Legal Marketing & PR

Get Smart on Marketing with Technology at ABA Techshow

Posted on February 22, 2008
Marketers will find a feast of programs on how to use technology to connect to new clients at the annual ABA Techshow 2008 coming up on March 13-15 in Chicago.  More than 1,500 people will convene at the Chicago Hilton. There are 16 educational tracks including Advanced IT/Security, Client Relationships, E-Discovery, Going Green, Internet, Large Firm/Corporate Counsel, Litigation, Mac Track, Microsoft Office, Mobile Technology, Paperless Office, Records Management, Roundtables, Show Me How, Solo/Small Firm I and Solo/Small Firm II...

Three Things Clients Look for on Law Firm Web Sites

Posted on February 21, 2008
The Internet has changed a lot since Web 2.0 began to catch on in 2006.  But all the videos, podcasting blogs, online discussions, mashups and jamming don't mean a thing if they don't utilize basic marketing principles.  No matter how kludgy or cool your web site is, in-house counsel and corporate executives still want three basic things from a law firm website...

Law Firm Requires New Associates to Have Sales Background

Posted on February 20, 2008
San Diego construction law firm Scholefield Associates, P.C., is hiring new associates with a unique requirement -- a sales background. The firm says it is is borrowing heavily from the corporate world where the role of technical sales is fundamental to most successful business plans...

90% of Lawyers Missing Out on Blogging

Posted on February 19, 2008
Only 10% of lawyers have their own blog, according to a survey LexisNexis conducted a survey at LegalTech on the adoption of Web 2.0 capabilities in the legal market. And only 17% of the respondents' firms have a blog, according to the survey...

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Hildebrandt Sees Economic Downturn for Law Firms in 2008

Posted on February 18, 2008
In its first downbeat client advisory in 10 years, Hildebrandt warns that law firms are in an economic downturn that has not been accompanied my the usual upturns in litigation, bankruptcy or reorganization.  See below for info about the upcoming Webinar: Business Development in a Down Market   It cites: The precipitous drop off in structured finance work triggered by the sub-prime mortgage crisis...

Sonnenschein Hires New CMO

Posted on February 16, 2008
In case you missed the news item, Brian Lambert of from Charlotte, North Carolina, has been selected by Chicago-based Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP to be their Chief Marketing Officer. The firm has 700 lawyers in 13 U.S. cities and Brussels. Prior to joining Sonnenschein, Brian headed the Business Development Group for Wachovia's Treasury Services Division...

Brinks Hofer Shows a Great Example of Follow-Up

Posted on February 15, 2008
How often do general counsel wish they had a quick desk reference to get a quick definition of a legal concept outside their practice area.  Real often. They don't want to appear stupid in front of their colleagues and don't want to pay their outside law firm for an explanation...

See What We're Talking about on the LawMarketing Listserv

Posted on February 14, 2008
Thanks to a cool breakthrough in technology, you can now see live what topics members of the LawMarketing Listserv are talking about.  Just go to http://www.lawmarketing.biz/ and read the TV screen.The LawMarketing Listserv is a friendly collection of marketers, practicing attorneys, experts and journalists...

Those "You've Been Sued. May I Assist You?" Messages Don't Work

Posted on February 11, 2008
Almost every law firm I know subscribes to a docket alert system that notifies the firm when a company has been sued in their jurisdiction.  As a marketing technique, the firms email the defendant companies informing them that they've been sued and offering to help...

For Valentine's Day, Give the Gift of Business Development

Posted on February 11, 2008
Forget the flowers, cards and Godiva chocolates. What your valentine really wants is more clients, new business and increased revenue.  So on Valentine's Day, February 14, plan to attend the webinar Crafting Your Personal Marketing Plan for 2008...

Tips on Preparing for a Pitch Meeting with a Prospective Client

Posted on February 07, 2008
Stacy West Clark has a great list of 19 tips to follow when you are getting ready to go to a beauty contest, or have a new-business meeting set up with a prospective client.  The full article is on Law.com.  Here are the highlights:Once you have an appointment set up with the target, follow this step-by-step guide to preparing for and holding a pitch meeting with a prospective client:   In advance of the meeting, learn everything you can about the target -- both the person you are meeting with and his or her company...

Best Law Firms for Women

Posted on February 07, 2008
Working Mother has released its brand new list of best firms for women lawyers to practice.  As we know, law firms tend to be family-hostile places to work.  Once you go on the "mommy track," years have been added to your time to become partner...

Business Development in a Down Market

Posted on February 06, 2008
Patrick J. Lamb says law firms are in the "perfect storm": clients are angry at law firms and want to cut their spending for outside legal services.I call it a recession.  We're in one already, but the slow-moving National Bureau of Economic Research won't announce it for another nine months...

What's New in LawMarketing Store

Posted on February 05, 2008
Get the most popular book in the LawMarketing Store: Law firms buy The Essential Little Book of Great Lawyering by the dozen. The core thesis of author Jim Durham, Esq., CMO of Ropes & Gray, is simple: Being a great lawyer IS the best business development plan...

Take the RainToday Fees & Pricing Survey

Posted on February 02, 2008
The good folks at RainToday.com are conducting their next benchmark research report on Pricing and Fees in Accounting and Professional Service Businesses, and you can contribute your input. They are requesting you take 20 minutes to share how you go about pricing your services...

