Category: Legal Marketing

Don’t be Content with Subpar Content: Five Content Marketing Best Practices

In the past, we have outlined eMarketing best practices, integrating your eMarketing system with other marketing technology, and even discussed using artificial intelligence in your email marketing strategy. However, if you’ve got all the elements in place and your email marketing metrics are still disappointing, what else can you improve? Well, let’s address the 10,000-pound elephant in the room – your content.

For many law firms, content is typically written by lawyers. This can be a challenge because lawyers by trade, are legal writers – favoring a particular writing style that often is not favorable for eMarketing purposes. This leaves the marketing department to attempt to shape the content to make it as effective as possible.

So what is a marketer to do when faced with a partner who is convinced that posting 5,000 words (1,000 of which are footnotes) on the latest regulation change is the best way to communicate with clients and prospective clients? Here are five suggestions and talking points to help build consensus and buy-in for improving your firm’s publications and content marketing.

1. Best of the Bunch

Take a look at some of your firm’s recent publications by practice area. Are there one or two groups that consistently provide concise, well-written content that is not drowning in legalese? Next, it can be a good idea to look at their metrics. If their mailing list is in good shape, they should also have some of the best open and click-through rates at the firm.

These are the folks to hold up as examples of how to correctly write marketing content. Anyone who has been a marketer in a professional service firm knows that capitalizing on the competitive nature of professionals can be a powerful tool for changing behavior. If you can find one or two practices with superior metrics and can tie it to their content, then you have something to hold up as an example to the rest of the firm.

2. Train ’em Young

Today, associates have grown up with unparalleled access to the internet, email, Twitter (now X) and LinkedIn, so they get it. Firms should capitalize on the technology-savvy and sponge-like nature of the younger members and utilize them by creating content that resonates with their clients. They will likely already understand the importance of concise messaging as the key to effective communication.

3. Break Down Their Mailing Metrics

Lawyers tend to write for other lawyers. As marketers, we need them to write for people from all walks of life. Remember, many CEOs probably don’t have a JD. A quick analysis of their mailing lists may help persuade them that they are not just sending to other lawyers. It is important for lawyers who write to understand that well-written and relevant pieces are often the ones that are most likely to be circulated throughout companies.

Human resources and marketing, for example, are the two departments that are often the ‘beneficiaries’ of law firm alerts. Writing in heavy legalese can be counterproductive for these groups. For attorneys who are still hesitant to alter their writing style, remind them that lawyers also read newspapers, magazines, and even novels. Some of the most important and complex issues of our time, involving matters such as foreign policy, terrorism, taxes, the economy, and healthcare, are communicated every day in these publications—without the use of footnotes.

4. First Is Not Always Best

While it is important your clients know your firm is on top of recent developments, simply sending out a regurgitation of the new regulation doesn’t necessarily convey that your firm understands the impact of the law on the client’s business. Yes, you want your email on the topic to be among the first received, but there’s more to it. You need to demonstrate an understanding of the implications of the law by addressing questions like, “What does this mean for me? Do I need to be concerned? What can I do to prepare or minimize the risk for the company?”

Both speed and depth are important when it comes to content marketing. Get the alert out quickly and explain why it is important to your readers. Later, your lawyers can write a longer, in-depth piece for an outside publication which can also be forwarded to their mailing list.

5. Size Matters

65% of digital media consumption occurs on mobile devices. No one, including your own lawyers, would be inclined to read a 3,000-word piece on their iPhones, no matter how much time they have. The fact is, today’s professionals use their phones to consume quick-hit content – get in, get the jist, and get out, onto the next. This means we need to meet them where they are and produce similarly easy-to-digest content.

An excellent way to help dissuade your lawyers from writing lengthy, dense alerts, is to appeal to their billable hour. Long pieces take longer to write – when a piece half the size will not only take them half the time but ultimately increase readership by twice as much.

© Copyright 2024 CLIENTSFirst Consulting
by: Christina R. Fritsch JD of CLIENTSFirst Consulting
For more news on Content Marketing for Law Firms, visit the NLR Law Office Management section.

Why Lawyers Should Prioritize Business Development and Marketing in 2024 and Beyond

Simply being a great lawyer is not enough to be successful as a lawyer today. The modern lawyer must be a multifaceted professional, combining sharp legal expertise with savvy business development and strategic marketing acumen.

Whether you’re a partner or an associate, understanding and implementing effective marketing strategies is vital. It’s not just about attracting clients; it’s about building a robust personal brand, establishing a solid reputation and nurturing a network of valuable connections and referral sources.

In this blog post, I will explore essential tactics and innovative strategies that lawyers can employ to distinguish themselves, enhance their market position and build a sustainable and thriving practice in the legal industry.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING IN 2024 AND BEYOND FOR ASSOCIATES

For associates, learning how to master the art of business development and marketing early on is not just advantageous—it’s imperative. As you lay the foundation of your legal career, it’s crucial to pair your growing legal expertise with robust business development strategies and marketing acumen. These tips are designed to help you effectively build your brand, establish enduring professional relationships and position yourself as a subject matter expert – all of which are important as you embark on your legal career.

  1. Build Relationships Early: Start networking as soon as you enter the field. Attend industry seminars, join legal forums, trade associations and alumni groups, and stay active on Linkedin. Cultivate relationships not just with potential clients but also with mentors and peers. The connections you make early can become your most valuable assets.
  2. Develop a Niche: Specialize in an area of law that interests you. This specialization will help you stand out and attract specific clients. In addition, becoming an authority in a particular legal area can lead to more targeted and effective marketing opportunities.
  3. Mentorship and Learning: Seek mentors such as partners at the firm who your admire who can guide you in understanding the nuances of legal marketing and client relationship management. Learn from their experiences and insights. Being proactive in seeking knowledge and advice will accelerate your growth and confidence in navigating the complex world of legal marketing.
  4. Utilize Technology: Embrace legal tech solutions for efficiency and better client engagement. Understand and leverage social media and content marketing to enhance your online presence. Being tech-savvy can significantly increase your visibility and appeal to a broader client base.
  5. Consistent Personal Branding: Develop and maintain a consistent personal brand across all platforms. Your brand should reflect your professional values, expertise and the unique solutions you provide. A strong, consistent brand will make you memorable and help you stand out in a crowded market.
  6. Pro Bono and Community Service: Engage in pro bono work or community service related to your field. This not only will help you broaden you network but it will also contribute to your personal development, experience, commitment and compassion—qualities that are highly attractive to potential clients and employers.
  7. Feedback and Adaptability: Seek feedback regularly from peers, mentors and clients and be willing to adapt your strategies accordingly. The legal market is continually evolving, and so should your approach to business development and marketing.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING IN 2024 AND BEYOND FOR PARTNERS

As partners, your role extends beyond legal practice to shaping the firm’s strategic direction and business success. With extensive experience and a comprehensive network, you are in a prime position to influence growth and innovation. Here are some practical, impactful ways you can leverage your position to drive business development and market yourself and your firm effectively in an ever-evolving industry.

  1. Lead by Example: Encourage a culture of business development within the firm. Demonstrate your commitment by actively engaging in networking, speaking engagements and thought leadership. Your involvement sets a precedent and motivates junior lawyers to emulate these practices.
  2. Leverage Your Network: Your years in practice have earned you a vast and valuable network. Utilize your established connections for referrals, collaborations and strategic partnerships. Your reputation and relationships can significantly amplify business opportunities and open new doors for the firm.
  3. Innovate and Adapt: Stay abreast of the latest marketing trends, especially in digital marketing, and adapt them to fit the legal industry. Embrace new technologies and platforms to reach wider audiences and offer innovative solutions. Your willingness to innovate signifies a forward-thinking firm that’s prepared for future challenges.
  4. Strategic Client Relationship Management: Deepen relationships with key clients by providing bespoke, value-added services and regular engagement. Use your insights and experiences to anticipate their needs and offer solutions before they arise. Strong client relationships often lead to retention and referrals.
  5. Invest in Talent and Mentorship: Identify and nurture the next generation of lawyers in your firm. Provide mentorship and invest in their business development skills. Their growth will contribute to the firm’s legacy and ensure a steady stream of innovative leaders.
  6. Thought Leadership: Regularly publish articles, speak at industry events and participate in discussions that showcase your expertise and the firm’s capabilities. Thought leadership not only enhances your personal brand but also elevates the firm’s profile.
  7. Evaluate and Refine: Regularly assess the effectiveness of your business development and marketing strategies. Be open to refining approaches based on outcomes and industry changes. A flexible, results-oriented approach ensures that the firm stays competitive and relevant.

