The Game Changing Attorney: How to Land the Best Cases, Stand Out from Your Competition, and Become the Obvious Choice in Your Market

by Michael Mogill

These days, even if you're an outstanding lawyer, you're getting lost in the shuffle. America's legal landscape is saturated with more than 1.3 million attorneys, and they're all competing fiercely to attract the same discerning clients and high-value cases you are. Fortunately, there's a way to stand out from the pack and reach a vast online audience searching for your services. In The Game Changing Attorney , marketing expert Michael Mogill takes you through the process of creating powerful visual content that connects emotionally with potential clients. You'll learn the value of differentiation and storytelling, while unlocking the keys to landing the best clients and highest-value cases. Like it or not, the best cases go to the best marketers. With The Game Changing Attorney , you'll not only become a better marketer, but you'll also learn actionable strategies to help you break through the noise, gain your ideal client's attention, and dominate the competition.

Genres: Law, Business, Legal, Professional Development

292 pages, Hardcover

Published October 17, 2018

Reviews

[Kenzy Masterson]

Imagine this, you are a lawyer with multiple credentials and rarely lost a case, yet you seem to be losing clients to those in the industry who are marketing, why? Through this book, I learned that being successful isn’t always about your skill but instead getting your name out there, so how do we do this? How can I be a successful entrepreneur?
Michael Mogill is the founder and CEO of Crisp; according to LinkedIn and many other business websites crisp is “the nation’s leading law firm growth company that provides unparalleled support and guidance to growth-minded law firm owners via superior brand differentiation, world-class video marketing, and transformational growth coaching to permanently position them for limitless growth.” From the success of what Michael Mogill has taught many other law firms have seen a bonus of over 200% in success rate and have grown their business in extreme ways. These teachings have helped and made 1000s of attorneys better and more successful; but as he says in the book a number of times it doesn’t mean that this is easy. Following these steps and seeing visible growth takes time, persistence, patience, and dedication to wanting what is best for your business. Michael Mogill has been proven to know what he is talking about; he himself has taken the steps and techniques that he talks about and showed success through his business. He went from not having money to now having beyond plenty and it was through his hard work and techniques that got him there. When reading the book, one thing I noticed about his voice was how neutral and or entertaining he was. I know those may sound like two things that do not go together but let me explain further. What I mean by neutral is he never sounded like he was better or smarter than you simply because he was now successful, he tried to be as relatable and helpful as possible and it made the book that much better because you never felt like you were being talked down to through a book. Additionally, he was very entertaining with the storytelling and realisticness he added. He used personal stories to help show the significance of his tips and tricks and others who used his advice.
What did I learn? How did this book impact me? You must market yourself. Advertise and get your name out there, marketing is key to being successful in the business world because if you don’t get your name out there then it doesn’t matter how talented you are because nobody knows your name. This can be a sad reality but its truth is so important. You could be the most talented lawyer out there but if you don’t advertise and market yourself then nobody will know your name and your talent becomes worthless. You are a blank slate to new people: they don’t know if you have failed before them and this is why credentials don’t go as far as good advertising. This being said, if you have genuine skill and can market yourself then you are on the road to success.
Videos marketing is one of the most impactful and beneficial ways to advertise yourself. Video marketing is a very easy and entertaining way to campaign, they are easier to view and more engaging. In the book, they talk about a story about a man named Dan. Dan was one of Mogills mentors and helpers along his journey, Dan alone helped him earn over $30K strictly from the video marketing. His campaigning raised his profile and was paying the bills for him. Within these videos; storytelling and showcasing your talent are the key ingredients that needed to be shown in these videos. Mogill also mentions how your video must be short and sweet “no more than three minutes.” Through the video, you have to make yourself unique from others and differentiate yourself and you will find success far easier. Your video is your first impression of your company: it can either make or break your business. Therefore, make your video have a higher purpose and a detailed plan, and have a clear business directive. Mogill also mentions how your call to action is incredibly important and it must be super clear and tempting. Many people try to be “unique” but they fail if everyone is trying to be “special” in the same way then differentiating won’t work because you are being “different” in the same way. You must stand out in order to succeed. Give them a reason to choose you; What are you doing to tell or prove that you are better than the competition? Storytelling is how many differentiate themselves and make themselves sound entertaining and make you want to choose them. A value proposition is what separates you from the competition and ensures more success. For example, in an interview when and or if you share a crazy story you are less boring and more memorable leaving them wanting more.
Another key ingredient for success is not just talking the talk but walking the walk. Your company must be trusting and credible to grow a community and become successful. Mogill talks about how your client must trust you in order to be successful and although he was talking mainly about attorneys, trust is important in every business because it is what builds foundation and credibility. The same goes for respect, you have to respect others in life and in business if you fail to respect your audience they will be sure to fail you. If you genuinely care about your customers and respect them you will gain more loyal customers which always helps grow a business for your customers are a huge part of becoming successful. Reviews, testimonials, and outward appearance is the real money maker in a business.
Finally, confidence and patience. This is self-explanatory but to go deeper If you believe you are out of the fight before you are in then you will be sure to lose. If you read the stories and believe “That is just them though, that couldn’t happen to me.” Then you are going to lose. You must believe that those stories can happen to you and if you work for it you will achieve it. Part of this is also making sure you have a business mindset before starting and running your business. If you improve your quality of life you can improve your quality of work. If you are already running on low battery, fighting exhaustion, and overall decreasing in self-care then you will soon find that your work will only be a reflection of this. A huge part of the business mindset is a growth mindset. I can’t express enough how thankful I am that Wonder was able to help me improve my mindset and become aware of a fixed vs growth mindset. With a fixed mindset you are presumed to fail but if you flip that switch, realize your potential, and know you CAN do something then your odds of completion are much higher. Additionally. you have to help yourself first before you pour onto others; if you want to be someone who is helpful to others and provides then you must take care of yourself first. You can’t pour onto others when you have nothing to pour.
What questions do I have now after reading the book? One thing I would like to know is if Mogill would change any of his tips or pieces of advice if you asked him strictly about entrepreneurship and running a business rather than running a law firm in specific. Would your marketing change? If so, how? Although this question remains in my mind, I am still able to use his methods and teachings and relate them to entrepreneurship myself. Maybe some of his advice would change but maybe it wouldn’t. Either way, I am thankful that I read this book and I am able to walk away knowing more about entrepreneurship, marketing, gaining a community, and more. I would recommend this book to anyone who finds themselves interested, curious, or wanting to learn more about business owning/entrepreneurship. Although this book is said to be about attorneys and law firms, its true audience is much wider than this (which is the one flaw I have seen in this book.) This books advice and teachings are so beneficial to anyone wanting to join the business world and gain more wisdom from those who have gone through trials and tribulations to now be incredibly successful in what they do. I know these skills will help me in the future and it truly excites me for a future of entrepreneurship.