Average Size of Megafirm Marketing Departments: 28

Posted on February 01, 2008
Megafirms in the AmLaw 100 are well-known for having well-staffed marketing departments.  In fact the size ranges up to 113 people at one firm, according to Wisnik Career Enterprises, Inc. in a new factsheet the company released at the recent Marketing Partner Forum...

Rainmaking Lessons From a Top Corporate and International Trade Attorney -- Lisa A. Landy, Esq.

Posted on January 30, 2008
According to Lisa Landy, leveraging 1-2 premier industry and trade associations has been central to growing her practice. She itemizes six marketing mistakes that lawyers make when the join membership organizations, and how you can avoid them. Come hear Lisa Landy, who will be the keynote speaker at our Miraval Business Development Conference on March 6-8, 2008...

To Boost Response, Elminate Links form Landing Pages

Posted on January 29, 2008
My blogger colleague Josh Fruchter in New York identifies how law firms can get more website responses to: Register for an event Download a free white paper Sign up for an email newsletter The trick is to eliminate all distractions on the landing page -- especially links -- that take the visitor's eye off the desired response...

JD Supra Goes Live Soon as Founding Contributors Send in Documents

Posted on January 29, 2008
JD Supra, the free online repository of court filings and legal articles, is about to go live. Lawyers, law firms and legal organizations are continuing to send in documents during the site’s private beta phase. They are completing their free online profiles and getting a sneak peek at one of the most anticipated law related website launches...

What Lawyers Earn: typically from $120,000 to $185,700 in Chicago

Posted on January 26, 2008
Everybody loves to know what other lawyers make.  There are lots of good reports on starting salaries, and the Robert Half Legal 2008 Salary Guide breaks it down for experienced lawyers.So for example, a lawyer in Chicago with 4 to 9 years' experience in a midsize law firm (35-75 attorneys) can expect an income of $120,00 to $185,700...

Vote for Your Own Firm in the Inside Counsel Rankings

Posted on January 24, 2008
Inside Counsel magazine is giving its readers a chance to rate law firms on 8 factors, such as "quality of service" and "responsiveness." There are dozens of firms to choose from, and if your firm is not on the list -- you can yourself to it...

Tydings & Rosenberg Announcement Hits the Mark

Posted on January 23, 2008
Tydings & Rosenberg sent out an eye-catching new-partner announcement that successfully serves a marketing purpose.  It's a refreshing change from useless the black-and-white data-devoid announcement in Copperplate type that many law firms send out...

5 Law Firms Included in Fortune's "Best Places to Work"

Posted on January 22, 2008
Today Fortune magazine published its annual list of the best places to work for, and the following 5 law firms made the list:  Rank Company Job growth What Makes it so great U...

The Legal Profession Has Entered a Recession

Posted on January 21, 2008
Once thought to be recession-proof, the legal profession is now in a recession that will include a drop in profits per partner, declining spending for legal services by corporations, attorney layoffs and a major competitive threat from law firms in London...

Favorite Examples of Guerrilla Marketing

Posted on January 17, 2008
I love it when marketers carry out a promotion that is out of the ordinary.  Call it guerrilla marketing -- unconventional marketing intended to get maximum results for minimal resources.  Favorites include: Ungaretti & Harris' "mergeritis" ad...

Blogger Patrick Lamb Starts Valorem Law Group

Posted on January 17, 2008
Patrick Lamb, a Chicago litigator who writes the In Search of Perfect Client Service Blog, has started the Valorem Law Group, LLC, a national litigation boutique based in Chicago serving businesses.  Valorem is the Latin word for value.He founded Valorem in January 2008 with Hugh J...

Winners of the Marketing Partner Forum Awards

Posted on January 17, 2008
Details to come, but here are the winners, just announced this very minute:Chief Marketing Officer of the Year Anne Malloy Tucker At Goodwin Procter for 8 years Marketing Partner of the Year Mark A. Long Managing/Marketing Partner Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt Marketing Initiative of the YearFoley & Lardner Multimedia Integration Initiative  

Sexy Billboard Lawyer Strips for Playboy

Posted on January 16, 2008
Remember the lawyer who put up the sexy billboard in Chicago? The lawyers have just dropped off the bottom of the scale for bad taste. This just in from the January 11, 2008 Chicago Sun-Times: If the racy billboards didn't draw your attention to Corri Fetman and her divorce law practice, maybe this will do it...

We Are In A Recession

Posted on January 15, 2008
Call me Cassandra.  Or call me the boy who said the king has no clothes. We are now in a recession, there is no doubt.  See below for "Here's how to cope." Consider the evidence: Consumer spending is down, according to the New York Times...

Ungaretti Markets with "Mergeritis" Ad

Posted on January 14, 2008
The half-page ad looks like a solicitation for plaintiffs in a class-action against a pharmaceutical company. (Click here to see it full-size.) The bright yellow advertisement on page 41 of Chicago Lawyer magazine poses the following:You may have mergeritis if you suffer from: a rash of new conflicts that jeopardize your client relationships queasiness about an overnight 20% increase to your billing rate numbness from feeling like an employee rather than an entrepreneur a sense of detachment from new partners based in distant offices aching for a firm that’s a better fit for you and your clients Nowhere did the clever ad reveal that it was an ad to attract laterals to Chicago's 100-lawyer Ungaretti & Harris...

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