HOW TO OVERCOME DISCOMFORT IN MARKETING

You may find the marketing aspect of law somewhat out of your comfort zone. Overcoming this discomfort is crucial for personal growth and the firm’s success. Here are some strategies to ease into effective marketing and business development.

  1. Training and Workshops: Invest time in business development and marketing workshops tailored for lawyers. These workshops can provide valuable insights into the latest trends and techniques, making the process more approachable and less daunting.
  2. Start Small: If the thought of large networking events is overwhelming, begin with more manageable one-on-one meetings or small group gatherings. As you build confidence, gradually increase the size and scope of your engagements.
  3. Collaborate with Peers: Partner with colleagues on marketing initiatives. Collaborating can divide the workload, play to each person’s strengths and make the process more enjoyable and less intimidating.
  4. Mentorship and Coaching: Seek a mentor or coach who has successfully integrated marketing into their legal practice. Learning from their experiences and insights can demystify the process and provide practical steps to follow.
  5. Set Realistic Goals: Establish clear, achievable goals for your marketing efforts. Small victories can significantly boost your confidence and motivate you to tackle more ambitious projects.
  6. Reflect on Successes: Keep track of your progress and take the time to celebrate successes, no matter how small. Reflecting on positive outcomes can reinforce the value of your marketing efforts and diminish discomfort over time.
  7. Leverage Personal Interests: Incorporate your hobbies or interests into your networking and marketing strategies. Connecting over shared interests can make interactions more natural and less forced.
  8. Understand Your Audience: Spend time understanding the needs and preferences of your target audience. Tailoring your approach to what they find engaging can make your efforts feel more genuine and less like a chore.By incorporating these strategies into your routine, you can gradually overcome discomfort with marketing, turning it into a natural and rewarding extension of your professional activities. As you become more comfortable, your ability to effectively market yourself and your firm will undoubtedly grow, resulting in greater business success.

CONCLUSION

For lawyers at any stage, embracing business development and marketing is not an option but a necessity. It’s about building a personal brand, expanding your network and ensuring a steady stream of work. Marketing and business development are powerful tools that can significantly transform a lawyer’s career trajectory. By actively engaging in these practices, lawyers can:

  1. Enhance Visibility: Establishing a strong personal brand makes you more recognizable in the legal community, leading to increased trust and a higher likelihood of referrals.
  2. Expand Client Base: Effective marketing strategies attract a broader client base, including more lucrative and high-profile cases.
  3. Build a Reputation: Consistent business development efforts help in building a reputation as an expert in specific legal fields, making you the go-to lawyer for those particular matters.
  4. Foster Relationships: Through networking, lawyers can foster long-term relationships, not just with potential clients but also with other professionals who can provide referrals.

Key Takeaways

  1. It’s Never Too Early or Late: Whether you’re a junior lawyer or a seasoned partner, now is the right time to start focusing on business development and marketing.
  2. Consistency is Key: Regularly engage in networking, personal branding and strategic marketing efforts.
  3. Adapt and Evolve: Stay updated with the latest marketing trends and adapt them to your practice.
  4. Seek Support: If marketing doesn’t come naturally, seek training or collaborate with colleagues to ease into the practice.
  5. Measure Success: Keep track of your efforts and adjust your strategies based on what works best for you and your practice.
Copyright © 2023, Stefanie M. Marrone. All Rights Reserved.
For more news on Business Development and Marketing for Lawyers, please visit the NLR Law Office Management section.

10 Resolutions to Elevate Your Personal Brand in the New Year

Personal branding has become more than just a buzzword – it’s a crucial element of career success. As we embark on a new year, it’s essential to recognize the power of a well-crafted personal brand. It’s not just about making a mark in your industry; it’s about creating a distinct identity that resonates with your professional ethos and vision.

Every individual inherently has a personal brand. It’s an amalgamation of your skills, experiences and the impressions you leave on others.

Even without conscious effort, your interactions, online presence and professional accomplishments contribute to how you are perceived. This unintentional brand can impact your career and opportunities positively or negatively. Actively shaping your personal brand allows you to control this narrative, ensuring it aligns with your career goals and reflects your professional identity. Neglecting it means letting others define it for you, which might not always match your aspirations or values.

Building your personal brand can feel overwhelming, but with a strategic and thoughtful approach, this process can unlock doors to new opportunities and personal growth, allowing you to shape and share your unique professional story with the world.

This blog post will guide you through easy and effective strategies to build and enhance your personal brand, which will help set you apart from your peers and competitors.

  1. Define Your Unique Brand: Delve deep to articulate your core strengths, values and the distinctive qualities that set you apart in your industry. Reflect on your career highlights and how they shape your professional narrative. For what do you want to be known? Be clear.
  2. Ensure Consistent Messaging: Audit all your professional platforms to ensure they convey a unified story about who you are and what you offer. This includes everything from your LinkedIn bio to your website/website bio.
  3. Be Active on Social Media: Plan a content calendar to regularly share insights, engage with industry conversations and connect with thought leaders. Being active also means responding to comments and messages to foster connections.
  4. Create and Share Valuable Content: Consider starting a blog or a podcast, or contribute as a guest writer to industry publications. Share your experiences, case studies or lessons learned to provide real value to your audience.
  5. Network Actively: Attend industry events, webinars and workshops. Be proactive in reaching out for informational interviews or mentorship opportunities.
  6. Commit to Personal Development: Identify key areas for growth and seek out resources like online courses, books, podcasts or coaching. Staying updated with the latest industry trends is also crucial.
  7. Seek and Adapt to Feedback: Regularly seek feedback from peers, mentors or through professional assessments. Use this feedback to refine your brand and address any gaps.
  8. Maintain Professional Visual Branding: Invest in a professional headshot and ensure your visual branding (like color scheme, fonts, etc.) is professional and consistent across all platforms.
  9. Get Involved in Your Community: Align with causes or organizations that resonate with your personal values. Share these experiences on your platforms to show your commitment beyond work.
  10. Monitor Your Online Presence: Use free tools like Google Alerts to keep track of your digital footprint. Ensure that your online presence is positive and accurately reflects your personal brand.

To begin crafting your personal brand, start by reflecting on your unique skills, experiences and what differentiates you professionally. Set aside time each week to engage with your network, create content that showcases your expertise, and participate in relevant online discussions. Regularly update your professional profiles and assess the alignment of your online presence with your brand. This proactive and consistent effort will gradually build a strong, authentic personal brand.

These resolutions are more than just annual goals; they are commitments to ongoing personal and professional growth. Remember that visibility is each of our responsibility. By following these steps, you can significantly enhance your personal brand, making it a powerful tool in your career advancement.

Copyright © 2023, Stefanie M. Marrone. All Rights Reserved.
For more news on Building Your Personal Brand, visit the NLR Law Office Management section.

How to Harness the Power of Email Marketing in Law Firm Business Development

In an era where email remains a dominant communication tool, with billions of users and even more emails sent daily, law firms of all sizes can harness the power of email marketing for business development.

The return on investment is significant – $42 for every $1 spent – but this success hinges on the quality and relevance of the content shared.

For your email marketing program to be successful, you must provide your audiences with thoughtfully curated, value-added content. This is particularly crucial for smaller to mid-sized firms that might not have the same resources or volume of content as larger firms. By focusing on niche segmentation, these firms can use content marketing to effectively compete with larger entities.

The integration of emarketing systems with your CRM is vital. These systems not only facilitate efficient distribution of content but also provide invaluable data on content performance and audience engagement. Such insights are pivotal for making informed business development decisions.

Some smaller and mid-sized firms are already excelling, using tools like JD Supra to distribute their content and gain media attention. This strategy has allowed them to grow their audience and stand toe-to-toe with larger firms.

