@paulhajek
February 9th, 2010
Solicitor of the Senior Court of England and Wales
Principal, Clutton Cox Solicitors
Blogger on Conveyancing and the Housing Market, Wills and Probate
Today we’re tweeting with @PaulHajek, Solicitor of the Senior Court of England and Wales and prolific legal blogger
- @paulhajek thank you for joining us today on Twitter. Tell us: who is @paulhajek?
A Croatian father, a Belfast Catholic mother, and now a sole practitioner I have been an oppressed minority virtually all my life
– - Tell us about your law practice.
Clutton Cox is a traditional non contentious high street practice with 3 solicitors with emphasis on residential property.
– - What type of clients do you represent?
Your average man and woman in the street, and a few company clients
– - And what would you say is the single most important legal issue affecting those clients?
In Conveyancing, our legal system from time immorial(1189) is robust enough for clients not worry about too many legal issues
– - Yeah, guess 800+ years of precedent could do that… What do you tell every new client before you start working for them?
Don’t worry about a thing. Some even take this advice
– - Tell us about one of the more significant client representations you’ve had.
From my sporting background, some Olympic athletes and international rugby stars
– - Why do your clients hire you?
Reputation and repeat business and referral from realtors/estate agents. And increasingly from the internet
– - What’s the most active area of your practice at the current time? Is that typical?
Property or Conveyancing always has and always will be our main focus
– - How has the economic crisis affected your clients? Have you seen any signs of improvement in the UK?
Job loss and mortgage rationing are main culprits. Slight improvement but still uncertainty over strength of recovery
– - You bill all your work on a fixed-fee basis. Is that common in the UK? How do UK clients react to fixed fees?
In Conveyancing and Wills yes, rare in Probate work. My experience clients much prefer it. Total peace of mind and guaranteed
– - How do you describe what you do to people you meet at a cocktail party?
Property Lawyer, Home Information Pack Provider and Legal Services Marketer, Internet Marketing Evangelist. Nice Bloke
– - You host ten different legal blogs on your website (http://bit.ly/drlVFK). Why so many? Who are they written for?
Whatever takes my fancy. All are property based with Wills and Probate. Written to help and inform clients and potential new clients
– - Besides Twitter and your blogs, what other Web 2.0 tools do you regularly use?
I do not think my demographic is Facebook, but I remain open minded. Have dabbled in LinkedIn. Do a lot of article marketing
– - What specific impact on referrals and/or client engagements, if any, have you realized from Web 2.0 activities?
I am just beginning to get benefits of internet marketing. My client income from the web alone this year should be around $100,000
– - Wow, that’s fantastic! Congrats. How much time do you spend each day developing / enhancing your brand?
70% development with 30% fee earning. I have 2 other solicitors in the practice. I research and prepare my blogs in the evenings
– - Sounds like the right mix. Let’s switch gears: what is the most significant issue currently facing the legal profession?
Without doubt Deregulation in 2012, allowing non legal entrants into the legal services market so called “TescoLaw”
– - What will the legal landscape look like in 10 years?
A few big national and regional brands, with many more sole practitioners than now,after the fallout in2012 and onwards
– - What would you do if you weren’t a lawyer?
I love legal marketing. My company ActionMove, + new company internet marketing for solicitors as a JV with marketer @boydbutler
– - How do you want to be remembered?
Cor Blimey , he was good lawyer. What was his name again?
– - What do you do when you’re not working?
With my wife,2 daughters, Sports,TV(Mad Men, 24) Music. My favs are Spurs, BathRugby ,Chicago Bears and The Who (pre Superbowl!)
– - What advice can you pass along to lawyers currently under- or unemployed due to the economic crisis?
Blog and tweet, better than CV and you will get found. Very few solicitors with social media skills, create your niche.
– - And our last question for you: what advice do you have for people going to law school today?
If lucky enough to get training contract great, if not, use law degree to open other doors. There is so much more to choose from now
That’s great advice. Thanks very much for the interview today; I enjoyed learning more about you and your practice.
and thank you, as my Floridian cousin would say it’s been a blast!. Now who’s winning the football?
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