Law Firm 4.0 Blog

Attention! Law Firm Marketers and MarTechs - 2019 ILTA survey is ready to take!

Content Pilot is proud to support the second annual ILTA Marketing Technology Survey. To complete the survey, click on this link or the link below. Your deadline to complete the survey is July 19, 2019 and it will take less than 20 minutes to complete.

In-house marketers: The survey is open to everyone, including folks who are not a member of the organization.  Please see the release from ILTA below for more information. I encourage you to have your firm complete the survey and share with others.  As stated below, the more participants, the better the data for all of us.  

 

                   

 

The 2019 ILTA Marketing Technology Survey is Ready!

 

For the second time ever – and because demand is sky-rocketing – ILTA has released its 2019 Marketing Technology Survey to further benchmark the state of our industry. You can access the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8CND9LR

Law firm marketing technology professionals, processes and tools have been increasing exponentially over recent years, and until last year, there had never been an industry-wide benchmarking survey or analysis done – well, we're doing it again!

Sponsored exclusively by Content Pilot, ILTA’s survey goals include:

• Learn what tools firms are using
• Identify what comprises a typical “marketing technology stack” by firm size in 2019
• Collect qualitative data that marketing tech professionals can leverage in their law firms and help them make more informed decisions
• Raise the profile of marketing technology within the industry and law firms

We know that marketing technology budgets are increasing, that new tools are being introduced each year and established systems have evolved to accommodate new needs. The survey results will shine a bright light on all of these things. We want to get as many firms to participate as possible over the next few weeks – firms of all sizes from all locations, regardless of whether you have a marketing department of one or 100. The more participants, the better the data for all of us. 

A few important answers to your questions:

• Who should complete this survey?A: The marketing technology leader in your firm.
• What if we don’t have a marketing tech person?A: The senior person in the marketing department should complete the survey, or the person who knows the most about the marketing technologies you deploy in your firm.
• We have several marketing tech people – can they all complete the survey?A: Just one respondent per firm, please.
• How long will this survey be live?A: The survey period is four weeks, ending on July 19.
• How much time will it take to complete?A: We estimate it will take 15-20 minutes to complete.
• When will the results be available?A: ILTA will publish a Marketing Technology White Paper this fall, which will include commentary and the results. Our goal is to have it in plenty of time for your budgeting season.
• Do I have to be a member of ILTA to participate?A: No – come one, come all!

Lawyers: Rethink your bios to meet clients where they are (and win more work)

How do clients buy? By category.

To set the stage for winning more, lawyers have to understand how business-to-business buyers of legal services make their purchasing decisions today. Corporations often segment their work based on:

• Category 1: Volume of repetitive matters (frequently referred to as commodity work);
• Category 2: Important day-to-day matters; and
• Category 3: Strategic, high end, or bet-the-company matters.

Today, they seldom hire one law firm to handle all three of these categories. Similarly, they consciously or subconsciously segment their outside counsel as fit to handle only one category of matters. The leaders of law firms that are in Category 1 want to go up-market, trying to sell Category 2 services to their clients. This is commonly rejected by clients, however, because (consciously or subconsciously) they have erected barriers that are difficult for the law firms to penetrate. Clients have boxed-in their law firms based on their (right or wrong) perceptions of them.

Category 2 law firms really want the plum Category 3 work – the highest end, most strategic matters. With rare exceptions, they won’t get it – and they will waste a lot of time and money going after work clients simply do not want to give them. Strategic planning and diligent positioning can alter clients’ perceptions, but it is virtually impossible to jump categories inside the confines of a client relationship, especially to jump from Category 1 to Category 3. Don’t waste your time. Focus instead on practice management and relationship and process improvements that will make your clients happy and loyal, and that will make the category of work you own as profitable as possible.

How else do clients buy? With emotion. 

For Category 2 and 3 work (and sometimes Category 1), buyers of legal services make their purchasing decisions on two levels. When they are considering hiring lawyers or firms, they create a shortlist of features they can intellectually evaluate – a lawyer’s expertise, experience, jurisdictional background, geographic suitability, fee arrangements, etc. These are all items they can check off a list. But when they are choosing the one lawyer or firm to hire, they are making an emotional decision, where they focus on how they feel about the lawyer – do I trust him? Do I like her? How would I feel if I got stuck on the tarmac next to my lawyer for five hours? Would it be painful? Or a party?

A friendly, familiar, conversational voice is important for your visitor to want to connect with you.

The two-levels of hiring – intellectual/technical and emotional – have been proven for more than 25 years, in thousands of interviews with corporate counsel and senior executives. Lawyers who live in their heads and who have impressive technical resumes may dismiss this research. But then they wonder why, when on the shortlist numerous times, they do not get chosen. This is why: with expertise and qualifications being equal (or perceived as equal), he or she isn’t as likeable as the person who got hired.