For email content, law firms should focus on sharing information that showcases their expertise and aligns with their clients’ interests. This can include legal updates, insights into regulatory changes, case studies and thought leadership articles. Practical advice, tips and guidance on current legal issues relevant to their client base are also valuable.

In addition, firms can share firm news, such as notable case wins, new hires or community involvement, to personalize their communication and strengthen relationships with their audience. The content should be informative, engaging, and, most importantly, relevant to the recipients to ensure it resonates and fosters stronger connections.

The message is clear: with strategic content and email marketing, backed by robust CRM and emarketing systems, any law firm can make a significant impact in today’s competitive landscape.

Key Takeaways

  • High ROI on Email Marketing: For every dollar spent, there’s an average return of $42, making email marketing highly effective for business development.
  • Content is Crucial: The success of email marketing depends on providing relevant and valuable content to your audience.
  • Impactful for Smaller Firms: Smaller to mid-sized law firms can leverage content marketing to compete with larger firms by targeting niche segments.
  • Integration with CRM: Utilizing emarketing systems integrated with CRM enhances content distribution and provides valuable engagement data.
  • Data-Driven Decisions: Analytics from emarketing systems help in making informed business development strategies based on content performance and audience engagement.
  • Leveling the Playing Field: Smaller firms can grow their audience and compete effectively by distributing content through platforms like JD Supra and gaining media attention.
© Copyright 2023 CLIENTSFirst Consulting
For more news on Email Marketing for Law Firms, visit the NLR Law Office Management section.

10 Content Marketing Best Practices to Implement Today

While many law firms are content producing powerhouses, pushing out alerts, social media posts and other information daily via the many distribution channels with which they engage their target audiences, they often fail to take the time to think about the how, what, when, where and why of the content they are creating and disseminating and how it will help/benefit their clients and other influential readers.

For example, do you ever feel as if you are a content machine who is just going through the content motions, following orders of those around you, because “that’s the way they’ve always done it,” or because you don’t want to question a partner or someone more senior to you?

If so, take a moment to give yourself a “content timeout” so you can really think about why you are doing what you are doing.

If it doesn’t make sense with your brand and business development goals, immediately change your course.

Taking the time to ensure that your content marketing strategy and your BD strategy are aligned will enable you to create more focused, strategic content that will better engage and resonate with your target audiences (more on this below).

Remember that the goal of content marketing is not just about populating your social media feeds with a steady stream of content.

Rather, the goal is to use content as a differentiator and a tool to help position you and your firm as a thought leader, which will help to keep you top of mind with key individuals.

Here are a few things you can do right away to take your content strategy to the next level to help you achieve these goals.

1 – Align your content strategy to your business development goals. I always say that every single person involved in legal marketing is a business development person regardless of your actual job title or function.

You must be focused on lead generation and business development in your position to really understand what the firm’s goals are, especially when it comes to content.

Aligning your content and social media strategy to your BD goals will enable you to choose the right practices and industries on which to focus.

You can then also use your analytics and competitive intelligence to help support your efforts (such as Google analytics, web site, social media and email stats, among others).

Remember, everything you do should be centered on bringing in business for the firm, including every single piece of content you create.

2 – Show vs. tell. Every piece of content you post should be value-added, helpful and client-centric. So, don’t just tell your clients why you are the best lawyers, show them. Think about how to demonstrate that you are a leader in your field versus telling someone.

Write  content with this concept in mind – from the highest-level thought leadership article to every social media post.

Think about “why should your clients care about this?” when crafting language.

Remember that most often, your clients are not lawyers, so throw the legalese and jargon out the window and put yourself in their shoes. Clients want to know who you are and how you can help them. It’s that simple.

3 – Reuse and repurpose everything. Think headshots, practice area images, previously published client alerts and articles.

Every image and piece of content you have can be used multiple times. For example, you can pull out an interesting statistic, create a word cloud, use icons or big numbers to bring important points to life, a quote or just tell the story in a different way, and voilà, it’s a different piece of content! Use an editorial calendar to help you track and manage the posts.

3 – Create once, publish everywhere (but adjust the message for the medium). Delving deeper into the point above, while you should leverage the social platforms most frequently used by your clients and prospects, don’t post the same exact content and image to LinkedIn that you would post to Twitter or Facebook or Instagram.

It’s very important that you demonstrate to your target audiences that you have mastery of the social media platforms that you are utilizing or else you are committing social media suicide. Incorrectly using a particular platform shows your audience that you lack critical social media skills.

Also, while it’s great if your firm has thousands of followers on LinkedIn and Twitter and the like, don’t forget that you also need to tap into the critical social networks of your lawyers to have maximum engagement.

Ensure that your lawyers are properly trained on how to effectively use LinkedIn to share and like content or else you will miss out on reaching their powerful networks!

4 – Use free online tools to gain a competitive edge. Working with mid-size firms with limited budgets, I often have to get resourceful. I use a lot of online free/low-cost tools to help me gain a competitive advantage over my peers.

Also, set up Google Alerts on your top clients and prospects. These are free and give you great insights into your clients. Arm yourself with as much information as you can and you will have an advantage over your competitors and demonstrate to your clients how much you care about their businesses.

4 – Use evergreen content to your advantage: Evergreen content is SEO-optimized content that doesn’t have an expiration date, or lose its relevancy and value over time. It is high-quality, helpful content that provides value whether it is read today, next week or a year from now.

So why is it called “evergreen?” The evergreen tree is a symbol of everlasting life because this type of tree keeps its leaves throughout the seasons, rather than shedding them. Like the trees, evergreen content is considered sustainable and lasting.

Creating an evergreen content strategy is easier than you think because you already have all of the content and most of the tools that you need. It just requires a little creative thinking on how to effectively repurpose them.

For example, content opportunities (and the visual assets that go along with them) such as lawyer bios, holidays, office openings, firm history, timeless client alerts, case studies on matters/practices, careers, professional development, pro bono and diversity, events, as well as information from transcripts can all be used to fill in content gaps in your editorial calendar.

5 – Incorporate visuals. Taking the point above a step further, I’m a firm believer that you should post nothing to social media without an image. Why? Because social media posts with images gain more views and engagement, period. Anyone can incorporate visuals into their social media strategy, you just need to be creative and resourceful.

You can easily reuse and repurpose images that you already have, and resize them using tools right on your smartphone. In addition, there are many photo and online design tools that enable you to create images for free or at a low cost such as canva.com and Picstitch that enable you to create visually arresting graphics to bring your social media posts to life.

For more low cost and even better – free! – tools that you can incorporate into your social media content strategy, take a look at my JD Supra article that explores 17 really cool martech tools that you should know about.

6 – Focus on the headlines. In order to stand out from the many emails that your in-house counsel receive each day and the countless social media posts they see clogging their feeds, you must create headlines and copy that will draw them in. We already talked about how to effectively use images in your posts, but we didn’t delve into headlines.

The subject lines/headlines of your emails (so client alerts, press releases, white papers, CLE programs and anything else that you send via email to clients/contacts) is the very first thing that they see and determines whether someones wants to open up your email – or not. So make them clear, actionable, short, succinct (and extra points if you can create a “how-to” or “why” piece or use numbers or a list format such as what I did with my title above). “Listcicles” are very popular ways of communicating complex information into digestible chunks.

  1. Network and share online: LinkedIn is the most important social media channel for law firm business development and professional networking. It enables you to quickly build and grow relationships so that you can bring in new business and referrals, build your brand and stay top of mind with key individuals in your professional network. So, use it smartly and use it often (meaning post and share value-added content, and engage meaningfully with your connections). I write a lot about how to maximize LinkedIn and use it effectively – see my latest JD Supra articles on LinkedIn profile basics and more advanced LinkedIn to-do’s – because I have never seen the platform directly lead to new business more than I have in the last year (hint – use the notifications section to give you reasons to be in touch with important contacts in your network – information is power here!).
  2. Think quality not quantity. I touched on this a bit above, but since it’s such an important point, I wanted to dedicate a bullet to it. The ultimate goal of content marketing is to drive readers to take action, preferably in the form of contacting and retaining your firm. So it’s not how often you post content to social media that makes a true impact, but rather what you say and how you say it. The quality not the quantity of your posts should always be your primary focus, and keeping that concept at the forefront of your content strategy will help to guide your overall efforts.

