Jeremy Diamond Aims to Build an Approachable Law Firm to Achieve Multi-National Success

Businesses that succeed in the long term often share one inimitable trait, connection. They seek to understand, grow and adapt alongside their customers. Lawyers are no exception. Often present at some of the most trying times of an individuals’ life, they are the tireless advocate that seeks to return their client to a place they once were.

In our fast paced times, many law firms seem to have lost that high touch approach. Meet Diamond and Diamond Lawyers. It's a family firm led by Jeremy Diamond, his wife Sandra Zisckind, and Isaac Zisckind, and it does business differently than most law firms. According to Jeremy Diamond, they have a habit of "bringing clients into their close-knit world."

They're even well-known for giving out their personal cell phone numbers to clients. “We learned early on that people want a firm who speaks to them and not above them,” Jeremy said. “We give out our personal cell phone. We’re a family owned firm and it’s important that every client feels that we are a part of theirs.”

And the firm also has some of the highest name recognition of any law firm in Canada. According to a survey conducted by Leger – the largest market research firm in the country – over 90% of people identified the firm first when polled about personal injury lawyers. It's a testament to their pithy branding and messaging that promises clients tough advocacy they can depend on.

It wasn't always that way, though. The firm began over 30 years ago, under the direction of Jeremy's uncle, David Diamond. And from the beginning, it was dedicated to putting clients first and providing legal services with a personal touch. 

But in 1987, the rules surrounding law firm advertising in Ontario changed. That's when Diamond and Diamond began to market themselves nationwide. Jeremy Diamond saw marketing as an opportunity to expand their legal footprint and bring their unique client-first approach to more locations. And that, of course, would allow them to help more people in need.

Says Jeremy Diamond, "In personal injury law, you're always dealing with clients that are in a vulnerable state. They're not sure where to turn for help, and they need someone who understands their situation on a personal level, not just from a legal standpoint. And we pride ourselves on providing a sympathetic ear to clients because that's what they need most to move forward and seek justice."

That approach has helped Diamond and Diamond grow exponentially over the years. Beginning in a single office with five employees, the firm now operates more than twenty offices with a team of over 200 lawyers and support staff. 

And it has allowed the firm to branch out into other areas of the law, as well. It now provides comprehensive legal services in real estate and corporate law, to go with its thriving personal injury practice. But the expansion hasn't altered the core principles of the firm. And that's why the expansion has only served to extend the firm's ethos in new ways.

According to Jeremy Diamond, the firm's expansion wasn't originally part of the game plan. But as he says, "We listened to what our client base was demanding and we noticed that many were intimidated by corporate law firms and daunting retainers." And so they decided to use the expansion as another way to expand on their unique approach to legal services.

That's why Diamond and Diamond Lawyers offers flat-rate pricing for many of its new real estate legal services. This eliminates the customary sticker shock that clients tend to associate with hiring lawyers to handle such matters. 

And the service expansion isn't the only kind of growth that the firm has embarked on. It has also made a splash in the US legal services market with a new office serving the greater Miami, Florida area. It's a move that seeks to replicate the success that Diamond and Diamond Lawyers has worked hard to create in its native Canada. And since they already have a tried-and-true roadmap to growth to apply in this new market, there's little doubt they'll succeed.

But success is nothing new to Diamond and Diamond Lawyers at this point. What's most important to Jeremy Diamond and the team, however, is that the firm stays on course to deliver the same outstanding service in every new market it enters. He says, "Growth for the sake of growth isn't the goal. We want to provide our clients with personalized legal services they won't get elsewhere. It's what makes us different, and dare I say, better than the competition. We care about people, and that's what we're always going to be about."

So as the firm begins its journey to bring its approachable style of legal services to the US market and beyond, it does so with a firm grasp on where it's been. And that will serve as a kind of a North Star to guide where it's going. That should leave it in good stead in the years to come.

And in case anyone had any doubt as to where the firm's priorities lay, Jeremy Diamond sums them up by saying, "We believe in access to justice for all our clients and we will continue to fight for them, regardless of which type of legal service they require". It's a powerful statement, indeed.

And it's also what made Diamond and Diamond Lawyers the firm it is today, dedicated not just to legal victories, but also to seeing that its clients receive the very best representation – and care – they both need and deserve.