First, The Hair Club for Men, now, The Law Firm for Guys
Portland Business Journal - by Gina Binole Business Journal Staff Writer
Attorneys at Goldberg Fancher & Jones have taken a testosterone-heavy marketing campaign and claimed a relatively uncharted area of family law: divorce for men.
Bill Goldberg, Rick Jones and Mike Fancher started their firm in Seattle nearly three years ago, intending to practice family law. But they narrowed that focus even further, with a 1-800-DIVORCE number and print and radio commercials seeking male clients.
"Why should a man lose his children, his home, his money or his self-respect in a divorce? Our group of experienced divorce attorneys will defend your rights in a divorce or custody case," reads one of the firm's advertisements.
Jones said such promotions have prompted many people to call for legal counsel. Business has been so brisk that the firm has grown to eight attorneys practicing in Seattle, four in Portland, and, since January, a three-lawyer Phoenix office.
"A lot of attorneys tell themselves, and then tell other people, they'll never do divorces," Jones said. "But then they end up doing family law because that's what walks through the door. That's what pays the rent."
Marketing to men merely ensured a certain type of person will be more likely to walk through the doors at Goldberg Fancher & Jones than other firms without a male emphasis, he said. Historically, lawyers aren't good business people, Jones said. And, in his opinion, there is room for a legal firm to be run like a business without sacrificing any of the quality.
Burkey Belser, president and creative director of Greenfield/Belser, described the firm's strategy as a perfect example of niche marketing now being employed by legal firms throughout the country. One example: Energy Advocates LLP, a new Portland law firm specializing in energy issues.
Greenfield/Belser is a Washington, D.C.-based marketing firm that has worked with law firms for nearly 20 years, including Stoel Rives and Tonkon Torp Galen Marmaduke & Booth.
"I have never heard of the male-specific angle. But it's a great gig," Belser said. "Family services have been squeezed out of large, corporate firms. Unless you've got a very prominent divorce attorney, it doesn't really pay the bills."
Law firms traditionally have been hesitant to advertise, but they are getting more aggressive about it as they attempt to drum up business in highly competitive areas, such as intellectual property law, Belser said.
A recent survey conducted by Green-field/Belser found that 81 percent of law firms employ some form of display advertising. A comparable study done in 1991 revealed that only 34 percent of law firms were then using display ads.
"I really think the advertising is the genesis of most all of our business," Jones said. "When we opened our doors on day one, that was why our phone was ringing."
Nancy Duff-Campbell, copresident of the National Women's Law Center in Washington, D.C., questioned Goldberg Fancher & Jones' marketing strategy. The center focuses on advancing women's issues through the law.
"I don't think men have been underrepresented in divorce cases," Duff-Campbell said. "It's the men who usually have the resources to hire lawyers."
That, of course, is one more good reason to market to them, the folks at Goldberg Fancher & Jones say.
Duff-Campbell also expressed a need to find ways to diffuse the gender war and get men and women to work together for the sake of their kids. Goldberg Fancher & Jones marketing seems to run contrary to that effort, she said.
Bill Bloom, the firm's managing attorney in Portland, said that while the marketing is "testosterone-heavy," the practice is not--despite the 85 percent to 15 percent gender split among its clients. The majority, of course, is men.
"Given our advertising, I anticipated a bunch of hard-charging guys," Bloom said. "Instead I've gotten a parade of people who you kinda feel sorry for. Clients run the gamut, from guys who work 80 hours a week and rarely see the family to stay-at-home dads."
While men might have more money, most divorce cases are filed by women, he said.
Jones said despite the marketing focus on husbands and fathers, the firm's goal is to eliminate gender from the equation and peacefully negotiate family law territory.
"Guys feel like the system is set up to take advantage of them, so they're glad to hear there's some outfit there to help them," Bloom said. "But we're there for women who come to us, too."
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