For all firms and lawyers, the goal of content marketing is lead generation and business development. How you get there is by building targeted relationships, staying top of mind, providing helpful content and consistently adding value.

Copyright © 2023, Stefanie M. Marrone. All Rights Reserved.
For more news on Content Marketing for Law Firms, visit the NLR Law Office Management section.

How to Grow Your Law Firm Blog & Attract More Clients

Despite what many marketers might have you believe, blogging is not dead – not even close. Blogging is still one of the best tools a business has for generating organic traffic, drumming up engagement, and improving customer retention.

And blogging works for law firms as well. Law firms can use blogging to share business updates, grow an email list, demonstrate thought leadership, and – yes – even attract new clients.

In this guide, we’re talking all about how to grow your law firm blog. We’ll share loads of tips for how to improve your blog’s SEO and draw in more clients!

What is a Blog, Really?

A blog is more than just a medium for sharing your thoughts with the online world – a common misconception. No, a blog is really a digital tool that people and businesses can use to generate traffic, grow an online community, attract customers, and so much more.

A blog is usually a scrolling feed of posts on your website. And while you may post on your blog once in a while, many law firms aren’t taking full advantage of the benefits a blog can bring for their business.

The (Many) Perks of Blogging for Law Firms

There are many benefits to keeping up with your law firm blog. It’s not just for optics! Having an active blog is a great way to increase traffic and capture the attention of potential clients.

Here are just a few of the (many) benefits of blogging for law firms:

  • Client education: Many people are confused about (or unaware) of their legal rights, or the intricacies of the legal process. You can use your blog to educate new and potential clients, helping them make informed decisions regarding their case.
  • Thought leadership: Blogging gives you a platform for showcasing your knowledge, sharing expertise, and demonstrating thought leadership. This can set you apart from your competitors and build trust with potential clients.
  • Organic traffic: Updating your blog with relevant content can boost your website’s search engine rankings, making it easier for potential clients to find you online.
  • Build loyalty: Foster a sense of loyalty with existing clients by sharing valuable, easy-to-understand insights regarding legal issues, processes, and solutions.
  • Lead generation: A well-written blog can act as a magnet for attracting potential clients. When readers find the content useful, they’re more likely to reach out to work with you.
  • Networking opportunities: Great blog content can get picked up by other publications and legal professionals, landing you speaking engagements, networking opportunities, referrals, and more.
  • Social media content: Blog articles can be repurposed and shared on social media, driving even more traffic back to your law firm’s website.
  • Brand identity: Blogging allows you to control your brand narrative, showcase your firm’s values, and talk about the topics that matter most to your audience.
  • Ethical fulfillment: Many jurisdictions encourage attorneys to provide public education. Blogging can be a way to fulfill this legal ethical obligation.

6 Tips for Growing Your Law Firm Blog

Ready to grow your law firm blog? If so, you’ll want to incorporate these tips. Learn more about SEO, audience engagement, copywriting, and more to see better results from your blog.

1. SET YOUR BLOGGING GOALS

Don’t skip this step! Many business owners jump into blogging without setting specific goals, which is a surefire way to end up burning out or getting frustrated that you aren’t seeing “results”.

You have to define what “results” means for you. Do you want more organic traffic? More form fills on your website? More shares on social media? Setting your goals matters!

There are other types of goals you can set as well. For example, you might set a goal to:

  • Post on your blog once per week
  • Land a guest posting opportunity on another legal blog
  • Generate 10 new backlinks to your website
  • Feature an industry leader on your blog
  • Learn how to create engaging blog graphics
  • Establish a social media sharing strategy for your blog

No matter the objective, it can be helpful to set goals because it will help you 1) determine the next steps you need to take, 2) recognize your wins along the way, 3) set a clear measure of success, and 4) stay motivated to keep blogging.

So, think about why blogging is important for your law firm and what you want to accomplish with your blogging strategy.

Brad Koffel had this to say about his law firm’s blogging strategy:

“At the top of the funnel are potential consumers of legal services who are doing their own research or they are simply interested in a topic. At the bottom of the funnel are prospective clients who are ready to retain a lawyer. Part of my firm’s DNA is offering valuable, timely experience-based information to these folks. At the very minimum we’ve helped someone without investing any additional labor or overhead. At the maximum, it generates a lead to our intake specialists while reinforcing our firm as a statewide leader in criminal defense.”

2. FIND YOUR BRAND VOICE

Don’t be like every other law firm blog out there. Instead, figure out what makes your law firm unique and how to incorporate that identity into your blog content.

For example, your law firm may be “small town” status and family-owned. Your blog should likely convey, then, a sense of familiarity, trust, and support.

Alternatively, your law firm may be high-charged, corporate, and ambitious. With that, your blog content might sound more direct and energetic.

Revisit your law firm’s mission statement (if you have one) or otherwise think about what makes your firm different from your competitors. Then, determine what you want your brand voice to sound like: corporate, friendly, professional, funny, animated, compassionate, etc.

Once you’ve established your brand voice, this will be the guidepost for crafting blog content that’s on-brand and suited for your target audience. It will help you stand out from other firms and build trust with potential clients, who come to know what makes your brand unique.

If you’re not great at writing, consider having someone on your team write the content or work with an experienced copywriter who can capture your brand’s voice in your blog.

Attorney Digger Earles has seen blogging pay off for his law firm in terms of SEO and conversions:

“We feature a combination of firm news and blog posts about specific issues people might experience after they have been injured. The blog posts targeting specific queries draw people to the website, and our firm news converts them when they are doing research on us, deciding between us and other law firms. Also, our domain ranking has consistently been higher than ever over the past month or so, at 36. We were averaging 31/32 in 2022.”

3. CREATE A BLOGGING PLAN

“Winging it” when it comes to your blog can lead to you wasting time (or money) creating content that doesn’t generate any results. While sometimes you get lucky, the best way to create consistent, traffic-generating content is to make a plan.

This starts with conducting keyword research to determine what topics your audience is searching for, relevant to your areas of expertise.

Tools like Semrush.com and Ahrefs.com allow you to search for topics, find relevant keywords, and see the search volume and competition level for each. For most firms, going after low competition, mid-to-high volume keywords is a safe bet.

Then, once you have a few select topics, you can line them up to create your blogging schedule.

For example, say you determine that you want to target the keywords “how to contest a will”, “file for child custody California”, “calculate child support payments”, and “legal rights of grandparents”. These keywords could be used for the following blog topics:

  • “How to Contest a Will and Testament – 5 Steps”
  • “4 Steps to Filing for Child Custody in California”
  • “How to Calculate Child Support Payments”
  • “Legal Rights of Grandparents in California: What You Need to Know”

Once you’ve established your target keywords and the associated blog titles, you can create a blogging schedule. This will vary depending on your bandwidth to create new content.

Here’s how one law firm is growing their blog by keeping up with a consistent schedule:

“To make DiBella Law Office’s blog a powerful lead generation tool we try to maintain a consistent posting schedule, promote it through various channels, and incorporate lead generation forms to capture visitor information. We try to showcase our firm’s expertise and engage with readers. We use our blog to try to establish trust, credibility, and a strong online presence, ultimately generating valuable leads in the legal industry.” – Chris DiBella, DiBella Law Office

Conducting keyword research before writing new posts will allow you to target topics that potential clients are actively searching for in Google. Then, with blogging SEO, you can attract these users and drive more potential clients to your website.

4. IMPLEMENT BLOGGING SEO BEST PRACTICES

You don’t have to be a law firm SEO expert to drive more traffic to your blog. All you need to do is implement the basics to ensure your blog posts are capable of being crawled and indexed by search engines.

