JUPITER, Florida—Josh Konigsberg, Partner and Co-Founder of Law Firm Marketing Pros, an award-winning digital marketing agency for lawyers, recently welcomed Attorney Robert W. LaBre of LaBre Law Office with offices Edwardsburg and Cassopolis Michigan, for an interview on the Behind the Bench Podcast for Lawyers. During the interview, LaBre, who hired Law Firm Marketing Pros in January 2023, credits his firm’s expectations of tracking $1.3 million this year to the digital marketing agency’s efforts.
A native of Cass County, Michigan, LaBre has an impressive background. After graduating from Ross Beatty High School in Cassopolis, Michigan, he joined the Marines and dedicated four years of his life to serving his country. During his tenure, he excelled in the Infantry and the 2d Recon Battalion, earning the rank of Corporal before receiving an honorable discharge.
Driven by a thirst for knowledge, LaBre pursued higher education at Western Michigan University, where he delved into Philosophy and History. Thanks to his exceptional academic performance, he graduated with high honors from Western’s esteemed Lee Honors College and was inducted into the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa society.
Following his graduation, LaBre attended the Michigan State College of Law, where he continued his pursuit of excellence and obtained his Juris Doctorate degree.
Today, as the leader of the LaBre Law Office in Edwardsburg, Rob proudly carries on the legacy established by his father, William LaBre, over four decades ago. With an unwavering commitment to his clients, he represents individuals in Michigan and Indiana with utmost professionalism. At the LaBre Law Office, excellence is not merely a goal, but the minimum standard for all cases, ensuring that every client receives the highest quality legal representation.
During the interview, Konigsberg asks LaBre why he wanted to work with his father after graduating from law school.
“The reason why I wanted to become a lawyer was inspired by my father,” LaBre says. “My dad has always been my best friend. He and I are very close. He was the Best Man at my wedding and we take annual vacations to go fishing. I’ve watched other father-son lawyer teams and they don’t always work out, but it has always worked out with my father and I. Like any other firm, we’ve had those difficult conversations about the finances or certain situations in the law firm, but because he and I are such close friends and we have a lot of trust, we’ve always been able to work it out.
“My father has always given me the leeway to be the lawyer I want to be. He doesn’t set an expectation that I do it his way. We have a lot of respect for one another in that regard.”
LaBre explains that he knew he would eventually take over the firm and be his own boss, which was important to him. “The rebelliousness isn’t completely gone, Josh,” he admits. “I’ve got to think my own way. I’ve got to do my cases my own way. That’s something I have in my setting that I probably wouldn’t be given the freedom to in, say, a bigger law firm. I get to call my own shots and advise my clients that this is the outcome I think is going to occur. I’ll dictate the terms of how I’m going to handle that and that independence, that freedom is absolutely priceless.” LaBre shares that his father sold the LaBre Law Office to him in 2015.
“Well, that’s a wonderful story and a blessing that you have that type of relationship,” Konigsberg says. “Cherish it, man, that’s good stuff. Can you share some strategies for effectively scaling the law firm while consistently maintaining the quality level services you have?”
LaBre explains, “You’ve got to know your numbers and associate yourself with quality vendors that are going to help you grow. It’s really a team effort. We may think of them as vendors and they’re not part of the firm, but LFMP is part of the firm in my book. We meet all the time and those meetings are crucial to understanding how to scale up.
“Knowing your numbers, so you know the broad scale. ‘How many calls do I need to get?’ ‘How many clients I’m ultimately going to get to reach my financial goal that I set for myself at the beginning of the year?’ That’s how you’re going to scale, and you can’t do that effectively if you’re speaking to vendors that don’t know what they’re doing, and they’re not setting up the necessary support with staffing and technology and with new techniques on marketing and how to manage the firm. If you’re not associating with those people, you’re not going to grow. You’re gonna stay stuck in your own mind and hit a ceiling where you just don’t know where else you where to go from there.”
“So really, you’re describing a partnership that’s designed for growth,” Konigsberg says.
LaBre agrees. “When I first got the firm in 2015, I had it for about three years before I went to get coaching services, and I’m glad I made that investment in myself. It has really opened my eyes about what I didn’t know.”
Konigsberg relates that Law Firm Marketing Pros made a similar decision four years ago to join a coaching group, with phenomenal success. “To access the brain power and best practices in the dynamic environment of digital has been a blessing. Nobody knows everything about everything, right? You’re surrounding yourself with peers who have the same problems. If you’re really lucky, there’ll be somebody who has already been through it.”
“Earlier this year, call value was such a problem.” LaBre says. “The call answering service and interfacing between the firm and the call, handling hundreds and hundreds of calls. Having somebody you can talk to who’s been through it at those conferences is so important.”
Another challenge for LaBre is his rural location, which makes it difficult to find talent. “I’m in the middle of nowhere, so I can’t jump on Indeed or Zip Recruiter or one of those online services to ask lawyers to submit their resumes and have very good results. I’ve had to go the route of recruiting and pay that price and factor it into my strategic growth. “It’s not something I necessarily like given the price tag that comes with it, but it’s something that I understand comes with the price of business, and I’ll tell you, I’ve had really good success using recruiters.”
