A Detailed Guide to Write a Legal Services Proposal

Have you ever spent hours and days working on a legal services proposal that ultimately didn’t turn into a business? 

Now, imagine having a legal services proposal template that can help you convert.

In this article, I’m going to show you how to write an effective legal services proposal in a fraction of time and increase your close rate with it. 

In this guide you’ll learn:

• What is a legal services proposal
• Why do clients ask for legal services proposal
• When to send a proposal
• What language should you use for creating a legal services proposal
• How to structure a proposal

Ready? 

Let’s begin!!!

What is a Legal Services Proposal?

Legal services proposal is a document that simply outlines how your law firm can guide them through complex laws and help them keep their business running smoothly. 

Always remember that your proposal is not a pitch; it’s an agreement between you and your prospective client that effectively communicates the unique problem your prospect’s business is facing ( in their own words) and presents the solution of their challenge with your expertise, reputation, and proven client outcomes.

So, never send a proposal without a prior conversation with your prospect. Sending a proposal to the prospect is like proposing a girl. 

Before asking her to marry you, you’ll first need to get to know each other a bit and see if there’s good chemistry or compatibility. And that’s exactly the same you’ll need to do with the client. 

Why do Business Owners Ask for Legal Services Proposals?

When business owners need help in writing contracts, navigating with the taxation, protecting their business assets, or the entire business from any legal issues, they ask potential business attorneys to submit a legal services proposals for their business in question. 

This also means business owners ask for proposals so that they can have many options to chose from.

Thus, even if you have some superpower or an outstanding list of legal consulting services they’ll still compare your proposal with the others to find the best fit. And the best fit does not mean the least expensive. 

So, in order to stand out and win the deal, you have to make sure that you create a proposal that is impressive, comprehensive and helps them with something they need to get done. And If you could do that successfully then you can bag any deal even if you’re way too expensive than others. 

When to Send a Proposal?

When you know about your client’s expectations you’ll be able to create a much more accurate and detailed proposal. That’s why before even you start creating a legal services proposal, make sure you have a detailed conversation with your potential client about their business.

Here’s the list of essential questions you will want to be answered in the course of that conversation:

How do you want your business to look like in the next one or two years?

This will give you an idea about their strategic planning, their vision and will tell you how they deal with every aspect of their business including hiring business attorneys.

Do you plan to open new offices in the future?

This will help you to plan out the whole new range of legal services from real estate to lease negotiations.

What is your target customer and how do you market to them?

Having a clear sense of their customers may help you determine how your potential clients themselves behave as a customer. And understanding their marketing behavior will also give you an idea about how you should approach them.

How are the decisions made and who makes them?

For lawyers, it is vital to know who makes the decisions.

What do you hope to accomplish? 

With this question your client will supply very essential information, they will state their needs.

Are you currently using any kind of legal services and if yes do you expect any changes?

With this inquiry, you’ll be able to compare their current legal needs with the services they are buying from you.

How do you want us to communicate?

You will know the communication channels that are comfortable for your client.

What is your budget for legal services for your business?

This will give you a rough range of the budget your client has for legal services. If the client can’t match your pricing requirement, you don’t want to waste your time on a proposal.

What Language Should You Use for Creating a Legal Services Proposal?

Lost in translation- a common term for every attorney, because lawyers often have a difficult time explaining complex legal terms and services to potential clients. 

Just because you and your every other litigator working in the industry of legal consulting know what you’re talking about, it doesn’t mean your potential client does. The more legal you’ll get the more likely they’ll be confused. And when people are confused they don’t become customers.

To distinguish yourself from others you need to provide a great and consistent client experience at every stage of interactions with your potential client. And to ensure that your interaction means your legal services proposal is effective and keeps your recipient engaged; be sure to avoid complex legal jargon and replace it with simple terms and phrases. 

How to Build a Proposal Template

Legal services proposals that convert have a clear logical structure that supports the decision-making process. Here’s what you must include in your legal services proposal:

A Cover Letter

In the age of TL;DR, you want to make sure that your legal services proposal is grabbing the attention. This is where a compelling cover letter comes in handy because it ensures you don’t waste those important seconds.

 Follow the below structure for writing a compelling cover letter,

• Address the cover letter to a specific person and not to a group of people
• Start by highlighting key pain points of your prospect and how your legal services would help them overcome those challenges. 
• Showcase your valuable assets, by mentioning the years of experience you have in the industry, the number of trials you have won, and your specialties.
• A clear call to action to encourage them to read the rest of your Legal Services Proposal 

Specifications About the Services

The scope of services section in your legal services marketing proposal shouldn’t just give your prospective clients a basic information about what you do, but it should sell you and your services right away. 

This portion of your proposal should give specific details about the work you’ll be doing. Here are some examples of the legal offerings you can outline in this section,

• Corporate and Commercial Law
• Employment Laws
• Contractual Law
• Public Procurement
• Intellectual Property Law
• Dispute Resolution
• Startup Advisory
• Insurance Advisory and much more

Investment 

Write this section showing the fees you will need. While writing the investment section make sure to highlight your previous work and legal consulting experience. This will make it crystal clear that your charges are according to the experience. 

Proof of Past Work

The purpose of the case study in your legal consulting services proposal is to tell potential customers how a similar customer succeeded in their business with your services. You can fill out this section with the expertise you have, the awards you won, the big list of your happy clients.

A great case study in your proposal gives prospective clients a real insight into the benefits of your legal consulting services and also an idea of what it’s like to work with you.

It can make your clients visualize themselves working with you. 

Do your best to make them feel secure if they decide to hire you.

Terms and Conditions

Always keep the contract and your terms and conditions part of your proposal and get them signed together to avoid future conflict.

Next Steps

It is where you need to explain in-depth what you want your client to do next to get the things rolling. You can include something like,

• Sign the proposal (digitally with e-signature)
• The initial amount to be payable while signing the contract
• Schedule the next meeting call to discuss further steps.

Don’t expect to submit your proposal and assume your work is done. Take the initiative to indicate you’ll be in touch to discuss the proposal further.

Wrap Up

With all this is in mind you should be able to create your own high-converting legal services proposal template.

But if you are still feeling it a bit challenging, then you can always use our customizable and free legal services proposal template to create a winning proposal in a matter of minutes.