Editor's letter

THIS TIME last year, as all my super-organised friends and work colleagues relaxed with mulled wine, while toasting the fact that Christmas could come three-weeks early and they wouldn’t break into a sweat, I vowed to do this year’s gift shopping and other such festive preparations well in advance.
Once again, however, I find myself in a similar position. I have been shopping once and returned with various items of clothing (for myself), food and some toilet roll. Useless. No doubt I’ll be tearing around the shops the weekend before Christmas, wrestling people to the floor for the most desirable items. Maybe I should rethink my New Year’s resolutions.
It’s just that it only seems like a few weeks ago that I wrote the last end-of-year foreword. In fact, I can’t believe how this year has flown by. I’m sure many will agree with me. It’s certainly been a productive year for many marketing and business development professionals, and things are only going to get busier now that the wheels of the Legal Services Act have started to turn.
Corporate social responsibility has remained top of mind for firms looking to impress clients and new hires who now seek more than legal expertise and a prestigious name before they come onboard. Wide-reaching community projects, such as Project Shoreditch, an ongoing initiative by the East London Business alliance – Linklaters, Deutsche Bank, UBS and the Shoreditch Trust – are increasingly becoming a part of everyday life for lawyers and other law firm representatives. The glamourous offices may still be furnished with art and other such trappings from ‘local’ providers, but they are now also housing firms which are aware of the importance of ‘giving something back’ to the communities they operate in.
A few notable rebrands from 2007 also spring to mind. Nabarro is perhaps one of the most talked-about, due in part to the firm’s decision to drop the second part of its name. But if you look beyond the name change and revamped logo, there is a well-thought out and implemented strategy to ensure the rebrand wouldn’t be dismissed as marketing fluff.
For me, the very unique (although some might say vulgar) approach to advertising taken by US firm Fetman, Garland & Associates also deserves a mention. The firm’s series of billboards featuring almost naked models and a ‘Life’s short, get a divorce’ tagline got an incredible amount of press coverage internationally, and the firm is expected to launch the next campaign imminently. I’ll admit that I found the concept hilarious to begin with, but after speaking to Corri Fetman and hearing how passionate she was about the firm’s work and the adverts themselves, I had to admire her for going ahead with it. And both campaigns generated a huge amount of interest in the firm, which should silence any critics.
Of course, what I’ve discussed in this foreword is a tiny representation of marketing developments over the past 12 months and I’m very much looking forward to seeing what 2008 brings. As always if you would like to share your experiences within these pages, send your ideas to kclifton@ark-group.com. In the meantime all the best for a fun-filled festive season and a successful New Year.

Kate Clifton, Editor

Features

A seat at the table? Free
Participants at a recent panel discussion on the role of law firm marketers in the US found that although more marketing professionals can be found at the boardroom table, the very nature of marketing can make it difficult to get a seat. Here, JANET ELLEN RAASCH reports on some of the panelists tips for getting a seat at the table.

In the driving seat Free
Over the past five years the role of marketing in leading law firms has undergone significant change. It has evolved from a simple extension of the secretarial function into a complex business division with multi-facted responsibilities towards every aspect of a firm's day-to-day business.

Case study: Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks Free
An internal awards programme at US firm Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks recognises and promotes outstanding contributions to business development, while also creating mentors, who less experienced individiuals can learn from.

Case study: Finers Stephens Innocent This article is for subscribers only
The thinking behind the website redesign programme utilising bold use of colour and theming, while communicating and representing numerous rebrand adjectives, at UK firm Finers Stephens Innocent.

Connecting People This article is for subscribers only
Knowledge management and business development - selling expertise and know-how to clients - have traditionally been regarded as different skills. To maximise the impact of these functions on the business Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer decided it was time to merge the two disciplines into a single integrated team called knowledge and business development.

Is your website destroying your image? Free
No websites were harmed in the writing of this article

Case study: Addleshaw Goddard This article is for subscribers only
Organisations, today, have become reluctant to place any type of contract for legal service without some kind of competitive tendering process. As a result, law firms are increasingly required to flex their marketing muscle in order to survive. Indeed, it has become vital for firms to closely monitor their pitching techniques to ensure that their proposals are still meeting, if not exceeding, clients’ requirements.

Regulars

The pitch doctor Free
The pitch doctor, PETER RUSH, provides a glimpse of why he finds pitching to be the most magic of marketing processes – and why he thinks everyone is hardwired to deliver successful pitches.

Forging the right links Free
The legal services marketplace is already seeing a growth in the number of strategically-generated merger discussions, and this momentum is expected to increase. To ensure that the right links are forged erquiers strong leadership, a clear strategic focus and ability to take a long-term investment perspective.

Is anybody listening? Free
Technology has enabled mass communication at a level never before experienced and many professional service firms are entering the fray at a time when the feedback from many clients is that ‘less is more’ and ‘quality must prevail over quantity’. However for many firms, the objective appears to be maximising the noise they create rather than relevant communication.

Q&A: All Change Free
As the Legal Services Bill gains royal assent, STEPHEN MAYSON, director as The Legal Services Policy Insitute, discusses the changing times ahead for law firms and what the Act means for marketing professionals.

Thought Leader Free
Reputation is an important motivating factor for firms and individuals to devise a clear strategy for professional development. The business case is based on Darwin’s ‘survival of the fittest’ principle. The incentive for lawyers to ensure their legal and technical expertise is updated and cutting edge – and to improve their ‘soft’ skills in order to deliver excellent client service – is based on reputation.