Your bio overview.

The first two attributes of Content Pilot's Ten Foundational Best Practice for a Professional's Biography are the following:

1. First 140 characters of the bio are current, compelling and relevant for SEO benefit. Count all letters, punctuation and spaces, and ensure that your most important keywords about your practice are appearing first. Avoid starting your bio like this: John Smith is a partner and chair of the labor and employment practice at ABCXYZ law firm. This is likely what will appear in Google and other search engine results when searching by that lawyer’s name. This information doesn’t move the needle in hiring – don’t waste this valuable real estate on your titles (your titles will appear elsewhere in your bio). Rather, tell what you do.
2. Overview paragraph – the first two to three sentences are descriptive of the work the lawyer does and the types of clients the lawyer represents. After the 140 characters, focus on enriching your bio with additional keywords, such as types of clients, industries, and subject matter strengths. If you are a noted expert in SEC enforcement matters, Family Medical Leave Act claims, or SBICs and BDCs, this is where it should live.

Then, create three-dimensional (3D) bios.

Based on the analytics that we track, more than 40-70% of  visitors are viewing your bio pages. Thus, your goal should be to keep visitors on your lawyer bios longer – and convert visitors to viewing more of them each visit. This is where the cash lives in your firm. Pour an extra cup of coffee and ask your web administrator or marketer to show you the Google Analytics for your website – see how many different lawyer bios any one visitor opens, and check the average length of time a visitor spends on them. Then, focus on improving this number and duration.  You should design and write your bios to accomplish this goal.

In the hundreds of client interviews we have conducted, here is what I have learned about how clients choose their lawyers.  In today’s landscape where competition among attorneys is stiff and it is harder to differentiate one from another, they must provide more insight into why they should be hired. Why are they the expert? What makes them the perfect fit for a client’s problem? You must prove you are the right fit, and there are three ways to do this. I call it “3-D Bios:”

1. Demonstrate expertise
2. Prove relevancy
3. Show humanity

All three “dimensions” must be present for lawyers’ biographies to work hard for them.

1. Demonstrate expertise:
1. Show specific experience: Remember the three questions: What have you done? For whom have you done it? What can you do for me?
2. Include client case studies or stories that prove what you know and your approach to getting things done. This often gets into how you did what you did, not just what you did.
3. Depending on the nature of your practice (for example, if you represent a lot of start-ups or technology companies), include client logos, with their permission, of course.
   
   
2. Prove relevancy:
1. Important keywords that are relevant to your practice should appear in the top 140 characters (characters, not words) of the bio overview. When someone is Googling, or otherwise searching for your name, it is important that the 140–150 characters that show up in the search engine description are those most relevant to your practice – and the expertise that people are buying from you – today. Consider the disconnect for your future buyer if you are supposed to be the expert in global trademark protection and your Google search description does not even mention it.
2. Feed current blog and Twitter posts into your bios. Social media that proves you are current and on top of the subject matter in your practice gives the people evaluating you comfort and confidence in your intellect and grasp of today’s issues.
3. Feature a book the lawyer has written – or something else notable, such as white papers, an important speech, a short video about a trending topic.
4. Design an infographic, which highlights trends in the lawyer’s practice or industry. For example, number of patents in the energy industry over a ten-year period of time, or a US map showing the number of states in which the lawyer has handled litigation.
   
   
3. Show humanity (to get hired, look for ways to short-cut the pathway to trust):
1. New lawyer photos – “magazine-style” (large format) photos that show personality and approachability. Some lawyers do not like getting their photos taken, so they use the same tired photo decade after decade. In today’s world of selfies, where current photos are pervasive, it is critical that the firm website posts current photos that actually look like the lawyers who work there.
2. Include a short video that tells a memorable story about a case and how you handled it. Of course, do not name a client name unless it is public record and you have your client’s permission, but do discuss unique issues or circumstances. For example, did the case come in at 8 p.m. on a Sunday night and the court filing was due Monday morning at 10?
3. Include an “after hours” tab or feature – content that describes the lawyer’s passions outside the office. This can include community board service, volunteer work, travel, sports and events, books you are reading, the fact that you are training for a triathlon, or your family and pets. Show how interesting you are!
4. Prove accessibility – include your mobile phone, assistant’s name/info, your team’s contact names/info (if you aren’t reachable, it ensures that your client has access to team members without you being a bottleneck), and instant messaging contact information. Law firm technology staff will sometimes prohibit instant messaging, but certain types of clients rely on it – and they want their lawyers to use it. 