When writing and optimizing a blog posts, here are the steps you should follow:

  • Craft a compelling title that includes your target keyword (or a close variation) to improve rankings and entice clicks
  • Write high-quality content that thoroughly covers your target topic and provides value to your audience
  • Organize your content with headings (H1, H2s, H3s, and H4s) to make your content easy to “scan” and “read” by search engines and users
  • Include relevant images, graphics, and/or videos to increase engagement
  • Add internal links to related content (blog posts or pages) on your website
  • Add external links to related (authoritative) sources, publications, or articles
  • Include a concise yet descriptive meta description that explains what your blog post is about
  • Add social sharing buttons to encourage readers to share your content on X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.
  • Proofread and edit your content for grammar, spelling, and tone of voice
  • Use a succinct but descriptive URL, ideally without “stop” words (e.g. “of”, “and”, “the”)

Of course, there are many more strategies for improving your law firm’s SEO, such as mobile optimization, Featured Snippets, and local optimization, so be sure to check out additional resources to support your overall strategy.

Here’s what these attorneys had to share about how blogging has benefited their businesses:

“At Vaughan & Vaughan we believe the answer to this question is pretty simple. As we approach every interaction, whether online, during a free consultation, or as we work on a case, we focus on providing real value in our services.” – Charles Vaughan, Vaughan & Vaughan

“Our blog emphasizes educational content tailored to Personal Injury cases, particularly for Georgia, empowering our audience with the knowledge needed for informed decisions. By addressing concerns and offering localized insights, we build trust and confidence, increasing conversion rates as potential clients feel better prepared to engage with our firm.” – Jody David, John Foy

“Blogging has helped enhance our firm’s online presence and credibility by providing valuable legal insights and information to our potential clients. It also helped establish our firm as an authority in our field, helping to attract and retain clients seeking our legal services.” – Michael Simmrin, Simmrin Law Group

“Blogging has been instrumental in helping my law firm reach a wider audience and connect with potential clients. By sharing informative articles and legal expertise, we’ve not only established ourselves as trusted authorities in our field but also fostered meaningful relationships with individuals seeking our legal services.” – Bob Goldwater, Birth Injury Lawyers Group

5. PROMOTE YOUR CONTENT ON OTHER PLATFORMS

While your goal may be to drive more organic traffic from search engines, why wait for this traffic when you could get traffic from other platforms as well? It’s best to have a social media sharing strategy so you can also get traffic from X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.

You can use graphic design tools like Canva.com to create custom graphics to share alongside your blog post on social media. You can even write your social media captions in advance, or use AI tools like ChatGPT to write social media copy for you!

When sharing your blog posts on social media, be sure to include an attention-grabbing caption and relevant hashtags.

Here’s an example of a social media caption for a law firm blog post:

“Navigating child custody laws can be complex and emotional. Dive into our latest blog post to demystify the process and know your rights as a parent. ✒️📖 #ChildCustody #FamilyLawInsights Click the link in our bio to read more about it!”

6. PUSH YOUR BLOG POSTS OUT TO YOUR EMAIL LIST

Another way to promote your blog is to share your latest posts out to your email list.

If you don’t already have an email list – don’t worry. You can also use your blog to GROW your email list by embedding an email signup form within your blog posts.

If you do have an email list, then you can use an email marketing tool like MailerLite to design email templates, write your email copy, schedule your emails, and check subscribes/unsubscribes. You can add links to your most recent blog posts, directing more users to your website.

You can also generate blog post ideas directly from your audience. Simply send out an email to your list asking subscribers what topics they care about or what questions they have. You can then turn these ideas into new blog posts!

Attorney Tom Anelli at DWI Tom uses his blog to speak to the interests of his target audience:

“I use blog posts to generate leads by knowing my audience and addressing their specific concerns with helpful content. I also select blog topics that are likely to engage comments and respond quickly, and in the past, I’ve offered free resources (like eBooks or guides) which require my readers to provide their contact information.”

Feel free to use this email template to generate more blog post ideas:

“Subject: We Want to Hear From You!

Dear [Recipient’s Name],

I hope this email finds you well. At [Law Firm’s Name], we’re constantly looking for ways to better serve our community and valued clients like you.

Our blog has always been a platform where we aim to provide insights, answer pressing questions, and shed light on the many facets of the legal world. As we plan our content for the upcoming months, we want to ensure it’s not only informative but also relevant to your needs.

And that’s where you come in!

We would love to hear from you about the topics, questions, or legal issues you’re most curious about. Whether it’s a deep dive into a specific law, tips for navigating certain legal processes, or just general legal advice, your input will be invaluable in guiding our content creation.

Kindly reply to this email with any suggestions or topics you’d like us to cover. Your feedback is the cornerstone of our commitment to continuous learning and sharing.

Thank you for being an essential part of the [Law Firm’s Name] community. We eagerly await your insights!

[Your Name]

[Law Firm’s Name]”

Make Your Law Firm Blog Work for You

Your law firm’s blog is a powerful tool for generating more organic traffic and leads. With SEO, you can capture the attention of people who are already searching for services like yours. With social media and email, you can drive more users to your blog and even attract new clients.

If you’re not keeping up with your blog, you may be missing out on more traffic and potential clients. By implementing a blogging plan, you can focus on creating better content (quality over quantity) and start seeing better results from your efforts.

It’s time to use your blog to grow your business. Implement the tips above to get more traffic, boost engagement, increase your authority, and draw in more clients!

Article by Jason Hennessey of Hennessey Digital

Copyright 2023 © Hennessey Digital
For more articles on legal marketing, visit the NLR Law Office Management section.

Consultant Time Tracking Apps: How to Make the Most of Them And What to Avoid

Legal time tracking software is great for law firms, but what about consultants and freelancers? Consultant time tracking apps should allow you to easily and accurately capture your time. If you find yourself guessing your time, you may be losing out on revenue.

Accurate and reliable time tracking is arguably the most important metric a consultant or freelancer can track. If not done properly, inaccurate time tracking can lead to billable leakage, poor utilization rates, decreased productivity, and poor performance in the long term. If you’re using a time tracking app and you have the following red flags, you may want to take note.

Time Tracking Habits to Avoid

Red Flag #1: You Must Enter Your Time Manually

A common issue with consultant time tracking apps is manual time entry. Many apps rely on users remembering to track their time accurately. This may seem like a reasonable expectation at first, but it doesn’t take into account the other tasks a legal professional needs to handle.

Multitasking is a frequent occurrence in the legal industry, but there is a point where it goes too far and ends up impacting performance. Manual timekeeping isn’t as easy as it seems.

To dive into the science of it, psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky coined the term planning fallacy in 1977. Planning fallacy, in short, is the psychological phenomenon where people are optimistic in guessing how long a task will take to complete, underestimating the true number.

Kahneman expands on this idea in his book, “Thinking Fast and Slow.” In the book, Kahneman states that we struggle with time estimation for two reasons:

  1. We don’t consider how long similar tasks have taken us in the past.
  2. We assume or fail to account for barriers, challenges, or complications that will delay our plans.

The planning fallacy affects individuals, groups, and entire organizations.

The trouble with this is the fact that consultants and their clients are often unaware of the problem. As optimism bias clouds our judgment, we fall into the trap of assuming that our tasks will go well.

Manual time tracking and entry forces consultants to make the mistakes discussed above. Consultants enter their projections ahead of time, ensuring that they neglect previous tasks and the amount of time taken to complete them. Or, they reconstruct their time from memory, losing a significant amount of revenue due to faulty judgment, errors in thinking, and inaccurate estimates.

In a perfect time tracking world, you should be able to start and stop your tracking, while the app measures the amount of time you’ve spent on a specific task or tasks automatically. You shouldn’t be forced to reconstruct or project time, which is a recipe for disaster.

Manual time entry has a direct impact on the amount of revenue you’re able to generate — even if you bill at a flat rate. This is why it’s so important to track time correctly.

You should be able to edit your time if you need to make changes, track meetings, and convert them to time entries automatically. Look for this in a mobile consultant time tracking app.

Red Flag #2: Uniform Time Tracking

Time tracking requires granularity.

In an ideal consultant time tracking app, you should be able to track billable vs. non-billable work automatically — track employees, contractors, and third-party time. You should be able to easily differentiate between the various types of timekeeping (e.g., tasks, projects, meetings, etc.).

Unfortunately, many consultant time tracking apps force users into a timekeeping model that may not be best for their business. This isn’t ideal, as it requires more time and attention when it’s time to analyze time entries for billing, invoicing, or internal analysis.

