“I don’t think that there’s any such thing as a good excuse. This is the world that we live in now,” explains John Martin of KJC Law Firm when asked about how he approached this unprecedented year of curveball challenges.
John Martin’s law firm has made tremendous progress this year, making 2020 the best yet despite the hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, he’s joining us to discuss the major moves and pivots they implemented that have made all the difference for his law firm.
Q: What would have happened if you folded during COVID-19?
If we did that, I’d be done. Our law firm has more than doubled in size during COVID, operating better and more profitably than it ever has. It’s because of good coaching, and it’s because of strategic partnerships with like-minded people.
Q: How have you moved cases forward while operating during a pandemic?
The first is that we use discovery — really intense discovery during COVID. Electronic discovery, forcing depositions, forcing document production, all of these things.
The second thing is the insurance bad faith allegation. Every state has a statute that forces the insurance companies to play fair, which they don’t.
The third thing we’re doing is we’re using virtual mediations in arbitration.
Then, the final thing that we do is we’re really using a lot of strategic partnerships. For my bigger cases, I’ve reached out to bigger, more experienced firms with consultants and had them help me with those — with incredible results. And going the other direction, there are a lot of smaller firms, newer lawyers that have pretty good cases that don’t know what to do, and we’re co-counseling them.
Q: Where have your new clients come from?
I would say at least half already have lawyers and already have cases.
What happens a lot — at least once a week — is somebody will post something on their Facebook page out of frustration. One of their friends will tag me, and then we just start a conversation.
It’s the same story every time: “I don’t know what’s happening with my case. My phone calls never get returned. My emails never get returned.” And they’re good lawyers.
If it’s a friend of mine, I get their permission and I go try to rehab that relationship between them. I don’t poach cases from my friends. That’s happened a couple of times, but I would say a good 50% of our new cases are from people that are represented but feel abandoned by their lawyers.
It’s unbelievable. This is really the type of success and growth that I’ve always wanted. I’m just so thankful and grateful to have this opportunity.
I’m not going to let it slip by me. I promise you that.