Read these for strong examples of 3-D bios - congratulations and thanks to Texas law firm Gray Reed for these examples. Note the first-person introductions and the tab called "When I feel most at home," which ties directly to the firm's strategy and tagline, "Feel at home here."

 

https://www.grayreed.com/Our-People/W-Darrell-Armer 

 

 

 

https://www.grayreed.com/Our-People/Michael-A-Ackal-III

If your bios aren't delivering on all these important cylinders, they aren't working hard enough for you. There is definitely a new world order when it comes to hiring lawyers and how it’s done – let us help you position your lawyers so they are exactly in the right spot for future success. 

The 2018 ILTA Marketing Technology Survey is Ready!

May 17, 2018 - For the first time ever – and because demand is sky-rocketing – ILTA has released its 2018 Marketing Technology Survey to benchmark the state of our industry. You can access the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ILTAMarketingTechnologySurvey.

Law firm marketing technology professionals, processes and tools have been increasing exponentially over recent years, yet there has never been an industry-wide benchmarking survey or analysis done – until now.

Sponsored exclusively by Content Pilot, ILTA’s survey goals include:

• Learn what tools firms are using
• Identify what comprises a typical “marketing technology stack” by firm size in 2018
• Collect qualitative data that marketing tech professionals can leverage in their law firms
• Raise the profile of marketing technology within the industry and law firms

We know that marketing technology budgets are increasing, that new tools are being introduced each year and established systems have evolved to accommodate new needs. The survey results will shine a bright light on all of these things. We want to get as many firms to participate as possible over the next few weeks – firms of all sizes from all locations, regardless of whether you have a marketing department of one or 100. The more participants, the better the data for all of us.

A few important answers to your questions:

1. Who should complete this survey?
   1. The marketing technology leader in your firm.
2. What if we don’t have a marketing tech person?
   1. The senior person in the marketing department should complete the survey, or the person who knows the most about the marketing technologies you deploy in your firm.
3. We have several marketing tech people – can they all complete the survey?
   1. Just one respondent per firm, please.
4. How long will this survey be live?
   7. The survey period is three weeks, from May 17 to June 7.
5. How much time will it take to complete?
   1. We estimate it will take 15-20 minutes to complete.
6. When will the results be available?
   1. ILTA will publish a Marketing Technology White Paper, which will include commentary and the results. Our goal is to have it in plenty of time for your budgeting season.
7. Do I have to be a member of ILTA to participate?
   1. No – come one, come all!

Special thanks to:

• Our ILTA Marketing Technology Survey Task Force: Katy Admirand, Cheryl Disch, Jacqueline Madarang, Deborah McMurray, Sheila Mennis, and Nanette Morales.
• The Legal Marketing Association (LMA) for cross-promoting with ILTA on this important research project.

 

       

   

 

 

 

 

                                     
                    

Expert Insights: Modernizing the Legal Pitch Process - an eBook by HighQ

HighQ recently published an eBook, "Expert Insights: Modernising the Legal Pitch Process," for which I wrote a segment. My excerpt is below.

Buyers of legal services purchase on two levels – when they are formulating their short list, they are making a technical and intellectual evaluation – jurisdiction, particular expertise, experience, fee arrangements – things they can check off a list. But, when they are making their BUYING decision – to hire the one firm or lawyer – they are making an emotional decision – do I trust you, do I like you? How would I feel if I got stuck on the tarmac with you for 5 hours? (Would it be a pain or a party?)

To get hired, lawyers have to first prove that they can address the issues that most concern the clients intellectually. Then lawyers have to demonstrate likeability. They have to sell twice. And too many firms are failing the short list test, which means they will never get hired. Not understanding how buyers buy ensures that law firms are wasting their prospects’ valuable time.

This is where enterprise experience management and the right technology comes in. Here is a typical scenario:

A plum prospect asks a lawyer if his firm has expertise and depth in ABC subject matter in Ireland. The lawyer doesn’t know, so sends a firmwide email asking, “Does anyone know who does ABC law in Ireland?” Lawyers respond with a few matters that may or may not be relevant to what the prospect really needs. A pitch is hastily prepared for the prospect and it includes all the matters of the various lawyers who responded to the email, with little vetting for relevancy and currency.

Chances are, this firm won’t get hired. Clients are sick-and-tired of law firms and lawyers that waste their time pretending that they are qualified. A fully searchable enterprise experience database that houses a law firm’s matters is the only way to ensure that you are putting your firm’s best foot forward. Lawyers can not only search by Ireland and ABC law, but read the nuances of the matter (timing, cost), know the industries, the responsible lawyers, opposing counsel, other parties, currencies, etc. – unearthing details that might be highly valuable to this prospect.
Quick access to relevant experience is where the future cash lives in your law firm. The pitch process must start here – then using robust proposal technology to swiftly create a beautiful and tailored proposal is next step in designing a winning strategy.

