Legal Marketing & PR

A Look Inside the 65-Person Marketing Staff of a $1 Billion Law Firm

By Larry Bodine

I had no doubt something special was going on at K&L Gates when Chief Marketing Officer Jeff Berardi was named Marketing Professional of the Year by Hubbard One in their 'Excellence in Legal Marketing' Awards.

2010 alone included the additions of three new international offices – in Moscow, Tokyo, and Warsaw – and more than 60 lateral partners and of counsel around the world. Today, with nearly 2,000 lawyers in 37 offices located across the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, the firm is positioned at strategic intersections of the global economy. (In 2007, the firm had 1,400 lawyers in 22 offices.)

As the firm has grown, the 65-person K&L Gates marketing department has been centrally involved in ensuring that proper integration occurs within offices, practices, and administrative function areas.

Marketing uses advertising, media relations, and new media tools to establish and reinforce the firm's brand on a global basis. High impact, client-focused campaigns run throughout the website, advertising, client pitches, collateral materials, and webinars.

From 2009 to 2010, K&L Gates saw:

• A 10% increase in media activity
• A nearly 70% increase in the number of web page views
• A 35% increase in the number of web visitors.

With recent independent research studies indicating a 50% jump in name awareness, K&L Gates now places in the top 10 most favored law firm brands.  The brand also received a boost when K&L Gates earned more first-tier rankings than any other law firm in the inaugural 2010 edition of the U.S. News & World Report–Best Lawyers rankings of 'Best Law Firms.'

For an inside look at the marketing function at the US law firm with the 12th largest gross revenue, please visit the LawMarketing Channel at http://bit.ly/ga481x.

Full post as published by Larry Bodine's LawMarketing Blog on March 09, 2011 (boomark / email).