Creating a Strategic Plan for an IP Practice

The Issue

The Alexandria, Va., law firm of DiMuro Ginsberg PC built its reputation on commercial litigation and business law. But with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office practically in its backyard, the firm had an incentive to expand its intellectual property litigation practice. While DiMuro Ginsberg handled patent litigation as needed by its clients, the firm’s leadership found they were referring a lot of high-level IP work to other firms. The opportunity for growth was clear.

To take a bigger bite out of the IP litigation market, DiMuro Ginsberg added three new attorneys with extensive IP backgrounds and built a new practice group, the DGKeyIP Group. Building this practice from scratch would require a business development effort that promised results, so the firm brought in Jaffe’s consultants to ensure that DGKeyIP Group would win business from the start.

To take a bigger bite out of the IP litigation market, the firm built a new practice group, the DGKeyIP Group.

The Strategy

There were great expectations for the DGKeyIP Group, and its attorneys understood the need for sales support. Jaffe’s business development consultants prepared them with intensive training that covered the proven tactics necessary to generate quality leads and convert those leads into happy clients. As part of this coaching, the IP attorneys found early success by analyzing current clients and prior contacts, identifying hot leads, and constructing a referral matrix that would prove to be indispensable. After their training, the attorneys expanded their efforts through sponsored speaking engagements and other targeted networking activities.

As the attorneys were transforming into ace networkers, Jaffe simultaneously executed a comprehensive marketing plan for DGKeyIP. Using a variety of media, our agency positioned the group as an advanced team of IP powerhouses who had the backing of DiMuro Ginsberg’s tremendous roster of commercial litigation talent. This marketing effort laid the groundwork that gave DGKeyIP’s attorneys an energized confidence in their outreach, as well as several tangible tools to help them communicate their core strengths.

Coaching attorneys in proven business development strategies was a key component to the strategy.

The Impact

Six months after DiMuro Ginsberg recruited Jaffe, the firm experienced such an increase in business that it had to seek out new attorneys just to keep up. The DGKeyIP Group’s available hours were completely maxed out. Fueled by this sudden explosion in high-level IP representations, the group’s reputation is now driving sustained demand that will enable the practice to continue to grow for the foreseeable future.