I was never so shocked when I discovered the marketing power of Craigs List. Under the LEGAL JOBS category of Columbus, Ohio I posted the following:
Title:
Seeking Bankruptcy Attorneys
Posting:
Certified Paralegal and Bankruptcy Specialist is seeking to form alliances with one or more bankruptcy attorneys who enjoy working on the debtor side of bankruptcy law. I have 31 years experience in the legal field (1977) and have personally built several bankruptcy practices from the ground up for attorneys out of state.
Being in the Columbus, Ohio area, I would like to work side-by-side with one or more attorneys in building a highly profitable debtor bankruptcy practice. I have all the skills and marketing knowledge, I just need the attorney.
Contact Victoria Ring personally at 614-875-4496
Compensation:
More than $500 per hour
Less than 24 hours after posting this announcement (which did not cost me one penny), I received a call from an attorney on my cell phone. I called and left him a message but he did not call me back. About three days later I received another call from a Columbus, Ohio attorney but he also did not return my call either. At the time I thought that Craigs List was not going to produce any results. But it did not matter because I had no money invested anyway.
However, one week later I received a call from an attorney who was so excited about talking to me that he asked if I could be at his office in an hour. I explained that I would not have time to put on office attire and he said, "I don't care. Come in your bath robe. I need to speak with you immediately." So I dropped everything I was doing and drove to his office. (I had on my blue jeans of course.)
When I got there I met a very kind and compassionate young attorney who had never worked in bankruptcy law before. I thought to myself, "This is going to take some time because I will have to train the attorney plus build him a practice."Â But within a few minutes I found out this was not going to be the case at all. Instead, I had stumbled into a gold mine.
After being seated in the young attorney's office and after 2 or 3 minutes of "chit chat" in walked an attorney in my age group (50-60 range,) He had worked in debtor bankruptcy for 25 years and we both knew many of the same people. The experienced attorney said he was tired of working in bankruptcy and wanted to set up the young attorney in his own practice. He said he was receiving 10-15 referrals (new bankruptcy filings) every day because the world of bankruptcy is getting ready to boom. I agreed with him.
Inside Scoop for Virtual Assistants: Due to the increasing amount of foreclosures as well as the increase in gas prices, millions of people are moving from their homes. They are moving either due to a foreclosure or to be closer to work and cut down on their gasoline usage. However, people normally move during the summer months (May, June, July and August) when their children are out of school. So this summer (2008) should be a record year for bankruptcy filings due to the foreclosures and rising costs that force people into bankruptcy. Therefore, make sure you have the skills and knowledge to provide the much needed services of preparing Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy petitions. I cannot stress enough how rare this skill is. And the more you work in the bankruptcy field, the more you will realize this fact.
Needless to say, I got the job. I now work virtually for a young attorney here in the Columbus, Ohio area. I decided to do my own client intake interviews because I can get more detailed information about a case when I am sitting face to face with the clients. I also have been promised 50-60 bankruptcy petitions per month - about $15,000 and the amount could quickly grow. This will allow me to hire people and give jobs to people who truly need it.
Additionally, the attorneys were both so happy about finding someone with my skills that they asked me to work for them exclusively. I said, "If you can keep me busy and at this level of income, I will not seek work from another attorney in the Columbus, Ohio area. However, I will still travel and set up attorneys in their bankruptcy practice because I enjoy doing this." They saw no problem with this arrangement.
Now tell me - who do you know who is out there looking for a job that can walk into an attorneys office and within 30 minutes receive: (1) A job paying a minimum salary of $180,000 per year; (2) An office of their own to conduct client interviews; (3) The ability to work from home; (4) The ability to name their own terms? Not many people. But YOU can do the same thing that I did. It may take some practice and you may make a few mistakes in the process, but I assure you - the SKILLS you have preparing Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 petitions is in high demand. I am living proof of it.
I urge you to go to http://craigslist.org/, sign up for an account and start posting free ads to the legal categories in your city and state, surrounding areas, or even other city and states 3,000 miles from you. It doesn't matter where you live or where the attorney's office is located. Your skills are in high demand and if you believe that with all your heart, you can and will succeed.
