They can create World Wide Web sites, develop brochures, publish newsletters, conduct research, produce documents and serve clients just as well as or even better than the big guys. They merely need to get over their inferiority complex, if it exists, and implement the strategy. Focus F is for focus. In most cases, the small firm has the edge in serving individuals if it focuses on them and on the types of services they need, such as estate planning, family law, elder law and in a growing number of cases immigration. The term boutique describes a smaller firm that focuses, or specializes, in one practice area.
Intellectual property is an excellent example.
Employment law, environmental law, immigration and alcoholic beverage law are others. Litigation also can be a successful niche for a solo or small firm. An Ohio attorney handles complex litigation for major corporate clients by having a cadre of contract lawyers whom he employees as he needs them. Even the largest full-service firms cannot be all things to all people. But the small firm can be all things to a few people by specializing in an industry and becoming a full-service firm to clients in that industry.