Red Flag #3: No reporting or analytics for consultant time tracking

There are lots of options for time tracking software consultants can use. However, many of these don’t provide management with the data and intel they need to make good decisions. Good legal time tracking software enables consultants to answer the following questions:

  1. Where are we losing the most time?
  2. Which employees are most productive, and why?
  3. Which employees are the least productive, and why?
  4. Which projects, clients, or tasks are most productive or profitable?
  5. Which projects, clients, or tasks are minimally productive and unprofitable?
  6. What is my profit per employee, partner, client, etc.?

Why are these questions important? They give your business the clarity you need to answer higher-level questions like:

  • How do we avoid unprofitable clients in the future?
  • How do we attract more of the clients we want and none of the clients we don’t like?
  • What 20 percent of projects produce 80 percent of our revenue?
  • What 20 percent of clients produce 80 percent of our headaches, conflict, or concerns?

These questions provide clarity.

However, a comprehensive look at your time entries isn’t enough. You’ll need to be able to break your reporting down into actionable, bite-sized chunks you can use to grow your consultancy.

Many time tracking apps are generalists in the sense that they provide you with a limited set of data on your team’s performance. They don’t provide you with the level of granularity and analysis your consultancy needs to grow.

Why Is Time Tracking Valuable for Consultants?

Time tracking is valuable for consultants because it can be easily translated to money. While many organizations feel they’re on top of their time tracking, this isn’t always the case. If your consultant time tracking app has any of the red flags I’ve mentioned, it may be time to switch.

These red flags lead to billable leakage, poor utilization rates, decreased productivity and poor performance over the long term.

Consultants need reliable time tracking software in order to run a productive business.

As a consultant, you’re busy. The software you use should simplify everyday tasks and keep your law firm running without the hassle.

©2006-2023, BILL4TIME. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Article by Bill4Time
For more articles on legal marketing, visit the NLR Law Office Management section.

Understanding Domain and IP Reputation in Email Deliverability

If you’re in the legal field, you’re well acquainted with the ways in which a good (or bad!) reputation can have an enormous impact on your practice’s success. Email deliverability is no different; mailbox providers (MBPs) use a variety of factors to determine what kind of reputation should be associated with your emails. Let’s break it down:

IP Reputation

An IP address is like a home address for your computer on the internet or local network, ensuring data sent from your computer reaches the correct destination and that data sent to you arrives at your computer.

When it comes to email, the IP address from which it originates is not just a technical detail—it carries a distinct reputation with it, much like a credit score. Just as lenders use credit scores to gauge the financial reliability of a person, MBPs evaluate an IP’s history to determine its trustworthiness. This reputation is shaped by different variables including:

  • Email volume and its consistency (or lack thereof)
  • Frequency of those emails being marked as spam
  • Bounce rates

If an IP address consistently sends out high-quality, relevant emails that recipients engage with, it’s much more likely to enjoy a positive reputation. On the flip side, its reputation can quickly plummet if it becomes associated with behaviors such as:

  • Sending large quantities of unsolicited email
  • High bounce rates
  • High frequency of spam complaints

A damaged IP reputation can have significant consequences that lead Email Service Providers (ESPs) to filter or block emails from that IP. This affects the sender’s ability to reach their intended audience effectively.

Domain Reputation

A domain, often recognized as a website or the web address, is a unique name that identifies a website or email address on the internet.

Every domain that sends email carries its own reputation, akin to a business’s standing in the community. This reputation is shaped by various behaviors and practices associated with the email you send:

  • Engagement
    • Mailbox providers want to see that your subscribers are engaged
    • They rely on hundreds of different signals to filter email, but engagement is heavily weighted.
    • Any time your subscribers show strong interest or engagement in your content, it’s a big win for your overall deliverability
  • Permission
    • Sending unsolicited email is a surefire way to harm your domain’s reputation
    • Unsolicited email is highly likely to result in spam complaints or even a spamtrap hit
    • Any domain associated with large numbers of spam complaints raises serious alarms for mailbox providers
  • Bounces
    • Large numbers of bounces can decrease trust in your domain
    • Because of this, it’s important to regularly curate and update your email lists Sending emails to old, unengaged, or invalid addresses often results in high bounce rates
    • List hygiene practices such as removing inactive subscribers or those who haven’t engaged in a long time are an effective preventative measure
  • History
    • Your domain’s email-sending history plays a significant role in its reputation
    • A consistent track record of sending high-quality, engaging emails can enhance your domain’s standing while any past transgressions, like sending to purchased lists or being flagged by spam traps, can linger and affect future deliverability
    • MBPs have a long memory, so it’s important to avoid these problems wherever possible
  • Authentication
    • Many inbox providers won’t accept your mail if it isn’t able to pass email authentication protocols like SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)
    • If you have a sending domain validated within Lawmatics, SPF and DKIM are automatically implemented when you add our CNAME records to your domain
    • However, if you remove or alter those records, there’s a good chance that authentication will fail and your mail will bounce
  • Blocklists
    • Having your domain listed on a blocklist can have a major effect on your deliverability
    • That being said, it’s worth noting that anyone can create a blocklist and not all of them are reputable or affect your email delivery

Ultimately, you and your firm play a major role in your domain’s reputation. Being mindful of the content you send, maintaining updated email lists, and engaging with your subscribers in a meaningful way aren’t just strategies to maintain a strong domain reputation; they’re essential steps to elevate your firm’s credibility. They also serve to enhance client engagement and secure consistent deliverability for your communications.

©2023 — Lawmatics
Article by Shay Paris of Lawmatics
For more articles on legal marketing, visit the NLR Law Office Management section.

March 2023 Legal Industry News Highlights: Law Firm Hiring News, Industry Awards and Recognition, and the Latest Updates in Diversity and Inclusion

Welcome back to another edition of the National Law Review’s legal industry news roundup. We hope you are remaining safe, happy, and healthy! Please read on below for the latest in law firm hiring and expansion news, key industry awards and recognition, and a spotlight on important diversity, equity, and inclusion updates!

Law Firm Hiring and Expansion

Joanna Horsnail has been named managing partner of Mayer Brown’s Chicago office, effective February 28, 2023. Her appointment marks the fourth consecutive female leader for the firm’s largest office. Ms. Horsnail’s practice has primarily focused on advising clients on key transformational deals, primarily in the City of Chicago and State of Illinois. Most notably, she counseled on the deal securing the James R. Thompson Center as the corporate headquarters for Google, and has also previously worked with the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, the Metropolitan Pier & Exposition Authority, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and other public and not-for-profit organizations.

“Joanna’s well-earned reputation for professional excellence, coupled with her outstanding profile in the Chicago community make her an exceptional choice to lead the office,” said firm chair Jon Van Gorp. “Her natural charisma, approachability as a mentor to many and vision for the office will make her an inspirational and hugely successful leader. I look forward to working closely with her to achieve the growth and development objectives that the firm has for this office, which is where I started my career at Mayer Brown.”

“I’m delighted to be named office managing partner,” said Ms. Horsnail. “I have such tremendous enthusiasm for both Mayer Brown and this office and look forward to guiding the office as we continue our success in Chicago.”

Morten Lund has joined Foley & Lardner’s San Diego office as an of counsel in the Finance Practice Group. Mr. Lund has more than 25 years of experience advising developers, lenders, investors, and other project participants and has extensive experience in the energy sector.

Mr. Lund’s practice has primarily focused on solar energy and energy storage projects. His range of project experience also includes wind energy projects, combustion generator projects, nuclear energy facilities, hydroelectric facilities, cogeneration facilities, chemical facilities, forestry/paper facilities, large aircraft, and shipping fleets. He earned his JD from Yale University.

Eversheds Sutherland has added Megan K. Hall to their Tax Practice Group as a partner. Ms. Hall, located in the firm’s Washington D.C. office, further strengthens the firm’s international tax capabilities, focusing chiefly on transactional matters, cross-border employment and global mobility. She has previously worked with clients including multinational corporations on international tax matters, including the tax aspects of acquisitions, mergers, internal restructurings and business formations.

“I’m very excited to welcome Megan to the team and know she will add depth to our international tax practice,” said Robert S. Chase, US Tax Practice Group Leader. “Megan’s familiarity with cross-border operational structures and the tax considerations relevant to operating a multinational business enhances the firm’s ability to support clients in an area of increased focus for international tax authorities. The firm’s global footprint will provide a unique opportunity to enhance support to her international network.”

