is necessary only for conducting private detective activities (the licensing authority is the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia). This area is extremely promising for such areas of legal work as debt collection, alimony obligations, and transaction support.

For other areas of legal activity, licenses and other special permits are not provided. Moreover: many recognized experts in the field of customs law and foreign economic activity do not have higher education at all.

Finding a promising direction for work

The legal world is very wide, and there are really many areas to work here. Some firms concentrate exclusively on customs law (clearance of goods), others on the construction industry, and still others on registration services. Some areas of activity are disappearing (notarization of real estate transactions), others are just emerging (e-commerce support). Let's try to evaluate several promising areas that currently have average supply, and find out the potential demand for certain services.

We have identified several areas of interest in the modern market:

Collection of debts under receipts and loan agreements using legal methods (preparing claims, applications to law enforcement agencies, writing statements of claim).
Support of enforcement proceedings (decision, order, ruling that has entered into legal force).
Legal services in the field of construction (enforcement of contract performance, claiming penalties, conducting examinations).
Legal assistance foreigners (application to government agencies, purchase of real estate, participation in administrative, civil and criminal proceedings).
Assistance in obtaining a residence permit and citizenship (assistance in finding employment in Russia, registration necessary documents, escort of foreigners).
Appealing illegal decisions of law enforcement agencies (resolutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Investigative Committee, the prosecutor's office).

Note: A relevant niche in current market conditions is protecting the rights of borrowers before lenders (for example, the StopLoan franchise).

Assessment of demand for promising areas of activity:

Main methods of promotion:

Internet advertising. Works well for all the directions we have indicated. contextual advertising Google.Adwords and Yandex.Direct. The effect of marketing activities will be felt within 2-3 weeks after the launch of the project. In the medium and long term, good conversion can be achieved by SEO promotion, that is, filling the site with optimized articles.
Participation in free consultation services. A number of popular websites for providing legal assistance to citizens enable specialists, when answering questions, to provide their contact information, that is, to advertise. But, given the lack of territorial reference (don’t even think about the vastness of Russia), getting a large number of clients will not be easy.
Conducting trainings and seminars. To promote such services as subscription services for legal entities, as well as legal support for foreign companies, organizing working meetings for managers and heads of departments is promising. You can also charge a fee for participation in thematic trainings and seminars, but this is associated with other organizational costs.
Preparation of business proposals. When promoting a subscription service legal services Targeted mailings will help companies find clients. In the business proposal, it is necessary to outline possible cooperation algorithms and indicate the cost of the company’s services.
"Cold calls". Most small and medium-sized companies cannot maintain their own legal department, but they encounter legal problems with enviable regularity. Targeted telephone conversations with managers will help you find clients. Moreover, such a promotion method is rarely used when selling services in the field of jurisprudence.
Successful legal practice. Finally, the notorious “word of mouth” remains an important source of clients. The more useful the help and advice is, the more satisfied clients will share their valuable specialist with their friends.

Advantages and disadvantages of your own law office:

pros	Minuses
Flexible work schedule	High competition
Arbitrary pricing	Extensive work experience required
A large number of spheres	Difficulties in promoting certain types of services
Possibility of constant expansion of the company	Psychological problems(constant contact with other people's difficulties)
Great amount potential clients	The need to constantly update the legal framework and update legislation
Self-realization of a specialist	Independent search for clients
Ability to choose your own clients	A large number of people wishing to receive free consultation
Right to refuse consultation (assistance)	A license is required for certain areas of work.
Effective use working hours	Difficult to pick good specialists as employees
Minimum expenses to organize the work process	The company is responsible for the quality of services
Stable demand	Taking your place in the market is not easy

Examples of successful businesses

Summary analysis of service costs

Company name	Law Firm "Arcadia"	Law Firm "Angard"	GC "Yurliga"
City		Ulyanovsk	Ekaterinburg
One-time consultation	1,500 rubles/hour	700 rubles	from 1000 rubles
LLC registration (no state fee)	11,000 rubles	2,500 rubles	7,500 rubles
Registration of individual entrepreneur (no state duty)	3,500 rubles	1,000 rubles	4,500 rubles
Liquidation of a legal entity	60,000 rubles	is not provided	34,500 rubles
Drawing up a statement of claim	9,000 rubles (comprehensive service)	1,000 rubles (application only)	9,500 rubles (comprehensive service)

So, the above companies provide similar services, but Arcadia Law Firm specializes in registration issues (formation and liquidation legal forms), Law Firm "Angard" is more focused on accessible services for individuals, and GC "Yurliga" provides a wide range of services to both private and corporate clients. Even a superficial analysis demonstrates how widely prices for work vary. It is not surprising that in Moscow the cost of services is much higher than in Ulyanovsk.

