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Anyone who’s been paying attention to the legal landscape in recent years has likely already noticed the increasing number of law firms that are merging with other law offices in an effort to remain profitable while avoiding aggressive lay offs.  A. Harrison Barnes, attorney and LawCrossing.com founder says the proof is in the numbers.  In 2007, there were 54 law firm mergers in the U.S.  The following year, the total rose to 55 and by February 2009, there were 20 such mergers, which averaged out to more than two a week, with a new record being expected by year’s end.  So what’s it all about?

The LawCrossing.com founder offered a few explanations.  “The recession, a strong need to up the ante in billing rates and more large American firms facing lay offs of their associates are just a few of the reasons these mergers make sense on every level”.  Interestingly, since 2008, it’s the South that has seen more mergers and acquisitions than any other region.  In fact, in 2008, of the 55 law firms that were involved in these transactions, 22 of them were in the South and more specifically, the Southeast.  States such as Florida, South and North Carolina and Georgia are seeing a lot of these consolidations take place.

Another reason these practices are so attractive, says A. Harrison Barnes, is due to the “strength in numbers” concept.  Two firms might be succeeding, but when they come together, they often find they flourish.  Bringing two firms, each with its own clientele, has proven beneficial on many levels.  Clients are seeing these affirmations that their representation is on solid ground and making the right choices; that can only lend to more confidence in their legal firms.  Plus, it opens up the door for a new team of dynamic lawyers to come together as a team, each with his own specialty.  This makes it attractive for those big clients who have a wide spectrum of needs; it instills confidence.

While this might not mean new hires in the immediate future, it does position those firms into a much stronger perspective when the time comes that they do need to add associates.  “There’s no denying that the economy is on the mend; it’s just a much slower dance than anyone predicted and as a result, all sectors have had to revise their short term outlook and goals”, said Barnes.  “Once these firms are able to bring on new talent, it will be from a much stronger place that includes added benefits for both the firm and the associate”.

Many law offices are also considering what they can offer once merged.  Higher fees for specialized legal services are very attractive.  Clients like knowing that one firm can effectively handle all of his legal needs.  With more than 165,000 law firms in the United States, every advantage has the potential of being a powerful move that can make or break a firm.

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From the largest national firms to the solo practitioner, these days everyone has a website. Unfortunately, not everyone has a truly business development-driven website. Forget for a moment the world of technology…we challenge firms to use their online presence as more than just a showplace and focus on the words, the message and the BRANDING that can stimulate business development. Sure, visitors may be impressed with your tech-savvy but what makes them stay and read is good, clear, interesting content that reinforces your points of differentiation.

Websites are truly one of the easiest ways to give potential clients (and others) a good picture of who you are and what you do and have the added bonus of being easily updated on a moment’s notice. It is the only vehicle that can present up-to-the-minute information about what’s happening within your firm. Don’t let your site get carried away with the bells and whistles of technology… let it be driven by your brand message. Here are our top tips for making content the star of your site…

Stay True To Your Brand Nothing is more of a disconnect than a firm website that takes on an entirely new visual identity. Your site should reflect your firm, from the brochures and advertising to the overall personality (the lawyers, the office, the practice focus)—websites aren’t the time to try something new. Stay true to your tone, your color scheme, and your voice and remember: Repetition, Repetition, Repetition.

Be Clear About What You Do I can’t tell you how many law firm websites I’ve visited where it took me a few minutes to understand what they specialize in. Take the time to have a clear logo, full firm name and brief synopsis of what you do on the home page. Also be sure that your navigation bar is well organized and easily visible.

Be Concise But Informative Your firm website is a great place to expand on information you may have left out of other marketing materials, but be sure to edit yourself. Few people are looking to read pages of information so make use of graphic elements like pullout quotes, big words and powerful statements to get your brand message across. If you must go longer than two or three paragraphs consider using subheads between them to better organize the information. This will allow readers to scan the page and still understand your points of differentiation. Hook readers with a strong opening statement and make use of a “more” link for those who want to read on.

Make It Easy To Find You Don’t make potential clients (or even journalists and referral sources) search all over to find your contact information. Have a clear “Contact Us” button with all of the relevant information… including a phone number! In fact, we often advise clients to list their phone number on every page. For firms looking for publicity, you may consider a “newsroom” page listing contact information for your marketing director (or managing partner) as well as recent firm news and mentions.

