Hi, I’m John O’Connor, president at JSO Digital. I’m a lawyer, entrepreneur, and health enthusiast living in Austin, Texas. In my career as an entrepreneur, I’ve done everything from running my own mass tort practice, to pitching my startup on Shark Tank. Through it all, I’ve always been a marketer. I enjoy the process of growing businesses.
My experience with online marketing began when the credit crisis of 2008 forced me to open my own law firm. My first job out of law school was with Alston & Bird, doing finance work. As it turned out, this wasn’t a great time to be working in the mortgage securities markets, and eventually, like almost everyone else I started with, I found myself out of a job.
Rather than hunt for work in a non-existent job market, I decided to start my own practice. As a brand new lawyer, with no referral sources, I knew I would need the internet to be competitive.
I began reading everything I could get my hands on to learn more about both paid and organic search. I hired a local company to build a website, and I set up a PPC campaign. I used the internet to generate all of my clients. My online marketing efforts worked, and I became fascinated with the art of SEO.
A few months after opening my own firm, I caught wind of widespread allegations of mortgage fraud on the coast of North Carolina, and started performing due diligence for early clients. I used the internet to attract clients, but I also held meetings at hotels, and sent postcards to property owners.
The lawsuit grew to over 400 plaintiffs, and 30+ defendants, with the Washington Post calling the controversy “the biggest real estate scam in North Carolina state history.” Today, the vast majority of my clients claims have been settled out of court, and I’m very proud of the results we achieved.
Taking notice of the success of my practice, I was approached by other plaintiffs firms to help them with their online marketing efforts. Those consulting requests grew to become JSO Digital.
Online marketing was crucial to the success of my law firm, and with the right strategy, I believe the internet has the potential to be a powerful business development tool for other firms as well. The mission of JSO Digital is to help law firms make smart choices online that will result in measurable growth. If you are a lawyer interested in discussing the possibility of working together, I’d be happy to hear from you.