Many of my clients find it difficult to express themselves in writing.  This is true whether they are accused of a street crime or a financial crime.  Even corporate execs find writing to be difficult, much of the time.  I know, I was surprised to learn this too.

Which is all the more reason why I am unbelievably impressed with the clients of Rochester lawyer James Nobles, who has a   on his website that says, well, it all.  While the page is filled with excellent testimonials, this one really caught my eye:

“I am a convicted felon with an extensive criminal history.  I had just been arrested for a felony that could have potentially landed me 6 years in prison.  I had already been through a Public Defender and another paid counsel.  I was beginning to feel hopeless and was exhausting tons of money because no one would listen to me.  Mr. Nobles listened, he really listened to me and he didn’t presume my guilt.  He followed through on my ideas and thoughts and I ended up with no prison time and a little probation.  He communicated with me every step of the way and never made me feel indifferent.  I will continue to use him for any situations and refer him to everyone.”  — ASM

I mean, how many predicate felons can write a testimonial like this?  Not too many, I can tell ya.  Just the phraseology, like “made me feel indifferent,” is remarkable.  They don’t use words like “indifferent” in prison very often.  This must be one smart cookie with an extensive criminal history.

What made me think of Nobles’ exceptional testimonials was a post by law practice coach Allison Shields, who was slumming at that cesspool for the terminally clueless, the Lawyerist, that Kevin O’Keefe twitted about. 

Testimonials are a popular lawyer marketing tool precisely because they have proven to be powerful. If a client does not have a referral from someone they trust, a testimonial is the next best thing. Testimonials carry more weight than other marketing copy because they are the words of a third party, rather than the words of the business (or law firm) themselves; they are a good way for lawyers to demonstrate their value through the words of their clients. Those words can be very persuasive, and they can be an important part of your . (This is a link back to Allison’s own blog.  Slick move, no?)

But what kind of testimonial brings in the big bucks?  Allison again:

Many marketing consultants will tell you to get results based testimonials, and those kinds of testimonials can be helpful, particularly in certain practice areas. However, those testimonials can be difficult or problematic to obtain, in part because clients may not be willing to divulge (even anonymously) the specifics about their case in hard terms, but also because lawyers have to be careful about giving the appearance of guaranteeing clients a specific outcome.

This doesn’t seem to be a problem for James Nobles, who has a whole ‘nother page called “.”  None of that malarkey about past performance being no indicator of future results here, brother. 

So how does a lawyer make sure his client testimonials are most effective?  More from Allison:

Although you may want to guide the client in creating their testimonial by using  questions designed to solicit specific kinds of feedback, the best testimonials are in the client’s voice. In order to be believable, the testimonial must sound like it came from the client, rather than the lawyer. It does not need to be slick, and probably should not be. When the testimonial tells the client’s story in their own voice, there will be no question that it is genuine, even if it is anonymous.

Nothing, but nothing, beat authenticity, which is why I am so incredibly jealous of James Nobles.  I’ve had some smart clients, but never one who could produce so erudite a testimonial as his.

For those of you who, like me, find our clients lacking in the ability to express themselves in writing as well as Nobles’ clients, a word of caution.  Don’t let the green monster get the better of you and try to manufacture client testimonials that say precisely what you think would make for effective internet marketing.  As Allison Shields says, they have to come in the client’s own voice to be effective, and there are very, very few of us, in fact there may not be another lawyer anywhere, whose clients have a magnificent a voice as James Nobles.

Just suck it up and wonder why you didn’t open up shop in beautiful Rochester, where the smart clients are.

As for me, my favorite testimonial is from a guy called “Shark,” who said, “I’m outa here.”

H/T Don Thompson