Jeremiah Kelly and Justin Coen have joined Venable LLP as partners in the firm’s FDA Group. Mr. Kelly’s practice concentrates on the FDA’s complex regulatory framework, helping clients with product development, application, and compliance for drugs, biologics, medical devices, and combination products. Mr. Coen’s practice focuses on guiding companies through FDA regulations related to drug, biologic, and device development, advising them on every stage of product development and commercialization.

Claudia A. Lewis, a co-chair of the firm’s FDA Group, said, “Venable has established itself among the premier practices in the FDA regulatory space and is regularly called upon to handle a myriad of issues involving the development and marketing of products regulated by the FDA. With the addition of Jeremiah and Justin, our services now include robust legal capabilities for companies navigating the FDA regulatory framework to commercialize drugs, biologics, devices, and combination products, among other product categories.”

Legal Industry Awards and Recognition

Janet Wagner, principal in the Banking practice at Chuhak & Tecson, P.C., has been accepted as a fellow of the respected American College of Mortgage Attorneys (ACMA) for 2023. Fellows of ACMA, which is composed of lawyers in North America who are authorities in mortgage law, seeks to give back to their profession, improving and reforming laws and procedures affecting real estate secured transactions and raising the level of performance of lawyers practicing in this area. Candidates are recommended each year and are selected after thorough review of their qualifications and achievements.

Ms. Wagner primarily focuses her practice on banking and commercial financing transactions, providing key counsel to commercial banks, credit unions, institutional lenders, insurance companies and other lenders. Previously, she has represented lenders involving a variety of classes of real estate in states across the country on acquisitions, refinancing and construction loans.

The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) has named Lawrence J. Buckfire to their prestigious Preferred Attorneys Program. The objective of the Preferred Attorneys Program is to offer a credible, diverse listing of outstanding attorneys to be used as a resource for both referring attorneys and individuals with brain injury, their family members/caregivers, and others seeking legal counsel. BIAA Preferred Attorneys are selected for their demonstrated legal credentials and their knowledge of the physical, cognitive, emotional, and financial tolls a brain injury inflicts.

Mr. Buckfire has consistently demonstrated skill and ability in representing those affected by a brain injury. He is the lead trial attorney and managing partner at Buckfire & Buckfire, P.C. His practice focuses primarily on child lead paint poisoning, wrongful death, nursing home neglect, medical malpractice, and other serious injury cases.

Adam Beaudoin of Ward and Smith has been chosen to serve as President-Elect of the Board of Directors for the Community Associations Institute of North Carolina (CAI-NC). The Community Associations Institute seeks to promote and strengthen community associations, focusing on education and resources for homeowners, volunteers, and professional managers.

Mr. Beaudoin brings extensive experience to his new role with CAI-NC, having previously practiced community associations law for nearly two decades. He is the Co-Chair of Ward and Smith‘s Community Associations Practice Group, and he has been a CAI-NC member since 2006. He has presented at several local and national CAI events, served on the Legislative Action Committee, and was a board member prior to his election.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion News

Katten Health Care Partner and Deputy General Counsel Kenya Woodruff has been profiled as a Leader in Diversity by the Dallas Business Journal. Ms. Woodruff is the National Chair of Katten’s Diversity Committee Women’s Leadership Forum, where she leads efforts to provide women attorneys with the professional tools and support to take their rightful place as leaders in law.

“I’m particularly proud of the professional development programming we have offered through the Women’s Leadership Forum to help empower our female attorneys at the firm and give them the skills needed to advance in their careers,” says Ms. Woodruff.

Woodruff’s practice centers around the healthcare industry, where she uses her legal, business, and regulatory expertise to support successful clinical operations and corporate transactions. She has previously worked as Deputy General Counsel for Parkland Health & Hospital System and Privacy Officer for a publicly traded radiology company.

Three Barnes and Thornburg attorneys will represent the firm in two 2023 Leadership Council for Legal Diversity Programs. Adetayo Osuntogun, Partner at the D.C. office, will join LCLD’s Fellows Program, a year-long training program focused on relationship-building and leadership skill development. Indianapolis Associate Alyssa Hughes and Los Angeles Associate Mihran Yezbekyan are joining the LCLD Pathfinders Program, which gives early career professionals the chance to develop tools related to leadership, career development, and professional networking.

Mr. Osuntogun is an international trade law expert focused on helping businesses handle global commerce matters related to trade policy, customs, imports, economic sanctions, export laws, and more. He is active with Alpha Phi Alpha, the Diverse Associates Network, and the National Bar Association. Ms. Hughes, who The Best Lawyers in America listed as one of 2023’s “Ones to Watch,” works in the Litigation Department on matters related to government and internal investigations, corporate criminal defense, and general commercial disputes. Mr. Yezbekyan also works in the Litigation Department, handling product liability, mass torts, and consumer class actions. Outside of the office, he volunteers with the Los Angeles County Bar Association Judicial Elections Evaluation Committee.

“LCLD has been a long-standing partner of Barnes & Thornburg. Their pathfinder and fellow programs align with our mission to position all of our talent to win,” said Dawn R. Rosemond, firm diversity partner. “We know that these programs will only further elevate Adetayo, Alyssa and Mihran’s professional practice and presence.”

Stanley Blackmon, Partner at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings’ Birmingham office, has also been selected to be a 2023 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Fellow. The program will provide alumni networks, mentoring, accountability partners, leadership lunches, and class meetings to advance his legal diversity efforts and help others to do the same. LCLD Fellows are selected for their leadership, engagement, and commitment to diversity and inclusion, which Mr. Blackmon demonstrates through his active pro bono practice and involvement with the Birmingham Bar Association as President of the Young Lawyers’ Section, the Magic City Bar Association as an Executive Committee Member, the Alabama Standing Committee on Rules of Appellate Procedure, and the American Bar Association.

“We congratulate Stanley on his selection as an LCLD Fellow,” said Bradley Director of Inclusion and Diversity George D. Medlock, Jr. “Since Bradley joined LCLD in 2020, we have been proud to participate in and support the LCLD’s programs, which help prepare future generations of diverse talent for the highest positions of legal leadership.”

Article By Chandler Ford and Crissonna Tennison of The National Law Review / The National Law Forum LLC

For more legal marketing news, click here to visit the National Law Review.

Copyright ©2023 National Law Forum, LLC

January 2023 Legal Industry News Highlights: Law Firm Expansion and Promotions, Industry Awards and Achievements, and a Spotlight on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Legal Field

Welcome back to another edition of the National Law Review’s legal industry news roundup, including a focus on law firm hirings and expansions, noteworthy awards and accomplishments in the field, and the latest in DEI efforts across the industry. We hope you are remaining safe and healthy, and that your new year has started off strong!

Additionally, be sure to check out the latest episode of our legal news podcast, Legal News Reach. New episodes will be forthcoming in 2023!

Law Firm Hiring and Expansion

Jennifer L. Budner has joined Goldberg Segalla’s White Plains office as a member of the Civil Litigation and Trial group. Ms. Budner focuses her practice primarily on litigation and trial counseling, having specialized in personal injury and wrongful death litigation for more than 20 years. She has a great deal of experience handling high exposure labor and construction law matters, and has represented many different types of clients, including property owners and contractors, product manufacturers, and a variety of business owners in various employment and product liability law actions.

Mayer Brown has added partner Richard Snyder to the firm’s Antitrust & Competition practice in Washington DC. Mr. Snyder focuses his practice on civil antitrust litigation, having previously represented clients in both federal and state court, and having appeared regularly before the US Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission. He has a great deal of experience in many areas, including merger reviews, criminal antitrust investigations, and a variety of conduct matters.

“With increasing enforcement activity, Rich’s experience in successfully handling antitrust matters in strategic transactions and before various government agencies will be invaluable to our clients,” said William Stallings, co-leader of Mayer Brown’s global Antitrust & Competition practice.