You can download the whole eBook here.

Strategic Experience Databases in Law Firm Mergers - that's my 2017 prediction

I am always proud to be included in Dave Billinsky's legal industry predictions for the New Year.  His Thoughtful Law Blog is read by anyone who wants to improve the way they manage and run law firms and legal practices. Here is my submission as we look ahead to 2017 - with links to Dave's blog so you can read others' points of view in Parts 1, 2 and 3.

In 2017, I predict that experience databases will finally get the due they deserve as a vital cultural and integration tool in law firm mergers.

As mergers and combinations of all sizes continue to fuel law firm growth, effectively capturing what’s in the brains of your top lawyers becomes even more mission-critical. For these combinations to be successful and profitable as early as possible, what lawyers have done and for whom must easily be discovered and extracted – and then put to great use: building trust, demonstrating relevant expertise and selling new work. 

The most committed and aggressive firms have a mandate around experience collection and organization that starts with their firm chairs and executive committees. We have learned that top-down engagements have greater success than bottom-up.

100 percent of law firms want to manage this better. The firms that do it well give access to the lawyers – with a link to the experience database on their intranets, access to reporting features, even the ability to enter in details about a new matter. And lawyers who are serious about wanting to win more are accountable to keep their matter records current. Relevant, at-your-fingertips experience is critical to winning more practice-defining, or I should say, career-defining work.

In the very best systems (judged by the amount, quality, and relevance of data), lawyers are involved in the data-capture process in one way or another. To win more, this cannot be a marketing department “initiative” – it must have full support of and engagement by lawyers in the firm. And it must have active support from the firm’s C-suite or it won’t get done.

Trust doesn’t automatically transfer from one firm to another as soon as merger documents are inked. It gets a proven boost, however, when lawyers can instantly investigate the experience of their new colleagues, 24/7 and regardless of time zone.  This is a sure-fire way for key lawyers around the globe to trust the strength and qualifications of each new lateral, and for each one to feel embedded and valued in your firm.

http://thoughtfullaw.com/2016/12/07/2017-predictions-part-1/

http://thoughtfullaw.com/2016/12/12/2017-predictions-part-2/

http://thoughtfullaw.com/2016/12/27/2017-predictions-part-3/

Deborah McMurray is founder and CEO of Content Pilot LLC, a strategy, design, content and technology company. Clients include the largest law firms in the world, as well as national, regional and powerful local firms.  A former law firm CMO, Deborah and her team specialize in award-winning design of websites, proposal centers and experience databases, and important strategic initiatives, such as content strategy design and positioning/branding campaigns. In 2008, she was inducted into the Legal Marketing Association’s Hall of Fame and in 2007, was elected as a Fellow in the College of Law Practice Management. In December 2013, she was named as one of National Law Journal’s “2013 Top 50 Legal Business Trailblazers & Pioneers.”

The American Bar Association Law Practice Management section is publishing her 4^th book where she is co-author: Lawyer’s Guide to Marketing on the Internet, 4^th ed. – due out early 2017.  Read her Law Firm 4.0 Blog and follow her on Twitter at @ContentPilot.

Content Pilot Releases the Full Research Study and Report: "How do they Measure Up? 2016 Global 50 Law Firm Websites: Ten Foundational Best Practices"

DALLAS, TEXAS - Content Pilot LLC announced today that it is making public the results of its 6th comprehensive analysis of the websites of the largest law firms in the world, based on Ten Foundational Best Practices.  The 2016 AmLaw Global 50 law firms consist of 40 firms “headquartered” in the U.S., and ten firms in the United Kingdom. 

Content Pilot researchers reviewed 70 attributes for each of the 50 websites for a total of 3,500 total attributes. Websites that launched prior to July 1, 2016 were included in the Content Pilot study.  Prior Content Pilot research studies analyzed the AmLaw 100 firms – done in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2013. This is the first study and comprehensive White Paper that addresses the websites of these global powerhouse law firms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When asked about the results, Deborah McMurray, founder and CEO of Content Pilot, and Research Director for this project said, “There are a few great innovators – firms that have taken full advantage of their recent redesigns to step out of the pack in both design and content strategies. Yet, only one firm scored “Excellent” – Morgan Lewis (www.morganlewis.com), with a score of 85.4.” 

The websites of 23 firms ranked “Good” and the balance of the websites, 26, ranked “Poor.”  McMurray adds, “There is tremendous room for improvement.  Too many websites are broken from a visitor experience standpoint – in fact, most of them are.”

