A new era

When David Clementi released his groundbreaking report on the state of the legal industry in 2004, he opened the door to massive change, which would have a knock-on effect on the way law firms conducted their business.

In a bid to drag firms into the 21st century and open up the market to increased competition, he proposed radical deregulation reforms, which will eventually enable non-lawyers to own, manage and finance law firms.

Combined with a steady stream of globalisation, as well as mergers between firms looking to make the most of the niche marketplace, it has become increasingly difficult for clients to distinguish between law firms – especially when technical excellence is taken as a given.

Unfortunately, despite the 1986 relaxation of UK Law Society rules preventing firms from actively promoting their services, the legal industry has been somewhat of a laggard in truly embracing the opportunity.

It is only in the past several years that firms have finally realised the benefits of effective marketing and business-development strategies. And only recently have they accepted that marketing is a core, strategic function in the modern law firm.

It is for that reason that we have launched Legal Marketing magazine, the first publication of its kind. By providing a vehicle for the sharing of best practices and opinions, as well as expert, practical guidance, we want to give law-firm marketing the recognition that it deserves.

The Legal Marketing editorial team is working to provide a valuable resource that you can use in your day-to-day activities. At the heart of our success in achieving this goal is you, the reader, so if you have any issues that you are keen to address, or that you would like Legal Marketing to explore, please do get in touch. Similarly, if you would like to share any of your own project experiences, or have any feedback, you can contact me at kclifton@ark-group.com.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the first issue of the magazine and look forward to receiving your comments and feedback.

Kate Clifton
Editor

Features

Masterclass: Handling the press Free
Working with the media should not be difficult. In fact, it is pretty easy if you do some research and planning ahead of time. Most journalists conduct interviews in a similar manner, which provides you with the opportunity to create a general approach to working with them.

Masterclass: Service marketing Free
Law firms have come of an age now where the practice of law is no longer enough to ensure survival, let alone profitability. Lawyers and law firms must now focus much more time on the business of law, to create competitive advantage in an already over-traded profession.

Case study: Shepherd & Wedderburn Free
In the past few years we had noticed a welcome and increasing internal demand for marketing direction and support. But, we had a limited supply of marketing resources, both staff and financial, to meet that demand. At the same time, the profile of the average member of the firm’s marketing team had altered significantly.

Cover feature: Reaching new heights Free
Over the past ten years in particular, the discipline has evolved from a minor and often overlooked administrative function to a core, strategic element of the modern law firm. And although those who currently work within the industry may cringe at some of the earlier approaches to putting a firm to market, they actually serve as a reminder of just how much has been achieved by those marketers that have persevered throughout a plethora of obstacles.

Profile: Julie Murphy Free
If there are any firms that still harbour the view that individuals from non-legal backgrounds do not have the knowledge to successfully take a practice to market, then Julie Murphy, marketing director at UK firm Mills & Reeve, is further proof that this is not so.

Case study: Anderson Strathern Free
At the end of 2003, Anderson Strathern was a top-ten Scottish law firm. We had been around for more than 200 years and were well respected and regarded by our clients as ‘a safe pair of hands’. However, we knew that this heritage alone was not enough to maintain a secure market positioning.

Regulars

A brief chat with... Free
UK Top-100 firm TLT Solicitors recently appointed Caroline Bulmer as CRM and proposals manager. Legal Marketing caught up with Bulmer, as she prepares for the challenges ahead.

Marketing tips: Law firm blogs Free
Law-firm marketing departments can benefit greatly from the introduction of a blog, which, alongside their other campaigns and business-development processes, can be a cost-effective and valuable marketing tool. They are also easy to set up and use and you do not need to know HTML code.

Tips from the trenches Free
One of the greatest challenges for legal marketers today is coming up with ways to inform, excite and involve lawyers in their marketing programmes. Stacy West Clark presents some valuable advice on breaking down the barriers.