Transparency: Beyond the Extranet (ILTA Presentation)
08.24.10
Clients want their outside lawyers to add seamless support of what they do day-to-day. What does that look like? Deborah McMurray and other industry leaders recently explored this question at the International ILTA conference in Las Vegas.
Law Firm Extranet Survey Results
08.20.10
In July 2010 we posted a survey to various ILTA E-Groups to collect information from firms about their use of extranets and related technologies. This research summary was instrumental in developing a panel presentation at the 2010 Conference, titled "Transparency: Beyond the Extranet."
2 Arrows to Build Up Your BI Quiver
07.05.10
As law firms continue to evaluate their marketing and business development spending and approach new initiatives with caution, their leaders want to know what they are getting for their money.
Law Firm 4.0
02.01.09
Bright Ideas is a collection of 26 essays by global legal industry leaders on where we've been and where we're going. The book is the brain child of and edited by E. Leigh Dance, the founder of ELD International, Inc. "Law Firm 4.0" is an essay that challenges firm leaders to rethink and re-imagine the law firm business model -- starting with identifying what's getting in your way. Deborah offers several considerations for change.
ABA Book: The Lawyer's Guide to Marketing on the Internet, 3rd Ed.
10.01.07
This is the third edition of the ABA's popular book on Internet marketing. Deborah McMurray, Rick Klau and Greg Siskind wrote the 2nd edition, too, and Greg Siskind wrote the first as a lawyer/Internet pioneer. Purchase the book at the ABA Web site at: http://www.abanet.org/abastore/index.cfm?section=main&fm=Product.AddToCart&pid=5110585
Marketing Legal Services on the Internet
06.05.07
Websites should be designed to be interactive, ever changing, always relevant and personal. Lawyers are missing out if they aren't creating firm websites that educate and inform their clientele. A website should differentiate and uniquely position the firm as a leader in its markets, communicating the brand or personality of the firm and its lawyers.
Search Engine Optimization - CP Best Practices
06.01.07
As the Internet has become the dominant research tool of business, including C‐level executives, a firm’s online visibility and awareness plays a larger role in business development.
Web Site Strategies—Where in the Web?
04.10.06
If your site is not attracting visitors, it is not working for you. In other words, it’s a waste of money. Know who you’re looking for, how they look for you and how to keep them coming back for more.
Law Firm Web Sites: Ten Foundational Best Practices
02.01.06
We live in a Web site world. The economics and ubiquitous nature of the Internet testify to this. Organizations have multiple goals for their Web sites, but the primary one should be to simply communicate what you do and how you do it.
Six Ways to Build Your Reputation Online
02.01.05
As a practicing lawyer, your credibility and reputation are everything. They take years to build and only minutes to destroy. So, just as you can’t afford any missteps in your representation of clients, you can’t afford gaffes in your communications. Here are six ways to boost your professional reputation and increase your exposure using the Internet and electronic communications as tools.
Turn your Firm's Marketing Budget into a Strategic Planning Tool
10.15.04
During boom times, most law firm marketing budgets turn into overgrown fields where sacred cows graze, growing fat and happy on a rich diet of unquestioned country club memberships, unexamined entertainment allowances and unlimited directory listings. In today’s highly competitive business environment, there is better use for that money.
Investing in Long Term Success: An Altman Weil Expert Roundtable
09.01.04
In today's marketplace, being a highly effective lawyer seems to require greater levels and types of contributions and skills than ever before. If that is true, what are some
of the things that lawyers must do throughout their careers to be seen as highly effective? The baseline is that they continue to learn and be intellectual leaders in their specific areas of study. So whatever their specific practice or industry specialty, they have got to be deep and rich, and on the cutting edge of their substantive areas of law.
ABA Book: The Lawyer's Guide to Marketing, 2nd edition
Fall 2004
This best-selling book is a comprehensive look at strategic marketing best practices. Written by nearly 20 industry experts and edited by Jim Durham and Deborah McMurray, it is considered an extraordinary resource for large and small firms alike.
On the Edge: Market Research - Hunting for Value
08.01.04
Harry Beckwith, in his popular 2000 book, The Invisible Touch, discusses the limits of research. He talks about the unreliability of subjects, and says, "People who know they are being studied change what they [normally] do."
19 1/2 Things Every Lawyer Should Know about Web Sites
08.01.04
Law firms are investing more in the design and development of their Web sites than ever before. However, during a recent speech to the Orange County Chapter of the Legal Marketing Association, nearly half of the attendees (lawyers and marketers) said they were unhappy with their current sites. And several of them had launched new Web sites within the last year.
Measure for Measure: Client Profitability is the "Giant's Strength" Inside your Firm
03.01.04
Law firm marketers are typically familiar with the concept of firm revenue – from the billable hours that generate it, to the aggregate figures that we find listed in (and often submit to) various publications. However, the true measure of law firm business success isn’t hours and rates, it’s profitability. The profitability of your clients, that is.