Be Client-Friendly Think like the client. What would you like to know? That means keeping attorney bios clearly organized and easy-to-read; practice area descriptions free from legalese; and (once again) contact information clearly labeled and thorough. You might also consider adding a specific contact person for each practice area to allow clients instant access to the people they need. For firms in large cities it’s never a bad idea to include a map (or link to one) showing where your office is located as well as information on parking or other general tips.

Update Your Site Often Be honest when planning your site. If your firm events occur only once a year…don’t put up an events page. If you’re not able to keep up with blog posts… don’t add a blog. Be aware of what’s online and make the necessary adjustments—especially when it comes to personnel. Encourage attorneys to update their bios to include a new focus, new notable cases or new recognitions.

When it comes to your site the easiest way to ensure it’s kept on track is to designate one person to oversee all content—ask around the office, you may find an assistant or associate with a tech background or interest who will give the site the attention it needs. Another tool is to employ Google Analytics. Simple to set up, this service will let you see where your visitors are coming from and help you tailor your content to make the most of their time there. Whether you have 30 visitors or 30,000, in the end, taking 10 or 15 minutes a week (or even a month) to evaluate and update your firm website can make all the difference in the world.

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I was recently coaching an attorney at a small east coast law firm who was lamenting how slow new business has become in the past few months. As we talked, I asked him, as I ask dozens of attorneys every week, “What have you done in the past 3 months to build relationships with potential referral partners?” He mentioned going to lunch a few times and speaking with a couple over the phone when they made a referral to him.

I asked him to open up his Outlook contact database; there were more than 200 non-client contacts in it including: accountants, financial planners, angel investors, business brokers, and private investment bankers.

Here’s the 3 keys I shared with him to develop the relationships in his “golden Rolodex.”

Law Firm Marketing Key 1: When It Comes to Referral Relationships Take an Active Role

There is a Jewish saying “A man who has friends must show himself to be friendly.” Don’t wait for someone to take the initiative and contact you be the first to reach out. In the last few years we have coached and trained over 6,000 attorneys and the ones who are the best rainmakers are the ones who make at least 3-4 contacts with potential referral sources every week.

Action Step: Take 2 minutes and scan your contact list. Select 15 to 20 names of potential or current referral sources and send them an email or better yet, pick up the phone and call them with an invitation for lunch or coffee. Set a goal of having three face-to-face meetings per week for the next month.

Here’s a sample script: “It’s been a while since we’ve connected. I was wondering what your schedule looks like for the next week. I’d like to get together with you for lunch or coffee, just to catch up, my treat. Let me know what dates would work better for you.”

Law Firm Marketing Key 2: Increase the Frequency of Your Contact

Try as we might, it’s difficult with our hectic schedules to meet with every potential referral source on a regular basis. Here’s one strategy I teach lawyers: Set up a Google Alert for a specific phrase that would be of interest to your referral sources such as “becoming a rainmaker.”

Collect interesting articles and keep them in a separate folder (Referral Articles). Once a month pull one out, print off a bunch of copies and attach a brief handwritten note on each copy (“I thought you might enjoy this article.”). Enclose your business card and mail a copy of the article to all of your referral sources.

Several of my clients have doubled and tripled their referrals in 6 months using this simple technique to stay in front of his referral sources on a frequent basis. You can set up a Google alert at: www.google.com/alerts

Law Firm Marketing Key 3: Focus on Serving Not Selling

When you meet with referral sources don’t make the mistake of dominating the conversation. You are there to listen and learn, not hear yourself talk. Any attempt to sell them on your services will be a complete waste of your time and theirs.

Look for ways you can serve them and their clients by connecting them with other resources or pointing them in the right direction regarding a legal issue. Ask a lot of questions about their business. For example:

* How did you first get started in your line of work?

* What are some of the major trends in your industry?

* What kinds of challenges do you face?

* What do you like best/worst about your job?

* And here’s the most important question: How will I know if I’m talking to someone who’s a good referral for you?

Educate them about your Ideal Target Market and how you can benefit their clients only after you have carefully listened to them.

Attorneys who want to become top Rainmakers don’t wait for the door to knock or the phone to ring or the referral to come in. They take the initiative, stay in touch, and focus on serving their referral sources, not selling them a service. Remember, people will forget what you tell them. They may even forget your name, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

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You don’t want just any Albuquerque law firm to handle your personal injury case. It’s important with something that could impact your life, your future health, and your ability to provide for your family that you place your trust in hands that have the experience and skill to handle your case and see it through to the end.

Don’t be swayed by the biggest ad in the phone book or the slickest advertisement on television. Do the following things to help you find the law firm that is best suited to handle your personal injury claim.

