Effectively Manage Law Firm Business Development
By establishing credibility, building your brand, and
creating a buzz, your firm will effectively retain current
clients and attract new prospects.
By: Gina F. Rubel, Esq.
President
Furia Rubel Communications, Inc.
Phone: 215-340-0480
www.FuriaRubel.com
Gina@furiarubelPR.com
In today’s legal market, most attorneys are fighting for the same piece of the
client pie. Whether you are a solo personal injury practitioner or a partner at a
multi-million dollar defense firm, client acquisition and retention is the key to
success. This article touches on some long-standing techniques for developing
your client portfolio without breaking the bank or crossing the line of the ABA
Model Code of Professional Conduct.
Know the Limits
Being mindful of ethical considerations in legal marketing and public relations
communications is important for every attorney. It is equally important for law
school curriculums to teach students the dos and don’ts for business marketing
communications. Once you know the limits, then you can execute productive
business development techniques without worry.
The ABA Model Rules
The ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct are meant to serve as a
guide to legal marketing communications. Each state’s Bar has adopted
either the ABA Model Rules or its own version – oftentimes more
restrictive. All reflect the attitude that lawyer advertising must be tasteful,
honest, and objective, must not compare services with those of others
unless the comparison is substantiated, and may not express superiority.
Thus, never call yourself an expert!
Copyright © 2003 Furia Rubel Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
Since each state’s rules vary, you should become familiar with the rules
that apply to you. A good source is the American Bar Association’s Web
site that tracks state rules, updates and changes. The site URL is
www.abanet.org/adrules.
Establish Credibility
Much of today’s business comes from direct referrals by other attorneys or
clients. By positioning yourself as an expert (not calling yourself an “expert”) in a
particular area of the law, your peers and clients will identify you as an expert
and refer you business. Here are some tactics you can use to establish yourself
with both the legal and consumer markets.
Write articles and white papers. Writing articles and white papers is a
premier way to establish yourself and/or your firm as expert in a particular
practice area without calling yourself an “expert.” Such documents should
be sent to appropriate trade or consumer magazines and newspapers for
publication. Once published, you should obtain permission to post the
article or a link to it on your Web site. Then, purchase reprints to send to
targeted clients, prospects and referring counsel.
Speak at industry conferences / present continuing legal education.
From the American Bar Association to state bar associations, industry
conferences provide a forum for attorneys to showcase their expertise and
establish themselves among their peers. Few attorneys are well versed in
every area of the law. Attorneys often look to their colleagues for direction
and education when presented with potential claims in practice areas they
are unfamiliar with. By effectively presenting at conferences and teaching
continuing legal education courses, you not only establish credibility
among your peers, you open the door to many new sources of referrals.
Author Op-Eds. Opinion Editorial (Op-Ed) articles contribute significantly
to increasing visibility, name recognition and credibility. They are a cost-
effective and underutilized way to reach newspaper and Web site
readership, especially when responding to topics that are controversial,
legislatively motivated, or public policy-based. This will often lead to
telephone queries by the readership with potential cases and clients.
Create a series of tip sheets or newsletters for your target audience.
Create newsletters or tip sheets that are relevant to your client base. Send
the tip sheet to clients and prospects via mail, fax or e-mail (if your
clients/prospects opt-in) to keep your law firm’s name in their mind and to
build name recognition. Make the newsletters or tip sheets available on
your Web site and factor them into your Web site marketing. These
communications position you as knowledgeable in your field of practice
and will often generate calls from current and prospective clients.
Copyright © 2003 Furia Rubel Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
Be an active member of industry associations and local
organizations. Active membership and participation in your local bar
association is extremely important. Members and leaders look for places
to refer business. They know who is considered the best in the industry.
Such participation builds credibility and name recognition in the legal
industry.
It is also important to participate in the activities of professional
associations that share a like interest with your line of practice. For
example, if your firm is handles criminal defense work, members of your
firm should be actively involved with community rehabilitation programs.
What better place to give something back to the community and to
establish yourself as caring about the issues. Inevitably, you will be
referred to a member of that community in need of counsel. Remember,
word-of-mouth is a key factor to the success of many law firms.
