Women in small law firms face their own unique challenges. One that continues to rise to the surface is competition. In today’s legal environment, small law firm practice is competitive, making it more important than ever to stand out in your own practice area. Pinpointing the ways that you can stand out and what sets your firm apart from others can give you an edge over your competition. Here are the best ways to stand out in your practice area.

Your Value Proposition

Your law firm’s value proposition is potentially the most critical element in your marketing messaging. Value proposition is a short statement that summarizes why a client would choose you over another firm or lawyer. It conveys the strongest benefit that clients receive by hiring your practice. 

What unique value propositions can you bring to the table? One of the easiest ways to identify your value proposition is to focus on what your clients say about you after working with you. Take the time to read Google and other reviews clients have left for you and your firm. What comments or sentiments are repeated? Those are part of your value proposition. Perhaps you:

• Return their calls and emails quickly
• Take the time to answer their questions thoroughly in ways they understand
• Have a way of making them feel like they are your only client
• Treated them like family
• Are quite familiar with the local courts and judges
• Go out of your way to ensure your clients are satisfied

Try to explain what people frequently have to say about you in only a few words or phrases to reach your value proposition.

Other Strategies to Stand Out

In addition to your value proposition, there are many ways to stand out in your practice area. These include:

• Unique approaches you bring to each case—maybe you have a specific way of tackling a case or a method that you use with certain types of cases that is highly successful
• Strong experience in a specific area that others don’t have—for instance, a criminal lawyer who used to be a prosecutor or a personal injury attorney who used to work in the medical field
• Offering a personalized approach—while law can seem very business-like to legal clients, taking a personalized approach when handling your clients’ cases will allow you to stand out from the crowd
• Leveraging a strong network and resources—perhaps you have a robust and extensive network of other professionals, including attorneys in other practice areas that you can refer to 

There will always be competition no matter what type of law you practice, though sometimes it’s more fierce than others based on your area. When you really take the time to consider your value proposition and what experience, services, education, or skills you bring to the table that other attorneys might not have, it gets easier for potential clients to identify you in the sea of other small practices. With a clearly defined value proposition and knowledge of what makes your law firm the best choice for potential clients, it won’t take long to reap the benefits.