Let us add that the price of the work depends significantly on the status of the lawyer. Famous firms that serve only regular clients can charge 15-30 thousand rubles a day, or even more, for representing the client’s interests. The stakes are especially high in the field of criminal law: when a rich person faces the prospect of being in places “not so remote,” he is no longer so eager to count his savings.

In this article we will tell you how to open a law firm from scratch and what niche you can fill in the market. Let's consider the features of a business, the important stages of its organization and promotion. We will outline approximate investments, potential profits and describe possible risks that you should be prepared for.

Features of the legal market

The law firm provides services in the legal field. And success depends only on their quality and understanding of the market. You need to know what rules your competitors play by, what their pros and cons are, and what you can do better than others.

You also need to understand the features of this field of activity. Here are the main ones.

The quality of the service and the final result of its provision are unpredictable. It all depends on specific situation, legal position of the client, experience, training and judicial practice lawyer, as well as the law.
The services of a law firm do not have criteria for assessing their quality. Because winning in court does not always lead to positive results, just as losing is not a bad result of a lawyer’s work.
The company’s specialists must not only be legally savvy, know the provisions of the laws and monitor their changes, but also have well-developed creative thinking to solve non-standard and complex problems.
Often the cost of a service cannot be announced immediately, since it may depend on many factors, including the results of the case in court.
The legal field should employ specialists with high levels of professionalism and appropriate education. Companies that rely on amateurs and inexperienced lawyers close down within the first year.
Clients turn to a particular law firm because they trust it. Therefore, you need to invest maximum effort in quality of services and marketing to increase loyalty target audience.

Working in the legal services industry is challenging. Because it is closely related to the law and must solve important problems for people. Sometimes these are complex problems, the solution of which determines the future of the client: his freedom or well-being.

But it is worth noting that law firms staffed by highly qualified lawyers with extensive experience are seriously strengthening their position in the market.

That is, in such a business everything depends on its organization.

How to open a law firm: 6 stages of organizing a business

Market analysis. You need to clearly understand in which niche the company can gain a foothold, what prices competitors adhere to, and what the demand is in the chosen city. This stage is conducted in-depth and targeted to the audience.
Choosing a niche. It is necessary to determine what services the company will offer and for whom it will work: for legal entities, individuals or for everyone.
Search for premises. Before registering a company, you need to find a suitable office location and sign a lease agreement.
Company registration. At this stage, you need to register as an individual entrepreneur or LLC, and also register with the Federal Tax Service.
Search for colleagues. Competent and experienced lawyers should be found, interviews conducted and the best candidates selected.
Marketing. This includes developing a marketing strategy, launching advertising campaigns, creating an official website, a community in in social networks and etc.

Only after going through these 6 stages can you start accepting your first clients.

Now about each stage in detail.

Which niche to choose: promising areas for a law firm

The company can work in the following areas:

Consultations for individuals – criminal, administrative and civil law. This includes representing the interests of citizens in court or other government services. The advantages of this niche are a large number of clients, but mostly with low solvency - this is a disadvantage.
Consultations for legal entities – legal assistance to individual entrepreneurs and companies. Lawyers help clients register individual entrepreneurs, companies, obtain permits and take part in interaction with government agencies. In this area, the solvency of clients is high, but collecting money from them is much more difficult than from individuals.
– subscriber services for corporate clients, including resolving personnel, organizational and legal issues.
Private consultations – servicing clients from the premium segment, which can be individuals and legal entities. The target audience in such a niche can only be found in large cities, but in small towns this will be a futile endeavor.

If the state allows, then the first three directions can be combined, since they are in constant demand. This will make it possible to quickly achieve a high income and return the money spent on opening a company.

During the process of drawing up a business plan, you need to think about the services that will be provided. The most popular are:

Debt collection from individuals and legal entities.
Representation in court.
Appealing illegal actions and decisions on the part of executive, government and law enforcement agencies.
Legal assistance to foreign citizens: obtaining a residence permit, purchasing real estate, resolving legal issues and representation in court.
Supporting the economic activities of individual entrepreneurs and LLCs.

Registration of a law firm and requirements for the director

To register a company, you need to determine the form of management: individual entrepreneur or LLC. For a legal organization, it is better to choose an LLC. In this area, trust in individual entrepreneurs on the part of the target audience is low.

The head of the company may not have legal education. It will only be necessary to obtain permission to operate.

To register you will need:

Passport and its copy.
Application for registration of LLC.
Receipt of payment of the duty.
Premises rental agreement.

You will also need to select a code - the current activity code can be clarified in the current classifier of the Russian Federation or the country where the services will be provided.

Once the registration process is completed and a certificate is issued, you can begin organizational issues and preparations for the opening.

Choosing an office location

The best place for a law firm is the city center near business centers or company offices. This way it will always be visible and it will be easier for the target audience to remember the address. Clients will be able to quickly get there by personal or public transport, which cannot be said about companies located on the outskirts of the city or in residential areas.