Build Your Brand
Your firm name is a brand just like Coca-Cola, Ford, Microsoft, and Disney.
Therefore, your firm name should send a message. Think to yourself for a
moment – if you have a client interested in pursuing a consumer class action
(assuming your firm does not handle these matters), where would you refer the
client? What firm is the first to pop into your mind? The firm that has branded
itself as a consumer class action law firm – of course – with a name that is easy
to recognize and remember.
Your name is your brand. Effective firm naming is likely the single most
important tactic to achieve effective corporate branding. From small
boutique shops to century-old organizations, law firms across the country
are changing their names to better brand their organizations and draw
greater name recognition to their services. These shorter names are more
memorable, catchy and distinctive and do not necessarily abandon the
long-standing professional codes and traditions of using partners’ names.
The company name, logo and tagline should all convey a consistent
message. That message should then follow through with a uniform look
and feel on your business cards, Web site, newsletters, marketing
materials, etc. In whatever area of the law you practice, you want
attorneys and consumers in your geographic area to say, “I know a firm
that can handle this matter. That’s their specialty.”
Create a great Web site. In today’s day and age, if a company does not
have a Web site, they are considered “small potatoes.” A great Web site
can give you the look and feel of a large company with contact information
at the fingertips of millions of people. The size and budget of your law firm
should determine the breadth and depth of your Web site. But regardless
Copyright © 2003 Furia Rubel Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
of the budget, your Web site should convey your corporate brand and tell
viewers who you are, how you can be contacted, and that you specialize
in a particular area of the law.
It is equally important to employ an expert in Web site marketing (search
engine optimization). If your Web site is not listed in search engine
databases, you will likely never be found on the World Wide Web. Just like
a book has to be in the library to be in the index, your Web site must be
registered properly to be located when searching the Internet.
Identify on and off-line business listing opportunities. Update your
company’s business listings yearly. Make sure you are listed in your local
directory of lawyers, the White Pages and others. In addition, many on-line
listings are free and the more places your firm is listed, the more hits you
will get on your Web site.
Be cautious when paying for listing your business on Web sites that
guarantee hits. Ask for trend reports, references from other firms listed on
the Web site, Web site marketing tactics, return on investment (ROI)
analysis, etc. It is important for the listing Web site to get hits but it is
equally important for those hits to translate into targeted and appropriate
traffic for your firm’s Web site.
Advertise in the Yellow Pages. According to the Yellow Pages
Publishers Association’s estimates for 2000, lawyer-advertising
expenditures in domestic printed Yellow Pages were estimated at $809
million. The “attorneys” category is the highest revenue category for
Yellow Page directory publishers.
But to be successful, a firm’s Yellow Page ad must be well thought out,
command attention, convey a single focus, be eye-captivating,
differentiate itself, look professional and address the need of the audience.
Remember, if someone is searching for a lawyer in the Yellow Pages, he
already needs an attorney. It’s much different than trying to advertise
something a consumer might want but is not particularly in the market to
buy. An excellent guide to creating winning Yellow Page ads is, Effective
Yellow Pages Advertising for Lawyers, by Kerry Randall, published by the
Law Practice Management Section of the American Bar Association.
Create a Buzz
To create a buzz means to keep your firm name in the media positively and
consistently. The more consumers and industry peers hear your name, the more
likely they will remember you when searching for counsel or referring cases.
Creating a buzz requires constant attention to what is happening in your law firm.
Often, attorneys are so focused on client acquisition, retention, and satisfaction
Copyright © 2003 Furia Rubel Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
that they forget to tell the world what’s happening internally. Today, many large
firms across the country employ a chief marketing officer or a director of
corporate communications. Small firms tend to outsource their communications
programs. Nonetheless, small and large firms hire these individuals to focus
solely on telling the world what is happening at the firm via strategically planned
marketing and communications programs. Here are some tactics used to create
a buzz.
Announce new business wins. Oftentimes, local newspapers, business
journals and industry publications print articles about new business wins. It
is as simple as sending a press release to the target audience. This
should especially be used in the case of class actions, public interest
cases, union representation, large corporation representation, etc. Make it
part of your practice to get the permission of the client first. Often the client
will request anonymity but many will permit your firm to announce
representation.
