The Power of Matter Lists and Deal Sheets as Marketing Tools for Lawyers

Published: Wed, 11/09/2024 - 09:39

In the competitive world of legal practice, standing out is crucial. As a lawyer, your expertise is your most valuable asset, but how do you effectively showcase it? One highly effective way is through creating and maintaining a detailed matter list or deal sheet. This post will guide you through the importance of these tools, how to create them, and how Matterius can help you leverage them to enhance your practice.

What Are Matter Lists and Deal Sheets?

Matter lists and deal sheets are essentially records of your professional experience. They include a curated list of cases, transactions, or legal matters you've worked on, along with details about your role, the outcomes, and any notable issues you resolved.

For corporate lawyers, these documents might focus on mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, or contract negotiations. Litigators, on the other hand, might highlight significant trials, settlements, or motions they've handled.

Why Are They Important?

  1. Showcase Expertise: A well-organized matter list or deal sheet allows potential clients and employers to see your specific expertise at a glance. It provides concrete evidence of your capabilities and achievements.
  2. Business Development: These tools are not just for internal use. They can be powerful marketing tools that demonstrate your experience to prospective clients, helping to build trust and attract new business.
  3. Career Advancement: When it comes to job applications or performance reviews, a detailed deal sheet can set you apart from other candidates by clearly showing your contributions and accomplishments.
  4. Strategic Insights: Regularly updating your matter list can help you identify gaps in your experience, allowing you to seek out new opportunities to grow your skill set.

Tips for Creating an Effective Deal Sheet

Creating a deal sheet isn't just about listing every case you've worked on. It requires strategy and careful curation. Here are some practical tips to help you get started:

1. Start Early and Update Regularly

Don’t wait until you’re preparing for a job change or review to compile your deal sheet. Start as early as possible in your career and update it regularly. This ensures that details are fresh in your mind, making it easier to provide accurate and comprehensive descriptions.

2. Organize by Category

Structure your deal sheet into categories that reflect your areas of practice. For example, a corporate lawyer might divide their experience into categories like M&A, capital markets, and corporate governance. This makes it easier for readers to quickly understand your expertise.

3. Detail Your Role and Contributions

For each matter, clearly describe your specific role. Did you lead the negotiation? Draft the key agreements? Manage a team of junior lawyers? Highlighting your contributions gives a clearer picture of your abilities.

4. Include Noteworthy Issues

If a particular matter involved unique or complex legal issues, mention them. Explain how you addressed these challenges and what the outcome was. This demonstrates your problem-solving skills and ability to handle difficult situations.

5. Be Mindful of Confidentiality

Always protect client confidentiality. If you’re unsure whether certain details can be disclosed, either omit them or describe the client in general terms (e.g., “a leading financial institution”).

6. Highlight Significant Matters

Focus on matters that are most relevant to the audience you’re targeting, whether it’s potential clients or a prospective employer. You may have different versions of your deal sheet tailored to different purposes.

7. Keep It Concise

Your deal sheet should be easy to skim. Avoid overwhelming the reader with too much detail. Instead, focus on key facts and outcomes that illustrate your skills and experience.

How Matterius Can Help

Maintaining a matter list or deal sheet can be time-consuming, but Matterius makes it easier and more effective. Matterius is an innovative platform designed specifically for business lawyers, helping you create, manage, and showcase your matter experience.

Key Features of Matterius

  • Easy-to-Use Interface: Matterius allows you to systematically describe your matter experience online. You maintain full control over your case list, with the option to update, edit, or delete entries at any time.
  • Client Verification: You can have your work confirmed by clients online, securely and without disclosing client identities unless desired. This adds credibility to your matter list.
  • Searchable Profile: Matterius creates a personal profile page for you, where your matter list is searchable and filterable. This page can be linked to your law firm’s website or shared directly with potential clients.
  • Confidentiality and Security: Matterius ensures that all information is kept secure and confidential. Only the information you choose to share is made public, and client verification is handled discreetly.
  • Integration: Easily integrate your matter list into your own website, showcasing your experience alongside your attorney profile, blog posts, or practice group information.
  • Visibility: Matterius enhances your visibility by making your expertise searchable by companies, colleagues, and applicants. This can lead to new opportunities and increased client acquisition.

