Profile

• Education: BA, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL: Political Science, Economics and History. Graduated Magna cum Laude

              JD, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL

• Areas of practice: Wills, Trusts and Estates
• In practice since: 1971
• Number of partners in firm: sole practitioner
• Licensed to practice in: Illinois State Court; United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit; United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

Professional Overview

“I don’t do Yellow Pages,” says veteran attorney David Locks. “So LegalMatch was my first effort at real marketing.” David is a sole practitioner whose practice focuses on estate planning, contested trusts, wills, and probate, as well as real estate transactions and litigation.

His career path led him through progressively larger firms, helping David to master trial work, but he found that “compartmentalizing attorneys in a large firm removes responsibility from the individual lawyer.” This motivated him to open his own firm, forcing him to “think about marketing.”

David marketing his own practice has been a learning experience. “The LegalMatch acquisition model works very well for my business of estate litigation,” David says. “People looking for estate planning seem to be shopping price. But I respond to those inquiries too, because one never knows where it’s going to lead.” David finds that many wills, trusts and deeds are improperly executed. He attributes this to the growth of a “Do-it-yourself” industry in his field.  David finds this also can lead to more clients in need of help.

For David, about one case in twenty-five yields, in his terms, “a very healthy fee.” He attributes his success as a LegalMatch Member Attorney to his strategy of exercising patience and being very active. “Follow up your LegalMatch response with phone calls,” he advises. David also credits his wife, who is his office manager and paralegal, with helping his LegalMatch strategy succeed. “Clients appreciate the ability to get needed information and updates directly from her.”