What is Dallas' Promise?
02.09.04
Dallas’ citizens now know that The Richards Group has been hired to "brand" our city. The headline of Henry Tatum’s February 4, 2004 column was, "We need to put a brand on Dallas to be competitive," and Steve Blow’s Sunday (February 8, 2004) column lead was "Let’s coin Big D slogan with rhyme and reason."
The Lawyer’s Guide to Marketing Your Practice
02.02.04
This new, expanded, and revised edition will help you master the creative marketing solutions you need. It's packed with practical ideas, innovative strategies, useful checklists, and sample marketing and action plans to help you implement a successful, multi-faceted, and profit-enhancing marketing program in your firm.
Point/Counterpoint: How to Acquire New Business from Large Companies--PR or Advertising?
01.01.04
Most AMLAW 200 firms want their lawyers to be the trusted advisors of Fortune 500 to Fortune 1000 companies. Most of these large companies have an in-house legal department, and these departments are as different as law firm compensation systems. Some have extensive in-house expertise on highly specialized legal matters, while others rely primarily on law firms for everything from large corporate/securities transactions to consumer class action litigation.
Meet the Super Heroes
11.01.03
In-house lawyers are finding that more and more is expected of them as regulation increases. Part watchdog, part business hotshot, part super hero - the new in-house lawyer is multi-faceted and very different to a few years ago, a collection of international in-house counsel agreed.
Try Scenario Planning
10.13.03
At various legal industry conferences, when the audience was asked "Does your firm have a strategic plan?" at least half answered that they did not.. Whether a firm does or doesn’t have a strategic plan appears to have nothing to do with size, profitability or scope of practice.
10 Things We`ve Learned from In-House Counsel in the US and Europe
10.01.03
During the last two years, we’ve had the pleasure of facilitating discussions with senior in-house lawyers from the world’s leading corporations in the US, Canada, Europe and Asia. These round tables have covered topics as diverse as crisis and reputation management, corporate compliance and corporate governance, working smarter—not harder, in-house counsels’ broadening role in risk management, and managing cross-border litigation and transactions.
Measuring Profitability
06.20.03
Law firm leaders closely correlate profitability to revenue. But even if revenues are rising slightly in the largest firms, as a recent Citigroup "Flash Survey" indicated, it doesn’t necessarily mean that profits are correspondingly rising. It’s time to put the emphasis where it belongs—not on hours and rates, but on profitability. The profitability of your clients, that is.
Brobeck: When Your Future is at Stake... A Kept Promise or Just Advertising?
03.17.03
Everyone has an opinion about Brobeck, and most seem willing to share it. Legal industry conservatives who argue that marketing, in the broadest sense, and branding, more specifically, DON’T WORK, are among those buzzing about Brobeck’s sudden death. These perpetual cynics are, by a professional marketer’s standards, advancing the Brobeck brand. "Word of mouth" is still one of the best tests of brand strength—even after a firm has disintegrated.
What's in Your Budget? All Spending Should Advance the Firm`s Strategic Goals and Produce Measurable Results
03.15.03
If you focus your strategy, you can focus your spending. This basic business premise directs law firm leaders to invest resources only in those projects and programs that get them closer to their stated goals—and suggests that they should eliminate the practice of throwing dollars at anything that doesn’t. If it’s this simple, then why do law firms continue to invest time and money in initiatives that have no hope of returning a single dollar?
Brobeck—The Lessons NOT to Learn from its Demise
03.01.03
Cocktail parties inside and on the perimeter of the legal industry will buzz for months about Brobeck’s late January announcement of its dismantling. Some firm leaders might whisper, "But for the grace of God go I," as they quietly noodle about what led to this fateful decision.
Salute to Brian Melton: 2003 Dallas Bar President
01.01.03
Brian Melton’s first memorable moment with the Dallas Bar Association came on December 22, 1979. He and his girlfriend, Darcy, were the first to have a wedding-related function at the Belo. And since then, he’s hardly left the building.
Turn Client Service into a Client Experience
01.01.03
Services, like goods before them, have become commoditized. It’s harder and harder for clients to distinguish between the offerings of brand name law firm “A” and brand name law firm “B”. And, more and more clients are requesting alternative billing arrangements, such as blended rates and value billing. Translation: clients perceive they aren’t getting the value they desire when lawyers sell time by the hour.
On the Edge: It`s Hip to be Square
11.01.02
"It`s Hip to be Square," so says Cheryl Berman, Chair and Chief Creative Officer of Leo Burnet USA. "Being ‘out of the box’ means being edgy, and edgy is out. People are more skeptical of hotshot know-it-alls. They want track records, proof of what you can really do, what you can really deliver."