The White Paper, “How do they Measure up? 2016 Global 50 Websites: Ten Foundational Best Practices,” is a 120-page in-depth picture of Trends and Insights, Do’s and Don’ts, Stand-out Firms and Results for each of the 2016 Ten Foundational Best Practices. It also includes a two-page infographic, “How Well do the Global 50 Websites Communicate the Firms’ Global Growth Strategies and Messages?” – and a “Global Content Marketing Cheat Sheet” prepared by Leigh Dance, President of ELD International (who also served as Global Advisor to this project) and Deborah McMurray, CEO of Content Pilot.

Law firm leaders in firms of any size will have (1) access to data on how to create experiential pathways and journeys for the visitors they identify as “most important;” (2) a snapshot of how leading law firms are doing and an understanding of how their law firm can better compete in their chosen markets and sectors; and (3) a practical roadmap to view their websites more strategically and plan website investments with an eye toward getting a desired return.

Access the White Paper

Content Pilot is offering this White Paper at no cost. Clients of the company received an early preview of the White Paper and results, and it is now available to access  on the company website, http://www.contentpilot.net/Subscribe.

About Content Pilot

Content Pilot is a leading strategy, design, content and technology company headquartered in the U.S., and as such, it is constantly in search of innovations and best practices inside and outside the legal industry. Its clients are global, national, regional and local law firms and other professional services firms – specifically, people who sell their brains and experience for a living.  Content Pilot has three signature products: websites, proposal centers and experience databases.

Marketing Technology is the new Black – but success in a law firm requires some rules

I just spoke at the sold-out-standing-room-only LMA Tech Midwest (#LMATech) conference in Chicago. It was the first Legal Marketing Association tech conference held in the Midwest, but it followed in the very successful footsteps of its older brother, LMA Tech, which takes place in San Francisco each year.

The audience was comprised of hungry, passionate marketing tech and other legal marketing/business development professionals, and those providing services and products to this crowd. If you are interested in quickly immersing yourself in the terrific content, search for #LMATech on Twitter and read the seriously good nuggets consumed and shared by tweeting attendees.

I moderated a panel on experience management, “Demystify Experience Management and Turn it into one of your Most Powerful Allies,” with panelists: Mikala C. Stewart, Global Director of Business Intelligence and Global Director of Litigation Development for Kirkland & Ellis; Deborah R. Grabein, Director of Business Development for Andrews Kurth; and Adam Stock, Chief Marketing and Client Services Officer for Allen Matkins.

Our premise, which is fueled by both many years of experience and passion, was that experience management is one of the most strategic – yet paralyzing – “initiatives” in today’s law firm.  (See my earlier Law Firm 4.0 post, “Experience Management is not an ‘Initiative’ – it’s got to be in your Firm’s DNA.”) It’s a universal problem for firms of every size, but it’s obviously a more painful concern for global and other multi-office firms. 

Every law firm shares the same over-arching and unifying problem:  they all want to win more profitable work. And the only way to get on the short list to win more and better work is to quickly present a list of specific deals or cases with a lot of detail that is relevant to the buyer of the legal service.  Buyers want to know: what have you done, for whom you have done it and what you can do for them.  This formula is predictable and simple. You have to win this short list test before you can make it to the actual hiring phase.

Experience management requires the perfect marriage of marketing and information technology (and oftentimes finance, too).  For too many years, these functions in a law firm have been impenetrable silos, where the different races or classes seldom mix, let alone respecting each other’s contributions.  CRM started the need for convergence, but even that is typically managed exclusively by the marketing/business development team. However, building a strategic and powerful experience database requires a comfortable union between marketing and IT – and in the last few years, we’ve seen the rise of the hybrid and "bridge" professional – marketing technology specialists.

Harvard Business Review projects that by the end of 2016, 89% of large companies will have a Chief Marketing Technology Officer. Two years ago in an article called “The Rise of the Chief Marketing Technologist,” HBR quoted Gartner research that said, “… by 2017, a company’s chief marketing officer would be spending more on technology than its chief information officer was.” 

The HBR authors (Scott Brinker and Laura McLellan) wrote, “Acting as the connective tissue between different constituencies, these executives engage with four key stakeholders: the CMO and other senior marketing executives, the CIO and the IT organization, the broader marketing team, and outside software and service providers."

All fine and well, but how do they do that?  Ted McConnell, a featured contributor to Media Post OnlineSpin, in his June 23, 2016 post called “The Marketing Technology Culture Clash Prevention Guide,” describes the marketing technologist as: “scientist, marketer, tinker[er], politician – not exactly a typical skill mix.”  His next statement, “it’s hard to find people that can respect the old and imagine the new, but that’s what it takes,” precisely applies to law firms.  THIS is what’s required – and expected – of these marketing technologists in organizations where people sell their brains for a living. I might add “nerd” and “geek” to this list, a' well as “sales person.”

