Majed Nachawati has been blogging since he co-founded his firm, Fears Nachawati–and he has no plans on slowing down anytime soon.
He came from a court of appeals background, so for three years he says all he did was research and write in a very unbiased way. It’s not the usual for lawyers, but it certainly set him up ready to run a blog geared towards the people.
“It’s important to keep in mind that a lot of times people on the Internet are very astute readers; they pay attention to what you say,” said Nachawati. “They want the information presented to them in as objective a form as possible. So the best way to blog is to be objectively informative in what clients can do if [they’re] in a situation, and then provide them with practical answers.”
Which is exactly what the firm’s blogs, Texas Injury Law Blog and the Texas Bankruptcy Blog, do. Their goal from the beginning has been to make sure that their audience is informed about the latest going’s on in the legal community and the legal trends in the different cases the readers might be encountering. For Nachawati, blogging is still the most effective way to get information to the general public.
“In today’s world you absolutely have to have a blog as a law firm,” said Nachawati. “Otherwise it’s like knowing you’re having and planning a party and doing nothing to promote it.”
And in his experience, that client confidence is a natural byproduct of blogging well. As he goes into a blog post, Nachawati reminds himself about what clients are typically looking for: the information.
He calls it a travesty that in a lot instances clients have no ideas about the rights they have available to them, and that’s what brings inactions. What often brings clients to call the firm, he said, is after they find the unique information on their blog and have follow-up questions regarding their case.
“We have had success in retaining clients as a result of blogging, and I think it’s well worth the time and energy you spend developing your blog and making sure you communicate an accurate message to your audience,” Nachawati said, adding that he’s been asked by fellow lawyers in the past if he’d be interested in writing their blog for them. But he always tells them that it’s a process that may take some getting used to but it’s well worth the process. He believes you can’t start writing and cutting corners.
“Lawyers have heard it time and time again, but you can’t just go out there and cut and paste. You’ve really go to put thought into what really matters to prospective clients, and what’s important to know about each particular type of case.”
Which, he admits, isn’t always easy. You definitely need to make sure you’re setting aside time to get all your blogging for the week done. But with modern blogging tools (such as being able to schedule out posts ahead of time) it’s never been easier to market your firm online. But that marketing can easily be a double-edged sword, Nachawati warns. When it comes to writing blog posts, he knows to keep the focus on what the reader is looking for and not what the lawyer is trying to sell.
“The blog is a reflection of who you are as a firm,” Nachawati notes. “And that hard sell angle…it’s a turnoff, in my opinion. Don’t get lost trying to get them to call you ten times in one paragraph…From our perspective, as a consumer-based firm, it’s just important to get that information out there.”
He says the easiest part of blogging for him is to come up with new ideas, because there’s so much out there that still needs to be translated to the client in a palatable way. Nachawati firmly believes that a blog is a tool all law firms should be using as a voice for the firm. Without that blog platform, no one can hear what you have to say.
“It’s not about the sell,” said Nachawati. “It’s about your knowledge, and your knowledge speaks for itself.”