Do a little investigating of your own. A law firm with multiple attorneys and a good deal of experience will enable you to benefit from the collective pool of education and experience that each attorney represents. This means that you have more people working to win your case and get you the compensation for your injuries that will help you pay medical costs, rehabilitation expenses, and make up for lost wages now and in the future as the result of your injuries.

Find out how many lawyers the firm has, what specialties are represented by the firm, and what kind of record they have when it comes to winning cases that go to trial and/or receiving settlements for their clients. You want an Albuquerque law firm with a winning track record.

Make your own “Fab Five” list and schedule a consultation with each of the firms on your list. This allows you to compare them against one another to see which one is a better fit for you. Interview the attorney who will be handling your case and see if you feel confident he or she will fight hardest for you. That is the most important thing to look for when finding an Albuquerque law firm for your personal injury case.

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The fact is that over 50% of all married couples will have or already have filed for divorce in Minnesota alone. If you are in this percentile for one reason or another and you have assets to protect, you know the value of hiring a good attorney to protect all that you have. Divorce itself is difficult, but when you have to fight for what is legally and technically yours it becomes even more traumatic. If you have a child from the marriage, the emotional stress you and the child go through is truly devastating. No child wants to see his or her parents separate, and they certainly don’t want to witness the parents fighting and shouting at one another over things they don’t understand. That’s why you need to contact an attorney who works for a stable MN Law Firm.

There are countless reasons why people get divorced. Infidelity, incompatibility, abuse in any form, and the list can go on and on. Sometimes there is no particular reason except that the parties involved just have nothing left to share and only want the marriage over with so they can move on with their life. Perhaps they were just too young when they got married. Whatever the reason for the dissolution of the marriage, you need legal representation, and the best way to get it is by calling a MN Law Firm to handle your case.

The MN Law Firm that you choose will be specialists in all aspects of divorce, and will be able to advise you accordingly as to where you stand and what you have to gain or lose. If you are a divorcing father, he or she will explain the terms of child and spousal support, and what you can expect to pay given the financial circumstances. Whether or not the family home is in question and who will live there, which parent will retain physical custody of the children involved, what kind of visitation rights either parent can expect will be discussed at length. If you have any doubts about the terms, now is the time to voice your concerns.

Often, the attorney will ask if there is any hope of the two parties reconciling. The MN Law Firm wants to do everything in their power to ensure the outcome of the divorce is amicable and that both parties are satisfied. This also means scheduling meetings between the two people involved and their respective legal advisors to see if there is any hope of saving the marriage before too much time elapses, and too much money has been spent. Legal representation can be quite costly to begin with, and even more so if the proceedings drag on. Before you contact an attorney, be absolutely sure this is what you want to do.

Brown Family Law is a MN Law Firm of divorce lawyers and attorneys focusing on Divorce and Family Law cases. Our attorneys represent clients throughout Minneapolis and the Twin Cities area. Call or contact us or visit our MN Law Firm Blog for information and guidance in contested divorce, uncontested divorce, child custody cases, child support, and more.

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Law firm internet marketing is important for all types of attorneys but is especially important for personal injury attorneys.  Lawyers in cities large and small are among the most searched for professionals online.  In fact hundreds or even thousands of potential clients are searching for attorneys every day in every city.

Potential clients are going online and searching for attorneys.  They are looking at the first two pages of results in Google, Yahoo and Bing and visiting the websites of the attorneys that come up.  They will make an appointment with one of those attorneys.  Law firm Internet marketing can make sure that your firm is under consideration.

There are different forms of online marketing for attorneys.  The most important ones to understand are: Search Engine Optimization (SEO);  Pay-Per-Click Campaigns (PPC); Online Public Relations (PR) and Social Media Marketing (SMM).

SEO is the most cost effective form of law firm Internet marketing.  SEO is group of tools and practices that get your website to naturally rank in search results when potential clients are looking for an attorney.  Consumers equate search ranking with quality so being highly ranked will help provide your firm with prestige in the eyes of those searching for an attorney.

PPC campaigns have more immediate results than SEO, however, unlike SEO, you have to pay a fee every time someone clicks on your ad in the sponsored section of the search results.  PPC also lacks the prestige of natural SEO rankings.  A PPC campaign should be temporary while an SEO campaign is undertaken.

Online public relations is a good form of law firm internet marketing because it can add consumer confidence.  As people search for an attorney and find articles and news stories that include the name of your law firm they will feel more confident in your abilities.  Press releases and articles distributed online will get your name in front of perspective clients.

