Forward thinking

As the year draws to a close, I cannot help but think that I’m saying these words a little too often – but it is with regret that I announce that another member of the Legal Marketing editorial board is moving on to pastures new. I would like to thank Andrew Powell for all his advice and help with the launch of this magazine, and wish him all the best for the future in his new role, following his departure from UK firm CMS Cameron McKenna.

Andrew will be replaced by Gillian Gilthorpe, communications director at UK firm Robert Muckle LLP. Once again, Gillian has been actively involved in the magazine since its launch, writing articles and providing a helpful ear in the early stages, so I am delighted to welcome her on board.

As we look forward to 2007, certain developments are going to have a significant impact on the highly competitive market that law-firm marketing departments are already facing.

Not least, the impending arrival of the Legal Services Act will raise a number of obstacles that legal marketers – and law-firm leaders alike – will need to address. In particular, they should consider now how best to exploit the opportunities that the legislation is likely to present.

As evidenced in this issue, client-relationship management (CRM) is also set to remain top of mind for marketers and lawyers. As debate continues over the significance of technological systems within wide-reaching CRM programmes, it seems that most firms are finally waking up to the fact that exceptional client service can never be achieved through technology implementations alone. Instead, culture and
people are key. As the provision of legal services looks set to move away from being the domain of just professional-services organisations, law firms must stay tuned to the needs of their clients and shake off the stuffy, unapproachable image traditionally associated with legal practice, if they are
to be successful.

Indeed, at a recent Ark Group roundtable discussion, the overwhelming opinion was that law firms would benefit from listening to – and acting on – the views of their clients much more. One example in this area was the fact that many base their client-service initiatives on issues that they believe are important to legal-service consumers, rather than asking them outright. The differences between what clients actually want and what firms think they need have all too often been substantial.

As always, if you have any feedback or article suggestions, you can contact me at kclifton@ark-group.com.

In the meantime, I would like to pass on best wishes for a very happy Christmas and a prosperous new year, from all at the Legal Marketing office.

Kate Clifton
Editor

Features

Masterclass: Differentiating technology Free
While every law firm likes to think its services are unique, the reality is that in the current legal climate there are significant difficulties in trying to achieve a level of differentiation that sets one firm apart from its competitors.

Masterclass: KPIs and performance management Free
When I send my children to school I can examine its standalone assessment test results. If I go into hospital for an operation I can find out about success rates achieved by that hospital for that procedure, and if I read a report on a football match in the sunday papers, they’ll score the performance of each player as well the defensive record of the team, their goal-scoring record, performance at home compared to away, and so on.

Feature: Compelling testimonials Free
It’s hard to deny: clients today are particularly sceptical. One of the most difficult challenges that each of us as professionals face, is coming up with a convincing response to one critical question: ‘As a prospective client, tell me please, why should I choose you (your firm or your practice group); what makes you distinctive and what added-value do you bring to my business matters that I cannot get anywhere else?’

Case study: Shepherd and Wedderburn Free
Scotland-based firm Shepherd and Wedderburn recently won a prestigious industry
award for its marketing campaign, Don’t Stand Still. The campaign featured an interactive
element designed to draw in its audience. The firm based it on the belief that this target audience – senior business professionals – are people first, who are accustomed to being targeted by consumer brands in their private lives, in a direct but relevant way, to engage and even delight.

Case study: Berwin Leighton Paisner Free
Buyers of legal services in corporate organisations are very much aware of the market. They know which firms are most suitable for different lines of practice, they will cherry-pick specialists as appropriate and they often operate legal panels, enabling them to benchmark firms against each other.

Cover feature: Beyond technology Free
Intense competition in legal services provision and the fact that many law firms offer comparable levels of skill and expertise have resulted in mid-tier firms in particular focusing more sharply on marketing and business development and committing more resources to improving the service they offer their key clients.

Regulars

Opinion: Laura Pyke-Jean Free
A ‘five-legged sheep’ is a French expression – un mouton à cinq pattes – meaning someone who manages to simultaneously fulfil several seemingly unrelated functions. You may already be wondering where I’m going with this, but as a legal marketer based in Paris, this image sprang to mind when I was given the unofficial job description at preliminary interviews for my then to be next job.

Opinion: David Wallace Free
It’s a whole new world, as Katie Price and Peter are merrily warbling at the moment. In the two months since leaving the safe environs of Shepherd and Wedderburn to set up as an independent business strategy and marketing consultant, there have been many new experiences, some expected and some not.

A day in the life... Free
My alarm goes off at five am – a human alarm in the form of my one-year old son calling out for a feed – so it isn’t a simple matter of hitting the ‘snooze’ button and going back to sleep. It is an early start to the day, but making sure I have enough quality time with my family forces me to be well organised, a discipline I work hard to bring to my professional life.

Thought leader Free
Customer-relationship management (CRM) is but the latest in a long line of management fads to afflict law firms over the past 15 years. It was preceded by BPR (business process re-engineering), ERP (enterprise resource planning), IIP (Investors in People), MIS (management information systems) and TQM (total quality management). Only two of these have ever had my full support – IIP and MIS. A successful firm needs to invest in its people and its information systems, but it can continue to thrive without the other distractions.