McConnell says, “You will need a big thinker to help identify the new opportunities, a diplomat to calm the waters, and a pilot to turn the ship. With luck, the triumvirate plays well together."  He devised a rule-book of sorts that speaks directly to every marketing technologist, which I have included in its entirety below.  Note to these MTs – if you are naturally more scientist than you are marketer, then you should identify the skills you must develop to elevate your role even further. Likewise, marketers – if you are a creative visionary, but behind when it comes to your geekiness, climb in and learn about the top software products and vendors, and how they can help save your sanity (and help your lawyers be more effective and competitive).

Ted McConnell’s rule book to bridging the cultural divide between marketing and IT is below.

1. “Do ban buzzwords. 'Analytics' is a way to describe any activity that might involve math. It does not describe a business outcome or process. 'We need analytics' is a poorly formed request, and 'We have analytics' is equally lame. Sharpen your vocabulary and insist that others do the same.
2. Do focus on the 'so what.' The most useful information feeds the processes closest to the place where decisions are made. Does IT know how communications planning or media buying decisions are made? Each side can guide the other. Be gentle.
3. Do calibrate risk to reality. The IT world is filled with Sarbanes-Oxley-driven horrors -- go-to-jail stuff. But I’m not aware of anyone who went to jail for a bad marketing decision, or sending an ad to the wrong person.
4. Do know the size of the prize. Is a claimed 20% efficiency improvement for an item that’s 10% of your budget worth falling on your sword for?
5. Don’t dismiss agency capability. Brands often look to their agencies to make the right decisions regarding creative and media. Most agencies have measurement people and analytic teams. Advertisers might need the internal IT people and the agency to collaborate -- which doesn't seem to happen very often. 
6. Do invest in talent. Top talent might come from either marketing or IT, or both, or from the outside. Require top talent, enable them with tools, and constrain them to solving your most important problems. Find practitioners. Take them under your wing. They come in all shapes and sizes.
7. Don’t boil the ocean. Systems thinking often leads to the urge to design the perfect machine. That’s dangerous. Get real-world experience with people, platforms, and agencies that already do this before designing your own thing. Plan to evolve. 
8. Don’t nod as though you understand if you don’t. The current level of misunderstanding (both ways) is significant.  Worse, the risks of getting a market wrong are significant. 
9. Apply startup rules. Fail early and often. Use 'minimum viable product' thinking. Be market-aware. Favor real world over PowerPoint.

"The people who can bridge the cultural divide are curious, eclectic, articulate, humble, and thoughtful. They might not speak up. They might not come in the package you are used to, but that’s a risk you can live with.”

I couldn’t be more excited about this development in our industry.

Content Pilot Announces "2016 Global 50 Law Firm Websites: Ten Foundational Best Practices"

Content Pilot announced that it has begun the research for its next study, "Global 50 Law Firm Websites: Ten Foundational Best Practices." This is the 6th such study, which focuses on identifying and establishing foundational best practices that matter to visitors, and that, based on client interviews, move the needle with buyers of legal services.

Deborah McMurray (that is, me) created the research in 2005, believing that the legal industry desperately needed a roadmap for improving law firm websites. Law firms were spending millions and millions of dollars on their sites and not making visitors any happier. I analyzed the then-AmLaw 100 firms based on ten Foundational Best Practices (FBP), each which had several defining attributes. These were selected based on broad web industry best practices, known expectations of visitors, and stated goals and desires of buyers of legal services.

After I founded Content Pilot in 2006, I transferred the responsibility of the research study to the company, and hired or recruited subject matter expert volunteers for different segments of the research. After the initial Study, Content Pilot has sponsored the last four AmLaw 100 studies, 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2013 – and there have been numerous articles and presentations about the research results for the Legal Marketing Association (LMA), ILTA, ALA, ABA, TerraLex, Lex Mundi and other organizations.  Content Pilot is a strategy, design, content and technology company that serves the legal industry and other professional services firms.

In 2016, we wanted to go even more global and see how the largest international firms are doing, so we are analyzing the AmLaw Global 50. The research will be conducted during June 2016 and the findings will be ready by September 1, 2016. Please email me at [email protected] if you want a free copy of the Executive Summary.

The Ten Foundational Best Practices change with each new study, as do the attributes under each one.  Although there are certain important features and functionality that remain constant from year to year; I have noted those by each FBP below.

The ultimate goal has always been to make visitors happier, have them spend longer on your site and to view more pages each visit.  Ultimately, the goal is for them to contact you with a specific question, issue or opportunity.  Your websites should drive revenue – and adhering to these Foundational Best Practices is one way to help that happen.

