Why the Next Competitive Edge for Law Firms Is Continuity

A client may hire a lawyer to solve one problem, but their legal needs rarely end when that matter closes. A business owner may need help with a contract today, an employment issue or property transaction tomorrow, and succession planning years later. A family may move from estate planning to probate. Yet the legal industry is largely structured around distinct practice areas and cases, meaning the relationship can end even when the client's need for legal support does not.

An ABA report notes that some people do not use existing or full-service counsel because they do not realize a lawyer can help with interconnected issues across different areas of law. That points to a gap that goes beyond the quality of the legal work itself. Clients may leave after one matter simply because they do not know the relationship can continue when a different legal need arises.

When a client switches firms, valuable context can also be lost. The way a business is structured may affect how it can eventually be passed on, while an agreement made today could influence a dispute years later. The cost of fragmented legal support can be significant. According to The State Bar of California, among business owners whose most recent legal needs went unmet, 85 percent were hurt financially through lost business or revenue and blocked growth.

Much of the legal industry is still structured around the individual matter. Firms bill by matter, market by practice area, and organize attorneys into specialist departments. That structure makes sense for delivering expertise, but it can also center the relationship on resolving the immediate issue rather than anticipating what the client may need next.

"When a firm already knows a client's history, it can treat them as a person with ongoing needs, not as a single case to be closed," says Jereme Baker, founder and CEO of Baker Law Group, PLLC. Founded in 2011, the firm serves and grows alongside its clients, focusing on individuals, families, and small businesses across multiple states.

"It's less common to find a full-service law firm that caters to small businesses and individuals. This is more commonly found in large firms that focus on large corporate clients. Whereas the small business and individual are our niche demographic," says Baker. In his view, knowing a client's history can allow a firm to anticipate the next legal need rather than simply react to it.

Baker notes that legal needs often arise during stressful situations, when not having to vet a new lawyer could bring clients real relief. Continuity could also matter across generations, with a family turning to the same firm for probate that drafted a relative's will. "A lot of our clients come back, and it's often for something completely different from what first brought them to us," he says. "A business client may return with a family matter, simply because they already know who to call."

Some might believe that they need a new firm for every new problem to get dedicated specialists. But specialization and continuity don't have to be opposites. The real question is whether these specialists are connected or working in isolation. Baker believes that breadth at the firm level doesn't signify generalists at the attorney level. "Attorneys specialize by practice area and by state, because laws vary between jurisdictions," he explains. When specialists are connected across practice areas and states, the relationship can move with a client who relocates or expands.

Baker argues that law firms often focus on the immediate markers of success: the matter resolved, the transaction completed, or the case closed. But another measure may matter just as much: whether the client knows where to turn when the next legal need arises. "The strongest legal relationship isn't built by winning one matter, but by becoming the first call for the next decade," he says.

The implication for law firms is that continuity has to be designed into the relationship. That means looking beyond whether an individual matter was successfully resolved and asking whether the client understands where to turn when circumstances change. It also means ensuring specialists across practice areas can work from an understanding of the client's wider history rather than treating every new matter as a fresh start.

"Legal needs rarely arrive one at a time. They unfold over the course of a life or business," Baker explains. "The law firms that succeed will be the ones designed to stay with their clients through all of it."