Robert Frost once said, “A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer.” While this is a gross oversimplification of the process of litigation, general logic rings true; you are better off with any legal issues you face if you have a better lawyer. The question is, “what makes for a great law firm?” I spent just 15 minutes looking for lawyers on Google and searched for what gives different sized law firms a competitive advantage in business law.In my search, I came across confusing terms like “polycentric” and "expense management". I even got sidetracked into learning about something that one of the biggest national law firms called the “economic new world order.” While I learned some new fancy jargon and got distracted by some weird-sounding club, I remained confused as to what exactly makes a good law firm. To wade through this confusion, I decided to make a list of the 3 key attributes of a great law firm. I found that exceptional law firms must focus on results, cost, and care, all of which are at the center of Sumsion Business Law.
As with any important service, picking a lawyer can be stressful, and you want someone you can trust. It’s easy to turn to big names because we feel like we can trust them. We think that a big name equals a big “win rate”. While it’s tempting to fall into this trap, it’s important to remember that a big name does not guarantee a good outcome.In February 2015, the artificial intelligence program Premonition was created to specifically analyze lawyers and put big firms to the test. Premonition looked at over 100,000 cases spanning 5 years in one of the largest court circuits in the nation. The results they found were astonishing. Three of the biggest national firms “win rate” was below 40%! With over 30 years of experience alone, Steve Sumsion of Sumsion Business Law has a win rate exceeding 80%. With numbers like this, it’s easy to mark off the “results” section of our attributes, but how does Sumsion compare to the big firms with costs and care?
With big-name firms, it’s easy to ultimately pay a big price. A big name means that the firm charges a premium for their services. After all, they will get plenty of customers who supposedly “KNOW” their case will be won. However, as we learned earlier, some of these firms aren’t worth the dollar they charge because they don’t bring in the big results. Even worse, sometimes you’re just paying exorbitant prices for easy tasks. Truth is, fully bar-certified lawyers aren’t necessary for a majority of the menial paperwork. Meaning that sometimes you’re spending $700-$1000+ on a lawyer’s “expertise” for things that can be done for much less money. At Sumsion Business Law, we hire an extensive team of fully capable paralegals who do the important “grunt work”. Award-winning lawyers like Steve then check over and finalize it. For you, this is big news! Instead of being charged extra thousands of dollars, you’re only being charged for the level of expertise necessary.
Above all, we like to feel like we matter. Life is scary, and so is the legal process. Whether we are filing for a patent or planning our estate, we want to feel like we have someone to depend on. Having worked as an intern with the lawyers at Sumsion business law for 3 months now, I can tell you that they truly care. No matter what the task has been, Sumsion’s lawyers have been kind, respectful, and are always willing to listen.One example of this came from Steve Sumsion himself. Although I am just an undergraduate student working here part-time, Steve once asked me to come to a meeting with an accolade and a criticism provided for his business. This is the kind of character you get when working with Sumsion Business Law. The humility of someone who is willing to listen no matter how big or small your concern may be. Come to Sumsion Business Law for better-than big-firm results, at a small-firm cost, with the personal interest of a friend.