Announce substantial verdicts, non-confidential settlements and
precedent setting cases. There are many local, regional, national and
trade publications that report substantial verdicts, non-confidential
settlements and precedent setting cases. The area of practice should
determine if a verdict or settlement is substantial. In addition, if a case has
helped to establish precedent, let the legal world know. This not only
creates a buzz about your firm, it also establishes your credibility among
your peers. Some national publications/publishers that you should target
are National Law Journal, Lawyers Weekly USA, Mealeys Publications
and American Lawyer (American Lawyer Media), among others.
Announce new hires, promotions, appointments and successful
election outcomes. Local newspapers, business journals and industry
publications will print stories about new hires, promotions, appointments
and successful election outcomes. When writing the press release, focus
on something exciting about the person (awards, accomplishments, civic
involvement, etc.). Send the press release via mail with a 5” x 7” black and
white photo or via e-mail with the photo attached. (Be sure that the editor
will accept photo attachments first.) This type of press release keeps your
company name in the media and has the added benefit of creating good
will among your employees.
Sponsor events and programs. No matter what your law firm practice
area or interest, sponsorship opportunities abound. From sporting events
to ethnic festivals, bar foundation functions to nonprofit needs,
sponsorships generate quality direct exposure with your target audience.
Your firm should pursue sponsorship opportunities as a marketing
expenditure. Look at opportunities presented to the firm and create
Copyright © 2003 Furia Rubel Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
potential sponsorships on your own. For example, if there is a local
nonprofit organization whose membership and audience are the type of
clients that you want to reach, offer to sponsor an educational page on
their Web site or an educational brochure. Be sure to include non-biased,
educational messages in the content with your firm’s name and contact
information should the reader have questions.
Sponsorships can be extremely rewarding to your firm. They need to be
strategically planned and creatively executed to be successful.
Taking Your Piece of the Pie
There are many tactics you can employ to create credibility for yourself as a legal
practitioner and for your law firm in general. Be creative and think about how you
can effectively reach your target audience without spending exorbitant amounts
of money on broadcast advertising.
Think about where your customers eat, what they read, how they process
information, and where they go for advice or help. Once you can answer these
questions, execute tactics designed to increase awareness, build your brand,
create an ongoing buzz, and position your leadership as “experts” in your
industry. Test new ways to reach your target audience without being offensive or
violating the Model Rules of professional conduct that apply to you.
But always remember, by consistently and effectively executing the tactics
outlined here, you can increase your bottom line for years to come.
Author Biography: Founder and president of Furia Rubel Communications, Inc.
(www.furiarubel.com), Gina Furia Rubel, Esq., is a Philadelphia lawyer with more
than a decade of integrated communications experience in the legal industry.
After practicing law for several years, Gina focused on her passion for proactive,
integrated communication for the legal, healthcare, and nonprofit industries. Gina
has developed and executed integrated strategic communications plans for large
and small firms; supervised crisis communications, risk management and media
relations for internationally publicized death penalty trials, planned events for
major corporate, nonprofit, and philanthropic gatherings; and implemented
programs that include corporate branding, publicity, special events, Web site
development, and association relations.
Gina is an active member of the Philadelphia Bar Association, the Justinian
Society, the Philadelphia Public Relations Association, the Public Relations
Society of America, justCommunity, Inc., and the American Heart Association,
among others. She served on a Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Disciplinary
Board Hearing Committee for six years, acting as the chairperson for three years.
She has published articles in Lawyers Weekly USA, The Legal Intelligencer,
Philadelphia Lawyers Magazine and MediaMap.com and is a frequent lecturer at
Copyright © 2003 Furia Rubel Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
area universities and high schools. She is a 1991 graduate of Drexel University
and a 1994 graduate of Widener University School of Law. Her current clients
include Sheller Ludwig & Badey, Anapol Schwartz, DeMarco & DeMarco, Furia &
Turner, and Kenneth Kitay & Associates, among others.
Copyright © 2003 Furia Rubel Communications, Inc. All rights
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