A compelling case study is one of the most effective ways to communicate to prospective clients what your law firm is capable of. People remember stories more than facts; that’s why storytelling is everywhere in media and business.
Family law case studies should be on your website to help demystify your process in real-world scenarios and give a client more reason to trust your results. Let’s further break down case studies and why your firm should invest the time in crafting them for your website.
What Is a Case Study?
A case study is a narrative that shows the method used to solve a specific real-life problem, and law firms use it all the time. Put yourself into your client’s shoes: they’re searching online for a local family law attorney and are torn between two. Let’s say they’re looking to divorce their spouse without a huge financial loss, and you happen to have a case study where you helped a client solve that exact problem. If you have a case study about their specific issue, who do you think the client will pick?
With a few case studies that cover different clients and practice areas, you’ll have a higher probability of winning a client’s trust, which is crucial in family law.
Why Do People Read Family Law Case Studies?
Case studies can be a lot of work, but they’re valuable for legal marketing. A family law case study can be the defining factor in whether someone chooses you to help them in their custody or divorce case, so let’s break down what makes them so important.
They Show Off Your Legal Process and Knowledge
In storytelling, one of the most essential pieces of advice is “Show, Don’t Tell.” The same advice applies to case studies. People tend to forget statistics and facts but can remember rich, detail-packed stories at a higher rate. In this case, you and your clients are the characters. Don’t just tell your client that you’re a headstrong divorce lawyer who fights to get results; show them through a case study demonstrating a challenging case where you and your client came out on top.
They Provide Social Proof for Lawyers
Social proof is a highly effective way to tell a potential client you’re trustworthy and can take on their case. Family law cases are high-stakes, but clients want to avoid taking risky bets when choosing a lawyer. Your website should include social proof like testimonials, achievements, and case studies to help build credibility.
They Hold Up a Mirror to Potential Clients
Ask yourself, what does your ideal client or case look like? Is it a husband who wants custody over his children or a couple looking to adopt? These are the people you will want to reach with your case study. To do that, create tailored case studies that demystify your firm’s process to help your ideal client achieve the desired results. Hopefully, people will read, see themselves in that case study, and feel confident in your firm.
…extremely detailed and took everything I said into account when helping with my content. Efficient and responsive when I had questions or needed help. How to Write Compelling Case Studies
A case study is a story; if you’re not a writer, it can be intimidating to sit down and start. If you take apart a case study piece-by-piece, you’ll see that you don’t have to be the next Colleen Hoover or Dan Brown to write a compelling case study. They follow a similar formula, so let’s break down what that looks like.
Get Permission to Tell Your Client’s Story
A client must give you explicit consent to tell their story. Failure to get consent not only breaks a client’s trust but goes against the Rules of Professional Conduct.
Interview Your Client
Interviewing your client is a crucial first step, so set aside 30 minutes to an hour at a time that works best for both of you. You may be wondering why interviews are so important if you already know the process and outcome of the case, but interviews help you dig deeper into your client’s story. The deeper, the better with storytelling. Sit down for your interview with a few questions in mind and ask permission to record it so it is available when writing. Here are some questions you could ask:
- How were you feeling before, during, and after the case?
- What major factors in your life prompted you to seek out our services?
- Did you or your life change in any significant way after the case?
- What were some key lessons you learned during your experience?
You want your client to be detailed, so stick to open-ended questions to encourage them to tell their story. By the end of your interview, you should have a clearer idea of how you’d like to craft your case study.
Craft an Intriguing Headline
Headlines are a powerful way to draw in your readers and get them curious about a case study. Use stats and numbers, if you can, to drive your point home, and take a look at these examples that offer great hooks.
- How [Your Client’s Name] Achieved a Fair Alimony Settlement and Financial Stability Post-Divorce with [Your Firm]
- [Clients] Adopt a Child After a Long Journey with Infertility with the Help of [Your Firm]
- How a Father Successfully Won Joint Custody of His Children in a Messy Divorce Case
Take the time to craft something intriguing that will make your prospective client want to learn how the result was achieved.
Write a Quick Summary
To ensure you reach as many people as possible, including skim readers, write a summary that quickly lays out the main components: who the protagonist is, what the problem is, and how you solved it. We recommend doing this after you’ve written your case study so you can see the full picture more easily.
Introduce Your Main Character
Who is the main character of this case study? If you answered the client, then you’re already steps ahead. One of the most common narratives in storytelling is the Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell, and there are two archetypes from there that we can use in case studies: the Hero, which is your client’s role, and the Guide, which is your role. You’re Qui Gon in The Phantom Menace or Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings. Your client is Anakin Skywalker or Frodo Baggins.
Tell an Exciting Narrative
Your case study shouldn’t read like a complicated legal document with jargon. Instead, it should be easy for just about anyone to get through. Use a beginning, middle, and ending to tell your client’s story, using as much feeling and emotional language as possible. Some family law case examples include a client determined to regain custody rights of their child or a client whose decision to divorce their spouse solidified after a significant event. What do they feel during this process? Relief, fear, or hope? Give your clients a motive and agency to bring their real struggles to life and show your firm’s exact action to help them achieve their desired results.
Pull Interesting Quotes
Grab compelling quotes you found while interviewing and sprinkle them throughout your family law case study. They provide significant emotional impact and are great for readers who are quickly skimming through.
Include a Call to Action
Remember to include a simple call-to-action button or form in your case study so that prospective clients can contact you when they’re ready.
Let Juris Digital Offer a Helping Hand
We never said case studies were easy. From the interview to the actual writing, they require a lot of understanding of what it takes to connect a reader to a story. So why not leave it to the experts? We’ve helped firms grow their organic traffic and increase leads, and we have written some compelling success stories to prove it. Let us do what we do best so that you can get back to serving clients. Get in touch with us today.