The AmLaw Global 50 law firms will be analyzed based on these 2016 Ten Foundational Best Practices:

1. Communicating your Message (in the #1 position on every previous study)
   1.  Clear and differentiating positioning strategy, feel and brand
   2. Practice and industry strengths are easy to see when you land on the site
   3. Geographic reach is obvious
   4. Contact information is easy to find, such as a link on each page
   5. Site features foreign language translations (enough detail in other languages & relevant coherent information)
      
      
2. Design (A part of every study, but the attributes are a mix of repeat and new)
   1.  Bold, distinctively branded layout and style
   2. Strong imagery reinforces and advances the firm brand and “story” - and is fresh and unique
   3. Site is responsive with deliberately designed views for phones, tablets and desktop
   4. The design is uncluttered and presents an intuitive information hierarchy
      
      
3. Navigation (Also a part of every study, but different defining attributes)
   1. Global and local navigation styles are consistent. The visitor doesn’t have to relearn new styles throughout the site
   2. It’s easy to navigate across multiple devices - the navigation remains intuitive and easy to use regardless of device
   3. The site does not use multiple expand/contract features that hide the most valuable content (i.e., experience)
   4. The site has a Global Footer with relevant clickable links
      
      
4. Professional Bios (Formerly called “Lawyer Bios,” but we have expanded it to include other important professionals)
   1. First 140 characters of the bio are current, compelling and relevant for SEO and reader benefit.  Is the reader immediately engaged in the meatiest content?   
   2. First 2-3 sentences of the Overview are descriptive of the lawyer’s practice, the type and size and industry sector of clients represented, and the geography of the practice
   3. Bio does not use Mr. or Ms. - it uses the lawyer’s first or nickname
   4. Photos are current and consistent - they convey personality...the firm’s and the lawyer’s
   5. Full contact information is easy to find
   6. The professional is highly accessible: social media links, email this page, print, vcard, they list their assistant/contact info
   7. Bios crosslink to practices/industries/news/events, etc.  Firms get points off if they list articles, etc. that don’t link.
   8. For lawyers and other timekeepers, bios include detailed experience/matter lists that are well organized with line breaks, sub-heads, etc. Avoids repetition of words and phrases, particularly at the beginning of bullet-points; e.g., Represented, Advised, etc.
   9. Page design supports elegant content organization that enables visitors to quickly scan and consume what they want - e.g., containers, boxes, heads and sub-heads, bullet lists, etc. No long, dense, unbroken blocks of text
   10. Associates and professional staff (such as the CFO, CMO, COO, etc.) have full biographies
       
       
5. Content (other than bios) (The same category as the 2013 Study, but with revised attributes)
   1. The content is visitor-focused - not “it’s all about me” - and is available in multiple languages (note how many languages per firm).  It also faces the client (e.g., describes benefits to the client, not just the firm’s features.)
   2. Page content has a clear information hierarchy and is well-organized for today’s scanning reader (i.e., uses sub-heads, bullet lists, containers and boxes, and the like).
   3. Practices and industries are broken out separately - by the services that clients buy. Geographic regions is a bonus.
   4. Service descriptions include experience specifics, including client locations, names or alias descriptions of clients (answering the questions: what have you done, for whom have you done it and where?)
   5. Video and multimedia content is featured, produced well and short
   6. The landing page for news/articles/events, etc., is well organized and easily sorted by topic, author, date. Nothing is listed that isn’t linked to a details page
   7. The site has a statement of core values that relate to clients, the profession and the markets the firm serves
   8. The site highlights its commitment to diversity and inclusion
   9. Charitable and civic commitment is described and evident. Does it highlight the leadership shown by the firm and its lawyers?
   10. Pro bono commitment is described in detail, highlighting stories and specific matters.
   11. Does the site use every landing page as an opportunity for value-to-client messaging?  For example, does the professionals page say something about the kinds and quality of the people who work there?  Does the contact us page say something about how accessible these people are?
       
       
6. Interactivity, Engagement and Social Outreach (This was added in the 2010 Study, but the attributes continue to evolve)
   1. Client extranet is offered and accessible.
   2. The site includes a link to an alumni community (LinkedIn or a separate website).
   3. Includes a newsletter subscribe feature, event registration, other sign-up opportunities.
   4. Links to firm/lawyer blogs on home page, bios, practice/industry and other relevant pages.
   5. Offers educational webinars, videos, podcasts
   6. Site links to social media sites and has an active/current presence on these sites.
   7. Share functionality is present throughout the site.
   8. Site offers PDF “Binder” or “Build a Brochure” functionality.
      
      
7. Site Search (A part of every Study, but the attributes have evolved as buyer expectations have changed)
   1. Site offers easy-to-find full-site keyword search.
   2. An advanced search link or option appears on all pages and enables visitors to narrow or refine the search in multiple ways.
   3. Search results are clear and well organized, and the most relevant categories (bios, experience) appear first.
   4. The site offers predictive, “did you mean,” highlighting search terms in annotated results, exact phrase searches.
   5. The site offers a separate experience search.
      
