Although adding new practice areas can be rewarding and help you grow your firm, it requires determination and overcoming obstacles to succeed.

What can you expect when adapting to new areas of legal practice?

To expand your practice, you will have to explore new terrains. You may have to learn a new body of laws and a completely different court system or legal culture.

Time constraints

To become proficient in a new area of law, you must study the terminology and legal aspects. Learning time can reduce billable hours, creating an opportunity cost for continuing education.

Finding accurate resources

Legal experts use only the most recent and thoroughly vetted sources to assist them in their casework. Using outdated resources can lead to accurate and complete legal documents. The wrong resources can harm your career as a lawyer and lead to litigation, malpractice claims, or reputational damage.

Let’s look at ways we can mitigate the challenges caused by these challenges.

Four strategies to overcome the challenges of expanding your practice into new areas

There are four ways to reduce the risk of learning a new area of law. These include working with mentoring, returning to school, and doing pro-bono work for nonprofit organizations.

Referring clients to an

Consider areas of law that are similar to your specialization. You are wasting valuable business by asking for assistance in areas lacking expertise. Organize and classify the referrals to determine your loss. You may have an opportunity to provide additional legal services in-house.

Family law and estate planning, for example, often overlap. Imagine a client in a family practice going through a divorce who wants to amend the estate planning documents that originally left their spouse with most of their assets. You can save money by handling these issues yourself instead of referring them to an estate lawyer.

Contract and corporate and real estate laws are other examples of overlapping opportunities. A specialist in workers’ compensation claims can also add disability appeals and claims to their practice.

Find a mentor

It is optional to do it all alone. You can tap into someone’s experience and gain valuable insights by working with a mentor. You could find a mentor in a law professor, colleague, superior, or peer at a networking event. Ask them if they are willing to offer their expertise and compensation in exchange for it.

How to become a Student

It’s a fact. It may be like going back to law school to learn new areas of practice. It doesn’t need to be as time-consuming and demanding as you recall.

Legal resource tools that are up-to-date and accurate can help you save time. This will result in happy clients who are confident in your expertise and an increase in revenue for your firm.

Volunteer

Experience is the best educator. It is impossible to learn better than by doing. Why not do pro bono work for local nonprofits? You will gain valuable experience and network with new clients while doing so. You can learn about a practice area you are interested in by doing pro bono.

It has been proven that giving can lower blood pressure and reduce anxiety. These are real legal issues that have a real impact on clients’ lives. Helping others can also help improve your mental wellbeing.