Firm Strategy Becomes Marketing/PR Mojo
08.01.02
Once upon a time, there was a law firm called Snow & Snow LLP, a 250-lawyer firm in St. Louis. Its marketing program suffered from a managing partner change every two years—so the popular marketing director, fighting the inconsistencies inherent in biannual 180-degree leadership swings, quit and went to a well-known competitor for more money.
Law Firms Gain Notice by Adopting Shorter Names
06.01.02
According to Deborah McMurray, firms that shorten their names are following standard advertising principles established by corporate America years ago. A firm name "can have impact" and, if distinctive, can be an important client development tool.
Take a Look—Are you a Procedures or an Idea Guy?
04.01.02
In "My Brand is Here to Stay," Passikoff, the President of Brand Keys, notes that, in spite of Wall Street’s spasms over the last year, 11 of the top 25 brands that have the most loyal customers are Internet or telecommunications brands. This is "based on assessments by 16,000 adult brand customers."
On the Edge: What Clothes?
04.01.02
Branding works. It’s proven in all industries, even in the legal industry. However, some law firms spend fortunes on "brands" (like the emperor’s clothes) that don’t really exist.
Increase Marketing Department Credibility: Focus on Marketing Metrics
04.01.02
It’s a perfect time to focus your firm’s strategy and its spending. Law firms from coast to coast are reacting to their clients’ business losses, stock price tailspins and employee lay-offs by engaging in one or more of the following: hiring freezes, across-the-board-cost-cutting, lawyer and staff lay-offs and delaying or canceling growth plans.
Vinson & Elkins and Enron Unplugged
03.11.02
As he closed a Feb.l5 letter sent to clients and friends, Vinson & Elkins partner Harry Reasoner slipped in the news that, except for a few lingering matters, his firm has severed its ties with Enron Corp.
On The Edge: Forever Starts Here
02.01.02
Forever starts here. I’m the Blue Dog and I can go anywhere. For George Rodrigue, Blue Dog was his ticket to firmly root his Cajun heritage, yet also transcend it. He’s revered and collected as an American artist – not simply a regional Acadian painter whose subject happens to be a soulful, yellow-eyed pup with a fixed gaze. What is she staring at?!
BLUR: The Speed of Change in the Connected Economy—A Book Review
02.01.02
When the rules are blurred, it means we have an opportunity to redefine our businesses and our lives. The point is not trying to eliminate the blur (because it’s impossible) – rather, move through it – harness and leverage it "so you can enter the world of BLUR, move to its cadence and once again see the world clearly."
The Marketing of Recruiting (LMA White Paper)
01.01.02
Law firms couldn’t recruit new lawyers during the 1990s the way they did the decade before. The more bodies, the better was the mantra in the mid-eighties. The last decade of the millennium was beleagured with a bust that resulted in lay-offs of many of those bodies, and blessed with a boom that was so feverish that the competition for talent was white hot.
Your (Best) Clients Rule!
01.01.02
Countless elements of a client relationship are “critical.” Most are so obvious to lawyers by now, they don’t need repeating. Agreeing that the elements that first come to mind are worth your focus and time, here are others that might be less apparent than “return client phone calls fast.”
Bird`s Eye View—The Common Denominator at Successful Firms is Leadership
12.14.01
The past few decades have seen dramatic changes in the legal profession, including the rise of the megafirm, the demise of firms of all sizes, influx of Big 5 firms as legal practitioners and the reinvention of the practice to include nonlegal services. Amid this turmoil, a number of firms have distinguished themselves by thriving in this chaos.
On the Edge: Markets That Won`t Stand Still
03.01.98
How did Intel Corporation generate an average annual return to investors of 44% between the years 1987 and 1997? How did Intel’s impressive earnings in one year equal those of the top ten personal computer companies combined?
Headnotes: Tech Corner—Email: Effective Communication or Electronic Embarrassment?
01.01.98
You only have one chance to make a first impression, so it had better be good. Attorneys thoroughly scour business correspondence before they mail it—for content, to ensure their message is clear and concise, to avoid slang or vernacular that may be inappropriately familiar, and for grammatical spelling correctness. Why then, is electronic mail not subject to the same careful scrutiny?
The Myth of the Perfect Rainmaker
11.18.96
There’s No Perfect Personality Suited To Marketing. Anyone With A Little Time And An Open Mind Can Strengthen The Firm’s Client Base.
What`s Hot In Law Firm Marketing
02.01.94
Finding new clients is often the hardest thing for law firms to do. We can generally determine why our existing clients continue to hire us, but why does someone new walk in the door and say, I understand you can solve my problem?
Communicating With Style
09.01.92
Meetings with several attorneys and several company representatives are one of the most challenging sales settings. It appears as if there is a common goal, but everyone seems to have a different agenda, or at the very least, a unique list of requirements for hiring outside counsel.