[Thomas Begley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid Read

The Game Changing Attorney is very well written. It’s use of examples is first rate. At times, it feels like a marketing platform for the author’s work yet, in all, it provides a solid case for the use of video marketing. Worth a read.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is written by a marketing guy, not a lawyer. It has the basics covered by most legal marketing or plain-old-marketing books. Figure out your ideal client. Find a niche that you can market to and be the expert in. You basic message should be: I help [ideal clients] with [their pain point] because I [reason you became a lawyer]. You need to communicate your culture and values to potential customer. He sets out the steps in a client's journey and how to reach out to them at each state. He owns a company that produces marketing videos for attorneys. So the best way to reach out to potential clients through out their journey is via videos. He described videos he has produced for specific lawyers, which you can find on YouTube by searching the attorneys' names. Unfortunately, most are about 7 years old and although they look pretty good, they don't really follow his own rules about focusing on the client and his or her needs. He discusses the 9 types of marketing videos and how to use them in various ways. And you should, of course, hire a professional. A homemade video looks crappy and implies you are not a good lawyer. Hmmmm. Lots of other marketers say homemade videos make you approachable. He does not tell you how to shoot videos - because, well, you need to hire a professional. He does say get a good camera and gives a few hints, but nothing really helpful on that score. Of course, that would probably require another book.
In the end, I thought it was worth reading but it was not Game changing.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I listened to it while driving - so I want to go back and read it to take more out of it. But I thought it was a good book and something where I picked up things to try and improve my practice.

[Csimplot Simplot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

great value add

Unlike most books by people selling a service, this book actually gave great advice and great value. Didn’t hold anything back.

