The profession of personal injury law in the US has received a negative reputation due to the practice of ambulance chasing, where unethical practitioners approach people involved in an accident, often at the accident site, and solicit business from clients who are often still shaken and vulnerable. Furthermore, some unethical lawyers are more focused on making a huge profit from the settlement than helping justice be delivered.
According to Kenneth Hardison, Founder and President of the Personal Injury Lawyers Marketing and Management Association (PILMMA), this “speed and greed” model ends up hurting not just the profession as a whole, but even the practitioners themselves, as it is illegal in many states, with penalties including fines, revocation of license, or imprisonment.
Hardison, an attorney who built two multi-million-dollar law firms and sold them before the age of 52, established PILMMA in 2009 to share various tools, tactics, and strategies to help personal injury lawyers build a profitable, successful, and ethical practice.
“I grew my firm from two lawyers and three staff to 13 lawyers and 47 staff in about five years before selling it, but I made many costly mistakes along the way,” Hardison says. “The second one was much easier and it took only two years because I learned from my mistakes. I tried retiring after I sold my firms, but it wasn’t for me. PILMMA is my way of sharing the knowledge I’ve learned and giving back to the industry, and it gives me satisfaction and purpose to get up each morning.”
According to Hardison, an education-based approach will bring in clients who are interested in fairness and justice and do not see personal injury as a way to earn easy money. PILMMA aims to make education-based marketing the norm in personal injury law, which elevates the industry by bringing dignity and integrity to the industry.
PILMMA offers mastermind groups for personal injury lawyers, allowing them to learn from successful lawyers from across the country who are willing to freely and openly share what is working and not working within their own practices, both in legal marketing and in management. These mastermind groups are divided into three levels, depending on the firm’s gross revenue, and are market exclusive – which means that lawyers will not be grouped with other lawyers in the same area.
The gold membership program gives members access to a treasure trove of resources, including proven strategies, insights, and ideas from the brightest thought leaders in the industry, which will equip them to start growing their law firms ethically and sustainably. The program includes monthly intake training by a renowned author and expert on conversion, Kerri Colby White, who teaches how to convert leads into new clients effectively. The monthly roundtable sessions show how to employ digital marketing strategies for law firms, including social media campaigns and how to use AI for video editing. PIILMA hosts four monthly virtual training sessions for law firm owners and key staff alongside monthly legal management training sessions led by industry leader Vista Consulting - to help lawyers increase efficiency and profitability through management strategies and legal marketing. These sessions are hosted by marketing leader Cassidy Lewis. Video marketing sessions are also offered with expert Jimbo Marshall, who shares valuable knowledge of the latest digital marketing methods and video marketing training. Other activities include a monthly Q&A session with Hardison, an exclusive email listing where members can share information about vendors and client referrals, and a monthly magazine containing articles on marketing and managing law firms. PILMMA’s Annual Super Summit, which is free for mastermind and gold members, was attended by more than 500 lawyers from across the US, Canada, and Australia.
PILMMA is committed to education-based marketing that extends even to non-members. Its website has an extensive collection of free knowledge resources such as webinars and a podcast, Grow your Law Firm. According to Hardison, the podcast has more than 200 episodes, averaging around 4,000 to 5,000 downloads each month. This is quite impressive, given that there are only around 40,000 personal injury lawyers in the US. He also plans to partner with another lawyer to start a podcast that deals with how AI affects the legal industry and how this technology can be harnessed for the growth of law firms.
Demonstrating PILMMA’s deep commitment to helping lawyers, the organization has a money-back guarantee, where gold members can avail of a 100% refund of their membership fee if they aren’t happy after 90 days. Meanwhile, members of a PILMMA mastermind group can obtain a refund if they aren’t satisfied after attending the first meeting.
“Our job as personal injury lawyers is to level the playing field and help deliver justice and fair compensation to people who get injured by the negligence of others,” Hardison says. “I really believe in education-based marketing and, even if the potential client doesn’t end up signing with your firm, you’ve educated the public, delivering a net good to society and improving the reputation of the industry.”
Media contact:
Name: Sherry Myers
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