Social Media Marketing, focusing on social bookmarking, can also get your firm seen by potential clients.  The more often people hear and see your firm name the more confident they will be in your abilities.

The most effective law firm Internet marketing includes a combination of these services.

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The Glimstedt Law Firm provides its services in Belarus from December, 2008. We represent one of the leading law firms in Sweden and the Baltic States. Glimstedt is famous for an outstanding quality service in many fields of the economic law, including the corporate, banking, regulation of the FEA field, regulation of the power-generating sector, privatization, and mergers and acquisitions.

The Glimstedt Law Firm has been set up as a partnership alliance of Lithuanian and Swedish lawyers. From the very start customers have reacted very positively to this combination of the Western service standards and local professionalism. In Belarus the firm continues to follow these traditions and refers to the knowledge and experience of its Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian, and Swedish partners.

We provide a comprehensive range of legal backing services in the field of business law. We advice a large variety of Belarusian and foreign customers, from multinational corporations to private individuals.

In our work we rely upon our own professional knowledge and skills and wide practical experience of our foreign partners who regularly act as legal advisors in the major commercial transactions across the Baltic countries and North Europe. The following statistics provides a glimpse of this experience: In Lithuania alone Glimstedt advised during all corporate merger transactions which involved the major banking institutions of the country (over 80% of the property of the banking sector of this country).

Our strength is both experienced foreign partners and well-trained, ambitious, and professional personnel. Most of our employees possess both legal education and professional qualification in the fields of economics and management. A number of employees have received or are receiving the speciality training in the Western educational institutions.

Services:
Company & commercial
Banking and finance
EU law
M&A
Taxation
Competition law
Privatisation
Insolvency and business restructuring
Intellectual property
Telecommunications and Information technology law
Advertising and media
Insurance
Litigation, arbitration, dispute resolution
Real estate and construction
International trade
Transportation law
Labour law

If your law firm marketing plan follows typical law firm marketing strategies employed by many other practices, you are failing miserably and you know it. Yet other firms out there have a steady stream of clients in and out of their offices. You see them every day: consistently busy and constantly entertaining new clients that afford them wardrobes of expensive suits and prestigious new sports cars.

You see them making it work; making their firm all it can be. You’ve got to do something to make your practice successful, too.

The accounting firm featured on the cover of the business journal in your waiting room is well-known nationwide. The CEO of that firm emerges from the elevator. Your heart leaps as he heads your way. Forget about it! He’s heading for the law firm down the hall, just they way they all do. You won’t even get a second glance.

Once again, you feel like shoving everything off of the coffee table with a frustrated swipe of your fists. You grit your teeth and glare at the neighboring law firm. What are they doing that you aren’t? You’re sick and tired of being out done, but don’t know how to fix it. Here are several law firm marketing mistakes you may be making and what you can do to fix them.

* You have failed to convince them of the value your service gives to them specifically. Solution: Go back and do more research on your target market’s “points of pain.” Use more of these in all of your conversations with prospects.

* They don’t trust you. Solution: Develop a list of specific things you can do to build your credibility. Examine your personal image: your clothes, your mannerisms, your listening skills. Analyze your business image: your office location, your office furniture, the quality of your stationary, your business cards, etc.

* They perceive your cost out weighs your value. Solution: Either temporarily

reduce your price or immediately find ways to significantly increase your

perceived value.

* They don’t believe your benefits or values because you haven’t demonstrated

them. Solution: Find a way to give them a FREE sample of your services.

* Their risk seems too great. Solution: Find creative ways to reduce or eliminate

the risk of working with you.

* They don’t feel like you listen to them. Solution: Stop talking so much during your presentation (lawyers often talk too much when they are either nervous or feeding their ego). Ask more questions. Develop a list of questions to ask prospects. Work on reading their body language. Use active listening skills and reflective feedback. Use the 25/75 Rule. A good attorney talks less than 25% of the time during the initial interview. They ask good questions and then listen 75% of the time. The interesting thing is that prospects will feel you are more competent the less you talk, the more you listen and the better your questions are.

* Prospects will not hire you when they don’t want you, don’t believe they need you or can’t afford you. Solution: Cut your losses and move on. They are

currently NOT in your target market.

If you are tired of buying the cheap suits off the bargain racks and driving the foreign economy car that gets great mileage and matches the car the old retired woman down the street drives, then do something about it! To be a winner you must act like a winner and that includes successful marketing techniques.

There are professional, skilled services out there that are in business to help you successfully employ law firm marketing strategies to make your practice a success. It is time you contact one to get the help you need.

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