Q&A with Anastasia Welsh Perrino
How has the practice of law on Cape Cod changed?
Since the Cape is such a wonderful place to live, there are many more attorneys currently in practice here than 10 years ago. Many have shifted from the general practice of law to specialized areas to distinguish themselves from their competition. With the constant growth in technology, law businesses have changed how they operate both internally and externally. For example, it is quite common now for an attorney or law firm to have a Web site to advertise.
What role has technology played in the changed landscape?
Technology has increased the time in which attorneys can complete legal transactions. For example, an attorney can forward a legal document to the client immediately by electronic mail rather than wait to send the document by regular mail. This permits attorneys to complete a transaction faster, which permits the attorney to provide cost-effective legal services to the client in the most efficient way. In my opinion, in the future, law practices will no longer have paper files. Legal documents and client files will all be electronic.
Why do small businesses need a lawyer?
All businesses should have a lawyer that they can call on to answer legal questions. If an attorney gets involved with a problem in its early stages, the problem can often be resolved most cost-effectively. If a legal problem gets to the point where it is necessary for the business owner to file a lawsuit, the legal costs will increase dramatically. For small businesses, having a lawyer on retainer on an hourly basis to troubleshoot legal issues can very often save money over the long run.
What’s the best advice you can give an attorney on Cape Cod to build his or her practice?
Build relationships and network. There is no substitute for developing personal relationships with people and businesses. The best way to do this is for the attorney to volunteer his or her time in as many community activities as possible. The more involved the lawyer is in the community, the more people will get to know the lawyer as a person, and recognize his or her name.
In addition, the attorney should take cases in many different areas of the law with the goal of selecting a few areas in which the attorney can work to develop an expertise. Once the attorney has chosen an area of the law, the attorney should try to work with another attorney in that field as a mentor to further develop expertise in the particular field of law.
What’s the best advice you can give a small business on finding the right attorney?
The small business owner should first start with his or her network of friends and business acquaintances. If the small business owner knows an attorney, ask that attorney to recommend another attorney. The best person to recommend an attorney is often another attorney. Another option is to speak with other business owners to see who the business has used for legal services. The Barnstable County Bar Association is also willing to provide names of several attorneys to assist the small business owner. The bar association has a list of members who have requested referrals in various areas of the law.
How does the bar association help attorneys succeed both as lawyers and as businesses in a highly competitive field?
The bar association provides education to its members to help them develop their practices by providing legal education on topics in the ever-changing business of the law. In addition, the bar association provides opportunities for attorneys to network with other attorneys to talk about their businesses and share practice ideas. Very often attorneys refer their clients to other attorneys if there is a particular specialty involved.
The bar association also provides regular opportunities for local judges and local attorneys to get together to discuss changes in the law and courtroom procedure, which will help the attorney deliver quality legal services to his or her client. In addition, the bar association is in the process of working with several businesses to provide discounts on services to our members. The bar association is always looking for ways to provide benefits to our members. If any businesses have any ideas on benefits or discounted services they could provide to our membership, they can contact the Barnstable County Bar Association at (508) 362-2121.
Anastasia Welsh Perrino is president of the Barnstable County Bar Association. She can be reached at (508) 362-2121.
Published in Cape Business March/April 2008
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