But there is a possibility that the center has been occupied by other law firms. Then it’s worth taking a closer look at a large area where there are practically no competitors and there is a target audience.

You should not choose an office location in basements or multi-storey residential buildings. It will be difficult for clients to find a company.

It is advisable that the office be visible from the main road of the street.

What you need to organize your office

For the office you will need to buy:

Office furniture for employees and clients: tables, chairs, armchairs, sofas, cabinets, etc.
Computers and office equipment: laptops, printers, scanners, landline phones, etc.
Stationery: printer paper, pens, diaries, stamps, etc.

To make your office look presentable, you need to organize it interior decoration. For this you should contact any construction company in the city. And to create business style It is advisable to hire an interior designer.

Search for employees: important criteria and rules for selecting candidates

Before arranging the selection of candidates, it is necessary to plan the staff. The company will need:

Lawyer-consultant;
Lawyer for working with individuals;
Lawyer for working with legal entities;
Highly qualified lawyer;
Legal Assistant;
Secretary;
Accountant;
Cleaning woman.

Once the list of specialists has been compiled, you can begin posting vacancies on the Internet and communicating with candidates.

When interviewing lawyers, you should pay attention to their experience and specialization. They must be diligent, purposeful, determined and extraordinary, having their own point of view and ready to learn.

The main selection criteria are:

Completed legal education.
Positive experience as a lawyer.
Psychological qualities.

It is worth noting that the psychological types of employees must match. This will save the team from unnecessary disagreements, and new specialists will be able to quickly join it. Managing such a team is much easier.

When interviewing, you need to remember that the right person will not appear immediately. Before this, you will have to talk to several candidates - sometimes dozens. Therefore, interviews often take more than one day and it is not possible to quickly open a law firm.

Promoting the company and attracting customers: integrated marketing

So that after opening a company, lawyers do not sit without work, you need to take care of the marketing strategy and advertising in advance.

There are 6 ways to promote the services of a law firm at the stage of its opening and subsequent work:

After the first clients arrive, word of mouth will start working and people will start contacting the company based on recommendations from friends, relatives and colleagues. But this is subject to the provision of high-quality advice and services.

The price of the issue, or how much it costs to open a law firm

You can open a law firm either with a budget of 300,000 rubles or with a budget of more than 1,000,000 rubles. It all depends on the scale of the future company.

For example, for an average staff of lawyers of 3-5 people and a small office, 300,000 - 400,000 rubles will be enough. The main expenses will go to renting premises, purchasing furniture, office equipment and advertising. And this option is optimal.

Proactive and hopeful leaders who invest millions at once in legal organization, already within the first year the work fails and closes. This is caused by the lack of regular customers and competition.

Therefore, at the initial stage it is worth opening a small company and gradually developing. And when clients start coming, word of mouth starts working, you can expand and hire new specialists.

In the future, there will be monthly expenses for office rent, staff salaries, advertising and utility bills. Their amount also depends on the size of the company. For example, with a staff of 3-5 people, expenses will be approximately 250,000 - 300,000 rubles, and with 10 specialists - from 600,000 rubles.

How much can you earn: law firm income

For example, legal advice – 2,000 rubles, registration of an LLC – 2,500 rubles, individual entrepreneur – 5,000 rubles, statement of claim – 10,000 rubles and liquidation legal entity– 50,000 rub.

The average bill for one lawyer is 5,000 rubles. During the first month, 3 lawyers served 15 people.

3 x 15 x 5,000 = 225,000 rub.

We subtract 15% tax from the amount received: 225,000 – 33,750 = 191,250 rubles. net profit.

The calculations show how important it is to attract the maximum number of clients in the first month.

The return on investment in a law firm is 1-3 years.

Is it worth opening a law firm: pitfalls and risks

Finally, let's look at the pitfalls of business.

When opening a law firm, you need to understand what is on the market. Therefore, you will have to constantly monitor prices so as not to lose the loyalty of your target audience.

But experienced law firm owners argue that the price of services depends on their quality. That is, if they turn out to be better than those of competitors, then there is no need to reduce prices.

Young companies often resort to dumping to attract more customers. But most often this does not form best experience about them.

Accordingly, dumping is unprofessional. Unjustified reduction in prices for services is a loss of profit. Therefore, at first, while there is no permanent customer base, income will be insignificant. Moreover, the costs can exceed them.

As mentioned above, the payback period for a law firm is 1-3 years. This is a long period of time during which it can go bankrupt due to improper organization and business strategy. And such cases are not uncommon in the field of legal services.

But if you do everything correctly, you can achieve a decent profit in just 2-3 months and recoup all your initial investments in less than a year.

The main business risk is a decrease in the quality of services. Because of this, most customers will leave, costs will increase and profits will fall. Therefore, for the success of the company, it is worth hiring only experienced, highly qualified lawyers, constantly monitoring changes in the market and quickly responding to them.