Conclusion: Start Showcasing Your Expertise Today

Creating and maintaining a matter list or deal sheet is a powerful way to market your legal expertise. Whether you’re looking to attract new clients, advance in your career, or simply keep track of your professional achievements, these tools are invaluable.

Matterius provides a streamlined and secure way to manage and showcase your matter list, helping you stand out in a crowded legal market. Sign up today to start leveraging your experience as a powerful marketing tool.

Ready to Get Started?

  1. Visit Matterius.com/start to sign up for free.
  2. Register in just one minute and start entering your matters.
  3. Need help? Email your signature to profil-service@matterius.com, and we’ll create your profile for you using publicly available information.

Unlock the full potential of your expertise with Matterius and stay one step ahead in the legal profession.

Practical Tips for Lawyers Using Matterius

Matterius offers a powerful platform for business lawyers to showcase their expertise, but to fully leverage its potential, it's important to understand how to effectively use the platform. Here are some practical tips based on common questions and features of Matterius.

1. Membership Choices and Benefits

  • Who Should Use Matterius? Matterius is designed exclusively for business lawyers, including individual practitioners, boutique firms, medium-sized law firms, and large firms. It's ideal for those who advise companies and entrepreneurs. However, it is not intended for in-house lawyers, notaries, or those offering consumer-facing legal services, such as family law.
  • Premium Membership Advantages While many features of Matterius are available for free, upgrading to a Premium membership offers several benefits:
    • Public display of client confirmations, comments, and feedback.
    • Enhanced visibility with confirmed matters appearing higher in search results.
    • Ability to integrate your matter list into your personal or firm’s website.
    • Display of your law firm’s logo on your profile.

2. Publishing Matters

  • What Constitutes a "Matter"? In Matterius, a "matter" refers to specific practical experiences such as drafting contracts, representing clients in disputes, or advising on transactions. You can also group similar cases into a collective matter, which makes your profile concise yet comprehensive.
  • How to Publish Matters To publish a matter, simply enter the details into the form provided in your Matterius profile. You have full control over your matter list, with the ability to edit, unpublish, or delete entries at any time.
  • Client Confidentiality You are not required to disclose the name of your client. Instead, you can use a general description (e.g., “medical equipment manufacturer”) when publishing a matter. This approach maintains confidentiality while still showcasing your expertise.
  • Selecting Matters to Publish Focus on publishing matters that:
    • Build your reputation and trust by highlighting large or well-known clients.
    • Showcase your expertise in specific areas relevant to your practice.
    • Allow you to recycle and leverage your previous work, making future tasks more efficient.

3. Obtaining Matter Confirmations

  • Client Confirmation Process Client confirmation is not mandatory but adds significant credibility to your published matters. To obtain confirmation:
    1. Describe the matter in your account.
    2. Select "Ask client to confirm matter" to generate a customized link.
    3. Send this link to your client, who can then confirm the matter online without needing to create a Matterius account.
  • Ensuring Confidentiality During Confirmation Matterius ensures confidentiality by allowing you to send confirmation requests directly to your client. Clients can choose whether their personal details are published, and any non-published details are deleted immediately after verification.
  • No Ratings, Only Confirmations Unlike rating platforms, Matterius does not allow clients to rate you. Instead, they can leave comments or select feedback phrases (e.g., "pragmatic and practical," "solution-oriented") that will only be published if both you and the client agree.

4. Maximizing Visibility on Matterius

  • Search Result Rankings The order in which matters appear in search results is determined by several factors, including the relevance of search terms, the completeness of your profile, and whether matters have been confirmed by clients. Premium members benefit from having confirmed matters that appear higher in search results.
  • Using Matterius for Advertising You can use Matterius to enhance your online presence. While Premium members can display client confirmations publicly, all users can integrate their Matterius matter list into their personal or firm website to attract potential clients.

By following these practical tips, you can effectively use Matterius to build your professional reputation, attract new clients, and enhance your legal career. Whether you're just starting out or are an experienced lawyer, Matterius provides the tools you need to showcase your expertise in a competitive market.