Konigsberg inquires, “Are there certain qualities you look for in hiring a new lawyer?”
“I don’t mean to be vague here, but intelligence. Experience would be a factor. Am I seeing a person with courage because I’m in court. This law firm litigates. We don’t do estate planning. My dad does estate planning, but he’s mostly retired. The attorneys I’m hiring are in court—criminal, real estate, family, probate issues. You’re dealing with people with a lot of problems, and you have to have courage in standing up for your client and taking the right position.”
LaBre also mentions the importance of honesty and ethics when hiring new attorneys, not only with him as the employer, but with the firm’s clients. Are they putting the client first?
Next, the conversation shifts to company culture, with Konigsberg noting that culture is a priority at Law Firm Marketing Pros. LaBre says he looks for people who want to collaborate and help one another out to create a positive atmosphere. “It’s not uncommon for us to go over cases we just dealt with, or we will talk about experiences we can use to improve the situation in the future. Stopping and answering questions as they come along, not yelling at one another, no name-calling, no gossip.”
He describes a situation where a young attorney and a paralegal got into a shouting match at his small office when he wasn’t there. When it got back to him, he brought them both into his office. It was like dealing with little kids with the attorney saying, “she started it.” LaBre relates, “I said, ‘do you think I care?’ You’re a licensed, barred attorney. I get your frustration with the lack of work product, but guess what? It’s your job to say ‘we’re gonna talk about this later’ and move on because we’re not gonna elevate it to that level.”
The exchange resulted in the attorney and paralegal telling the rest of the staff that LaBre was not going to care who initiated an argument; he expected somebody to be the adult because he was not going to tolerate a bad atmosphere.
Konigsberg then shifts to asking LaBre for tips on fostering good client relationships. “The initial consult with the attorney is the most important part of the case,” the attorney explains. “It’s where I do my background questions. I have a script that I go through. My script is so well written that by the time I get done understanding their facts, I can pretty much size up who I’m dealing with and what they want. At the end I ask, ‘what’s keeping you up at night?’ And the answers will surprise you because the answers you think you’re going to hear based upon their responses don’t always reflect that. But understanding what’s keeping them up at night, that’s huge.”
“Let’s talk a little bit about marketing and branding for your law firm. What marketing approaches have you found to be most effective in promoting the services?”
“This is a multi-faceted question,” LaBre responds. “Online marketing is paramount. This is the premier way of how I communicate and obtain clients. It’s pay-per-click that you guys (Law Firm Marketing Pros) are really good at. Do I know anything about pay-per-click? Hell, no. That’s why I hired you.”
LaBre then discusses the importance of online reviews, noting, “they’re (potential clients) not ending their research with whatever their friend told them. They’re looking at those reviews. If you’re not actively working to get your positive reviews, you’re just going to get sunk with negative reviews at some point, because, no matter what you do, you’re always gonna run into a disgruntled client, and I don’t care how good a job you did for them. So actively work on those online reviews. That’s huge for my online presence.”
He goes on to explain that, thanks to Law Firm Marketing Pros, many more people now complete forms on their website—another source of leads they did not have before signing with the award-winning digital marketing agency. He also credits LFMP’s social media and SEO for putting LaBre Law Office at the top of Google search results. “SEO is absolutely of vital importance,” he says. “But I’m so glad I’ve washed my hands of it. You guys can do that.”
Konigsberg concludes the interview by noting that LaBre Law Office has been a client of Law Firm Marketing Pros for three-and-a-half years, beginning with PPC only services. Before hiring the agency, LaBre notes that he made about $500,000 per year. “Since I joined up with you folks, I’m tracking $1.3 million this year,” he states.
Watch the full interview below.
About Law Firm Marketing Pros
At Law Firm Marketing Pros, our vision is to help improve the way law firms market their services. Our mission is to educate, serve, and provide our clients with the most cutting-edge, efficient, and cost-effective online marketing tools available, to increase their revenues and profits, and exceed their goals.
Learn more at our Facebook page and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Please feel free to contact josh@lawfirmmarketingpros.com with any questions about Law Firm Marketing Pros.
Law Firm Marketing Pros
250 S. Central Blvd, Suite 100-A
Jupiter, FL 33458
(561) 948-5001
https://lawfirmmarketingpros.com/
About LaBre Law Office
LaBre Law Office has extensive experience in all aspects of legal issues in Michigan and Indiana. When it comes to legal matters, you need a trusted ally, someone who can advocate on your behalf and has your best interests in mind. We have done just that for over 43 years. We will be there for you now, throughout the process, and long after your legal situation has come to a conclusion.
Our firm has an established reputation for a sophisticated representation of clients. Every case is different, each with a unique set of concerns and priorities. Our firm takes the time to fully address your concerns and will work to build a legal strategy specifically for you.
We take pride in our service to our clients. We want you to leave our office feeling educated, cared for, and with a full understanding of your case’s status.
