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February 17, 2022- by Steven E. Greer, MD
Yesterday, I called the five biggest law firms in Columbus as a potential new client. Only two firms had people to answer the main line and none of them had anyone in the office to process new business calls. I was put into voice mail. As of today, no one has returned my calls. These are huge corporate firms! My experience with solo-practice firms has been that most of them do not even have working websites.
To not be able to process a new client’s call is like Apple having no one pick up the phone for sales, or Hollywood agent Ari Emanuel at WME not take calls from an A-list actor wanting a new agent. Ari Emanuel is possibly the most powerful man in Hollywood and was my agent. A credible person can call WME, ask for “Ari”, and he will pick up. Apple has people to always answer the phone, etc.
This is what I have concluded. Law firms lack business skills taken for granted by other businesses. This was all exposed by the lockdowns. They were unable to make basic changes to adapt.
I have been told by lawyers that their secretaries have been “working from home” for two years, but they are not nearly performing at the same level as if they were in the office. The same is likely true for the lawyers too, except for the low-level grunts. In contrast, Wall Street and other industries adapted and have very efficient remote working models.
Law firms did not. And guess what: It is not hurting their business. Clients are forced to pay them no matter what, just like the worst doctor is paid as well as the best doctor by CMS and private insurance.
Medical doctors and lawyers are not paid like normal businesses. Doctors, hospitals, and lawyers get paid by weird crooked methods, such as fee-for-service and hourly billing. Therefore, they are soft and incompetent when it comes to business and cannot adroitly adapt to stresses.