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. and The Acta Group recently announced a number of noteworthy promotions within the firm:

  • Catherine M. Croke, DBA, has been named Director of Product Stewardship and Regulatory Affairs. Dr. Croke has decades of experience executing product stewardship and regulatory compliance programs in the field of chemicals and materials, formerly serving as Senior Advocacy and Compliance Manager with Evonik Corporation, Regulatory Affairs Manager for Arkema, and a Physical Science Technician with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
  • Irene M. O’Hara has joined B&C® Consortia Management, L.L.C. (BCCM) as a Consortium Manager. Ms. O’Hara’s specialty is in association management, including stakeholder engagement, project management, and external affairs. She has previously worked with the Association of Corporate Counsel, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, and the Smithsonian Institution’s Hirshhorn Museum.
  • Karin F. Baron, MSPH, has been named the Director of Hazard Communication and International Registration Strategy. With around 20 years’ experience in developing, implementing, and managing complex chemical regulatory compliance strategies, Ms. Baron primarily focuses her practice on navigating the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals, including classification, labeling, and authoring of compliant safety data sheets, as well as hazard and risk assessment.

Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner of B&C, President of Acta, and President of BCCM, said of the hirings, “Our growing team of experts reflects the diversity of our substantive skill set, our expanding client base, and our commitment to providing our clients with the best and most efficient team of legal, regulatory, and scientific experts available.”

OLIVARES has named two new partners to the firm: Rommy Morales and Jaime Rodríguez. Ms. Morales, who co-chairs the Patent Group at the firm, focuses her practice on prosecution and enforcement of pharmaceutical patents in Mexico. In addition to her wide array of experience counsel to national and international clients regarding the protection and enforcement of their intellectual property rights, she has also repeatedly obtained patents for complex biotechnological inventions that have not been protected elsewhere.

Mr. Rodriguez’s practice is focused on intellectual property and copyright law matters, with extensive experience in trademarks, unfair competition, and domain name dispute resolution. Since 2007, he has achieved a number of impressive litigation results at OLIVARES, and has continued to serve as a professor at various educational institutions in Mexico, as well as publishing a great many articles related to his practice and to intellectual property law in general.

“Our new partners exemplify the success that comes from dedication to the firm’s mission. We are all excited about what the future looks like with these new leaders with us,” said Sergio Olivares, managing partner of the firm.

Legal Industry Awards, Events, and Recognitions

Ward and Smith has been named a 2023 Data Privacy Week champion by the National Cybersecurity Alliance. A non-profit organization that seeks to create a more secure and interconnected world, the National Cybersecurity Alliance works to develop notable partnerships between governments and companies to foster the greater digital good. With the reception of this title, Ward and Smith has committed to upholding the important responsibility of protecting personal information and individual privacy.

“Privacy is a right that must be proactively safeguarded and protected,” said Angela Doughty, CIPP/US. “Data Privacy Week helps remind us of actions we can take now – before it’s too late- in order to ensure security against costly incidents and harm.”

Strassburger McKenna Gutnick & Gefsky attorney Alexis M. Wheeler has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Bethany Christian Services of Western Pennsylvania. Bethany Christian Services is a global non-profit organization that supports children and families with world-class social services. Ms. Wheeler, who first began working with the organization last year, has assisted by providing support for a transitional foster care facility, as well as providing long-term refugee foster care and refugee and immigrant resettlement services.

At Strassburger McKenna, Ms. Wheeler focuses her practice primarily on municipal law and real estate, and additionally works closely with the litigation practice group and the investigation practice group. Ms. Wheeler started with SMGG as a Law Clerk and was asked to join the firm as an Associate after graduation from law school.

Mark Brutzkus and Nick Rozansky of Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, LLP have been named to Thomson Reuters’ Top 100: 2023 Southern California Super Lawyers List. Thomson Reuters recognizes Super Lawyers each year in Southern California, a process that involves peer recommendations, independent research, and peer evaluations. The lawyers who excel in the Super Lawyers selection process are prominently recognized in the Top 100 list.

Mr. Brutzkus, a partner at the firm, primarily focuses his practice on representing consumer product companies in corporate, commercial, intellectual property, finance, transactional, and other matters. Mr. Rozansky, also a partner at the firm, works in both the Business Litigation and Trademark and Brand Protection Practice Groups. He represents clients in several industries, including fashion and apparel, jewelry, banking and finance, and consumer products.

The Legal Sales & Service Organization (LSSO), the leading industry association for law firm sales and legal service professionals, is beginning 2023 with the announcement of its 20th Anniversary Advisory Board and Editorial Board.

LSSO Co-Founder Silvia Coulter, a Principal of LawVision:

“These industry influencers are the right people at the right time for LSSO to build on its legacy, and together we can reflect on impact to date and act on plans for the future support of LSSO’s members and the broader legal community’s sales and service goals.”

LSSO launched two decades ago, as positions such as Chief Business Development Officer, Client Relationship Executive, Chief Strategy Officer, Director of Project Management, and Client Value Director did not exist inside law firms. Then and today, these roles are essential for any law firm to survive and thrive, and LSSO was formed to meet the unique needs of these roles in a law firm environment.

LSSO is well known in legal circles for annual RainDance Conference, which in 2023 will be held June 7 and 8 in Chicago, which features tactical discussions with senior business development and legal sales professionals, along with keynote speakers who are sought-after industry change agents, and veteran legal services executives.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Efforts

Twelve lawyers from Barnes & Thornburg have been named to the Lawyers of Color’ Law Firm Leaders publication:

  • Michelle N. Bradford, Partner, Co-Chair of Financial and Regulatory Litigation Practice Group
  • Michael A. Carrillo, Secretary of Management Committee and Managing Partner of Chicago Office
  • Jeff Davis, Of Counsel, Chair of Native American Law and Policy Practice Group
  • Roscoe C. Howard, Jr., Chair of Racial Justice Committee and Managing Partner of Washington, D.C., Office
  • Naomi Y. Kwang, Partner, Chair of Greater China and Southeast Asia Practice Group
  • Salvador P. LaViña, Partner, Chair of Real Estate Department
  • Alan K. Mills, Partner, Chair of Special Servicers Group and Co-Chair of Supply Chain Group
  • David Paragas, Partner, Co-Chair of Federal Relations Practice Group
  • Mari Yamamoto Regnier, Partner, Chair of Global Services-Japan Practice Group
  • Kristen L. Richer, Partner, Co-Chair of Consumer Class Action Defense Practice Group
  • Erika Weiss, Associate, Member of Legal Personnel Administration Committee
  • David A.W. Wong, Partner, Chair of Internet and Technology Group

Lawyers of Color is a national nonprofit dedicated to promoting diversity in the legal profession. The organization regularly recognizes noteworthy attorneys in the field through publications and conferences, seeking to advance democracy, equality, and inclusion in marginalized communities and the practice of law.

Michael D. Thomas, Principal at Jackson Lewis P.C., has been featured in the Los Angeles Times’ 2022 Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility magazine as a DEIA Visionary. The magazine seeks to highlight notable thought leaders in the California business community who place great emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion within their field. Mr. Thomas primarily focuses his practice on defending employers in state and federal wage and hour class actions, working in industries including manufacturing, retail, and hospitality.

“Michael’s longstanding efforts to promote and strengthen DEI policies throughout businesses in California are another affirmation of our commitment to these initiatives as a core value of the firm,” said Alison L. Lynch, the firm’s Orange County office managing principal. “We congratulate him on this recognition and look forward to his continued advocacy for a more inclusive workforce.”

Rebecca E. Shope, Partner and Labor, Employment and Benefits Regional Service Line Leader at Shumaker, has been named a 2023 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Fellow. Ms. Shope, who primarily practices in the fields of labor and employment, litigation, and family law, will be a part of the prestigious LCLD program, which since 2011 has sought to identify, train, and advance the next generation of leaders in the legal profession. The program provides participants with the opportunity to learn from top leaders in the legal profession, as well as experts in the fields of learning and development and executive coaching.

“Rebecca is an exceptional lawyer and future leader who joins a select group of experienced attorneys from diverse backgrounds who have been recognized for their leadership skills within their organizations and in the wider profession,” said Shumaker Partner and Diversity and Inclusion Committee Co-Chair Cheri Budzynski.

Article By Chandler Ford of The National Law Review / The National Law Forum LLC

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