[Paige Umbehr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to own a business? Have you ever dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur or a boss of your own company? While the title may sound misleading, The Game Changing Attorney written by Michael Morgill is not just for attorneys but for anyone who wants to or is a business owner. The book entails hundreds of pieces of advice that you never would have thought would have affected your business, yet, it really does!
Even more misleading, the author (Morgill) isn’t even an attorney himself. Morgill is the CEO and founder of Crisp, a legal consulting business that happens to be number one in the country. Luckily, although he may not be an attorney, being a business owner and a legal consultant justifies all of the advice he gives. Plus, he really put in the work through this book as he interviewed one hundred different attorneys from all levels of success. — This raises the excellence of the book as you get insider information about what patterns are shown through the most successful law firms and the patterns through the least successful.
When you do begin to look at Morgill’s company website, Crisp, you’ll see that he follows all of the advice he gives and that law firms who have hired him for his consulting - which is just in-depth information from what you get in the book - have seen a growth in their companies by roughly 280%. Michael Morgill is clearly a very smart individual who has found the keys to success when it comes to growing your business, and not just the keys to success that pertain to the legal industry.
The Game Changing Attorney is a fairly new book as it was only published in 2018; however, while new, it already has so much recognition through the amazing marketing skills Morgill used. There are many Youtube videos relating to the book, a Podcast all about it, an Instagram page, and dozens of articles praising The Game Changing Attorney book.
As I want to be not only an attorney but also a business owner, I knew that this book would be a passport to my future success. Thus, immediately opening this book, I found myself constantly learning and ultimately growing my excitement for the chance that I could be like Michael Morgill one day! Here are the top lessons that I learned and expect to use in the future:
The Best Cases go to the Best Marketers — Getting your Business to the Top Search Results
Something that I don’t think I have considered enough is that marketing matters a lot. You could have the best, world-class business in your industry; yet, if you don’t market excellently, your business is worth nothing and it won’t get the recognition it deserves. One of the major aspects you need to aim for is getting your website on the first ten search results when your customers search up your industry. This is because the lower you are on the top search results, the less and less likely you are to actually get attention toward your business. The first steps and the key marks you must hit to get there are using unique wording, focusing on your niche, numbers and ratings are immensely important, and you should include and answer the top-searched questions that someone looking for your type of business would search.
Unique word choice; this is important because it will separate your business from everyone else’s when your industry is searched for. If everyone has “we are a law firm” in the short and selected words below the hyperlink to your website and someone else’s has “we study, elaborate, create, deliver, and WE WIN”, the other business is more likely to get a click. To add to this, finding your niche will be important as it is something that should be featured in your business to grasp viewers' attention in the small description.
Numbers and Ratings; this is important because if you were searching for a business and you had multiple options between a 2-star average business, a 3.5-star average business, and a 4.7-star average business, you are more driven to look into the business more, click their link, and find more trust with them right from the start; thus, it is always important to aim for getting reviews from your past clients and promoting the good ratings!
Top-Searched Questions; something that The Game Changing Attorney claimed is important was to include the most searched industry-related questions on your website so that once those are searched, your business pops up immediately as there is a match. This could easily be executed by dedicating a portion of your website to a “Q&A” where those questions are posted and your answers are posted.
The Website and Additional Marketing Strategies — After all, This is the First Impression
Now, if you have followed all of the steps above and have successfully gotten your business to a point where it is more probable that potential clients will click your site, you must have an eye-catching website. The most excellent website should include a video, a powerful why with storytelling characteristics, portraying your business as trustworthy, and portraying your business as congruent, collected, and aligned.
Videos; many companies have testified that they hit growth in business once they made video campaigns, 88% percent of website visitors stay longer on the site when there is a video. That means that they stay 3 times longer. Lastly, 60% percent of people on a website will watch a video before reading any text. Because of these facts, I am convinced that your website will be at least 3 times more successful if you include a video about your business instead of only text.
A Powerful Why; if you have ever read Start with Why by Simon Sinek, you’ll know that having a passionate, deep reason for why you are pursuing your career will make you successful. Not only because it helps you always fall back on that reason through the roughest of times, but also, through your why and storytelling, you will build a connection with the viewers on your website.
Trust; something that I learned through this book was how little lawyers are trusted. Studies and surveys have shown that on a scale of trust that people have with certain industries, lawyers rank close to prostitutes! “If we don’t have trust, we don’t have anything” is a very true quote, you must build trust with your clients - especially attorneys - or else why would anyone want to work with you?
Congruent, Collected, and Aligned; a lot of businesses believe in this myth that you must have a fancy and elegant look to your website and your workplace in order to get customers. While that might matter to some, to most, it is far more important that you hit all of the previously stated marks and that you appear congruent, collected, and aligned. This shows you have everything together and that you are not fake.
Why Would Your Clients Hire You?
Just as a fifteen-year-old, I have already heard and seen the terrible mistake of business owners asking them why they would hire them thinking about what they want instead of their customers/clients. Many tend to think that awards and trophies will gain customers or that they should raise prices because they are money hungry. Yet, the customers are why you are in business and what will keep you there if you make them happy.
Rating and Feedback
I absolutely loved this book! Michael Morgill did a phenomenal job at keeping his points concise but strong. Every word that was in the book was there for a reason and had a meaning to it. I also appreciated how this book wasn’t completely about building a law firm and promoting how you should hire his business, Crisp. My only negative feedback would be to change the title so he can relate it to more people and for it to honestly be longer. By the end of it all, I was craving more knowledge as I was still left with more questions; for example, “How do you get your first client since it takes a while to get to the top of the search results?”
Overall, I believe that I would rate The Game Changing Attorney a 9/10 and would recommend it to anyone who owns or wants to own a business!

[Rafael Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful information

I think this book not only advertised the author's business,but also provided valuable information for anyone trying to sell a product,a service,or to sell themselves to others.

[Ermicioi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can we fix the title to "The video-recording attorney"? That would have avoided me getting a book where the entire idea is: People want to get to know you better, so make a video to present yourself. 200 pages molding your mind to sell you the chapter 9, ridiculous.

[Christy Thorson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, not great. Quite repetitive.

[Joseph Gross · Rating 3 out of 5]

It felt like one big ad for the authors services, but it was pretty good. Obviously, there’s plenty to take from the book and it’s worth reading, but I couldn’t shake the feeling I was being sold to.