Susan Knape, founder and CEO of A Case for Women, shares four key insights for contingency fee law firms about why women are your real clients.

The Critical Role of Women in Law Firm Selection

In the contingency fee world, who your law firm markets to—and who you build relationships with—can determine whether a case signs or stalls. While the injured party is often the client on paper, Susan Knape, founder and president of A Case for Women, urges law firm leaders to look deeper. “Over half of the time, there’s someone else in the family—generally a woman—who is your actual client because she’s the one pushing the family to get help,” she explains.

Click above to watch this video featuring Susan Knape.

Key 1: The Injured Isn’t Always The Real Client

Trial lawyers often focus their messaging and intake efforts on the person who was harmed. But in case after case, Susan sees a different pattern: “We see situations in which men are embarrassed to come in to ask for help, so their wives are coming to us. Over and over again, it’s a woman—a parent, sister, wife, or daughter—who is coming to us for help.”

Even when the injured party is a man, it is typically a woman who takes the initiative to find and choose a law firm and often assumes the role of project manager for the case. “They will also be the person making sure that that person is responsive to the law firm, that the medical records or the police reports or whatever is needed for the case,” says Susan. Understanding this dynamic is crucial for law firms to effectively market their services and build trust.

Key 2: Women in The Family Communicate with The Firm

By recognizing who the real client is, contingency fee law firms can improve their approach to intake and client communication.

Effective communication is a cornerstone of building trust with women. Law firms should ensure their communication is clear, empathetic, and responsive. “Women want to feel heard and understood,” Susan emphasizes. This means that law firms should be proactive in their communication, providing regular updates and being available to answer questions and address concerns.

Key 3: Women Act As The Gatekeeper for The Family

“Women are the gatekeepers and chief medical officers for their families,” Susan explains. “I wish every law firm understood that.” She points to the role women play in families when they need to get a spouse or child to the doctor.

Susan frequently asks, “Who in your household gets you to the doctor? Do you get yourself to the doctor for your checkups? Probably not. It’s probably your wife or your sister or your daughter or somebody who’s nagging you and saying, ‘Hey, you’ve got to go in and see about that cough’. Right. The same thing happens in the legal space. It’s the woman in the family who says, look, honey, we got to do something about this and let’s find let’s find a law firm who can really help our family.”

Key 4: Women Want to Know Their Lawyer and Law Firm

The decision-making process for selecting a law firm is not just about legal expertise – it’s also about trust and connection. “Women want to have a conversation, feel safe, and build a relationship with their lawyer,” Susan notes. “I think our law firms miss out because they continue to think that if the ultimate plaintiff is a man, then they need to appeal to the man for their messaging. And that’s just not true.”

This relational aspect is essential. By connecting with women on a personal level, law firms can build the trust and rapport necessary to earn their business and loyalty.

Tailoring Marketing Strategies

To reach and engage with women effectively, contingency fee law firms need to tailor their marketing strategies. This includes using language and imagery that resonates with women and highlighting the firm’s commitment to empathy and support. “Women are looking for a law firm that understands their needs and values their role in the family,” says Susan.

If you’re building intake processes, managing marketing campaigns, or overseeing client communications, your team must be trained to recognize this dynamic. By connecting with women, building trust, and communicating with empathy, law firms can better serve their clients and increase their chances of being selected to represent cases. Susan Knape’s insights offer a valuable roadmap for law firms looking to increase case intake, enhance their client relationships, and grow their practice.

Learn More from Susan Knape

For additional insights about why women are your real clients when it comes to selecting a law firm, watch the video above featuring Susan Knape of A Case for Women.

You can also watch her video “Why Plaintiffs Law Firms Need to Market to Women” for insights about how firms should effectively market to women.

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* The information provided on (or accessed through) this blog is for general informational purposes only and is not intended as, and should not be relied on for, law firm operations, tax, legal or accounting advice. Some of the information may not be applicable or appropriate for all law firms. Please consult your own tax, legal and accounting advisors as appropriate. Results may vary by law firm.