WHY WE'RE DIFFERENT
CKPT is a decidedly different law firm. Both new media and traditional media marketing professionals agree that “differentiation is everything.” The following is a few of the many ways that we are refreshingly different.
Big firm talent without the big firm formality.
We like to say that our business model is distinctively non-traditional. While all partners and most of our other lawyers were trained in large full-service law firms, we created this firm with the idea that we could provide better service at a better value. For those seeking a different experience, we provide a great alternative. For instance, we do not bill clients for ordinary copies, faxes, postage, and legal research. We also staff cases efficiently, which provides a high level of service, yet fewer time entries.
Entrepreneurs like you.
CKPT’s founders left high-paid positions with a large international firm with the idea that they could change the prevailing business model and offer better value to their clients. Things have changed a lot since January 2004, but we have retained our entrepreneurial mindset. Instead of representing largely Fortune 500 clients, as in the past, we are now focused on startups and growing companies that want big firm service without the big firm experience. Like you, we are entrepreneurs. By way of example, shortly after we started this firm, we realized that there was not a single software package on the market that managed a law firm’s business to our satisfaction. Instead of cobbling together several software packages other firms use, we built our own system from the ground up. For more information on our commitment to entrepreneurs, read our “Incubator” Section and our Entrepreneur Resources.
Attracting top talent without demanding that our clients pay for it.
The incredible associate salary raises since the dot com boom have indelibly altered the legal business. This has created a struggle to attract and retain top legal talent. Every year, it seems that associate pay increases. Clients are often expected to cover these raises by paying continuously escalating associate billable rates. We have addressed this problem by not throwing more money at associates and raising client rates. Instead, we have created what we call a “great place for great people to work” through creative incentives, merit-based employment, and retention-focused management. We believe that our commitment to our employees translates into better service and value for our clients. For more about our recruiting and employee retention philosophies, read our Recruiting Section.
Willing to forgo short-term profits for long-term, lasting relationships.
Although we are a young firm, our business model is based on how law firms operated more the 50 years ago, when lawyers were trusted advisors, confidants, and counselors instead of vendors. Part of that model is foregoing short-term profits in favor of building long-term, lasting relationships that are more rewarding for the firm and client. To achieve this with our startup and growing business clients, we offer fixed-fee billing and entertain creative billing arrangements, including our Virtual General Counselsm and Invested Billingsm programs. See our Billing Philosophy Section for more details. This long-term commitment also requires us to turn away work that might not be in our client’s best financial interest in the short term. Read the Cityphone profile for more information about our representation of startup companies.
Paying it forward.
In addition to our commitment to charity work, a couple of times a year, we represent deserving clients that need quality legal services, but whom cannot afford to hire a lawyer. We do this free of charge with the hope that those clients will pay the favor forward to others, thereby creating a chain reaction of positive impact in the community like ripples in a pond. Read about Margie El Sabine’s profile.
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