Top Lawyer Coach, LLC

When you want to expand your practice niche or transition to another specialty, here's how.

No matter where you are in your legal career, it may be time for a change - a PERSONAL BRAND change.

Professionals reinvent themselves all of the time. They want to be known for something better or something different. They want their reputations to be respected - and remembered. They also want their brands to help them win new clients.

The key to brand reinvention is to convince others to embrace it - and take you seriously. Dorie Clark, author of How to Reinvent Your Personal Brand, offers these five steps on how to successfully rebuild a brand for business.

1. Understand your new identity.

You need to develop a detailed understanding of where you want to go, and the knowledge and skills necessary to get there. If you've been a real estate attorney for the past decade, you may understand every new law and matter out there. But can you effectively convey that knowledge to a non-legal audience? Learning the skills you need will help you gain the confidence necessary to start identifying (and publicizing) yourself in your new identity.

2. What's your Unique Selling Proposition?

What makes you different from anyone else? That's what people will remember, and you can use it to your advantage.

3. Develop a narrative.

To protect your brand you need to develop a compelling narrative that explains to people exactly how your past fits into the present.

It's like a job interview — you're turning what could be perceived as a weakness (he doesn't know anything about commercial litigation, because he's been a medical mal lawyer for 20 years) into a compelling strength that people can remember.

4. Reintroduce yourself.

With hundreds (or thousands) of Facebook friends and social connections, you can't expect everyone to remember all the details of your life. So you have to strategically re-educate friends and colleagues — especially if you're launching a new business venture. That means a concerted effort to phone or email everyone on your list — individually — to let them know about your new direction and, where appropriate, ask for their help, advice, or business.

Note: Blast emails are a start, but too often go unread.

5. Prove your skills.

Unless people see proof of your skills, they may hesitate to put their own reputations on the line by sending you referrals.

So, here's where blogs, podcasts, videocasts, and other forms of social media come in. It's critical to let potential customers see what you're about and test drive your approach before they make a large commitment.

A successful brand is the key to having a stellar practice - and good reputation. You want others to notice you, remember you, and more importantly, trust you enough to retain your services.

Related articles:

Give Your Brand a Powerful Voice

Develop a Dynamite Personal Branding Message

Protect Your Brand Online

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