      
8. Site Optimization and Online Awareness (Also a part of every Study –  as search engine features change, so do our attributes)
   1. High quality backlinks and link relevancy throughout the site.
   2. Strong, properly structured HTML content on the home page and interior pages (H1, H2, H3, etc. for headings/subheadings, doc type, no image-based navigation or other text, etc.).
   3. There are content feeds from external sources (blogs, social media, videos, etc.)
   4. HTML sitemaps are present and include all pages organized in a clear hierarchy.
   5. Smart URLs with appropriate syntax are used in all sections.
   6. Page titles, meta-descriptions and natural keyword usage are used throughout the site.ww
   7. Images have alt tags that provide alternative text when images can’t be displayed.
   8. Tabbed bio and practice/industry pages all have the same page URL
   9. Utilizes correct schema mark-up throughout the site.
   10. Site speed: Fast page load - less than 4 seconds.
       
       
9. Mobility / Responsive (This was added in the 2013 Study – the question then was simply, “Is there a dedicated mobile site?” The AmLaw 100 average for this FBP in 2013 was 34.5 – some of the mobile sites were so poor that they scored low, even though the firms had them.)
   1. Brand integrity/personality is not lost on smaller devices.
   2. The user experience is superior regardless of device.
   3. There are intuitive, well-spaced navigation tools.
   4. Content and images resize correctly and information hierarchy is maintained.
   5. Mobile site is available in non-English languages - with the ability to return to English.
      
      
10. Site “Hygiene” and Usability (This has been the 10^th FBP since the very beginning, but the attributes have blossomed a bit since the 2013 Study.)
    1. Site functions perfectly on all the latest browsers.
    2. No error pages are found on spot check.
    3. No broken links or images are evident with spot check.
    4. Pages print and email easily.
    5. The site offers dynamic print to PDF option on most pages.
    6. Content has been checked for spelling.
    7. All appropriate domains are active, including https.
    8. The site meets the W3C Level 1 accessibility standards.

SCORING

Each attribute is scored on a 100-point scale and each attribute is reviewed and scored separately. For example, Site Hygiene and Usability has eight attributes - each will be scored, and then we will average those scores to get the total score for that Foundational Best Practice. Once each FBP has its average score, those will be added together, divided by 10 and that will be the law firm’s total score.

The scoring methodology and ranges have remained the same since the original 2005 Study.

• Excellent: 86-100
• Good:       71-85
• Fair:          50-70
• Poor:        26-49
• Unacceptable: 0-25

You might be interested in how law firms have fared in past studies -- not great, is the short answer.  The AmLaw 100 firms in the past five studies have had a lot of room for improvement. In the 2013 Study:

• 2% of the firms scored "Excellent"
• 23% scored "Good"
• 69% scored "Fair"
• 6% scored "Poor"
• And, no firms ranked as "Unacceptable"

We have our fingers crossed that the Global 50 websites will perform much better in the 2016 Study!

Special thanks to Leigh Dance, President of ELD International, who is serving as our global advisor.

When millennials become law firm leaders, how will they communicate to clients?

It's no surprise that millennials like to text. I do, too, and often I prefer it - and the more deliberate emailing - to speaking on the phone. It just depends on what I need to accomplish. My goal of effective communication (i.e., understanding and being understood) always trumps the medium - if it's a quick logistical issue that needs clarification, great. A quick text or email is perfect.  If there is a problem to solve, an opportunity about which to brainstorm, or if my fellow communicator simply prefers a phone call - the phone wins.

In a recent OpenMarket survey, conducted nationwide, which polled millennials on their communication preferences, it was found they have an overwhelming desire to text. According to the recap by Center for Media Research, which reported on this survey, "75% of responding millennials would rather lose the ability to talk versus text."

This infographic pretty much sums up how millennials feel:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are 77 million millennials in the U.S., now having surpassed the Baby Boomers as the largest population group. The brightest rising stars will run companies (or they already do) that hire law firms, and the millennial lawyers will soon become the largest population practicing law in their firms.  C0nsider these questions:

• What does their privileged client communication look like?  
• How do they form enduring client relationships where they can serve as the "trusted advisor" (the term that still so many lawyers hold up as the gold standard for their practices), when they find a voice call "disruptive?" 
• And, what do their clients do when they get the millennial lawyer's voicemail - leave a message knowing the call may never get returned?

The practice of law and delivery of services continues to evolve.  Just this week, Baker Hostetler announced that it has hired IBM's AI "Ross," the world's first artificially intelligent attorney, to be a part of its 50-lawyer bankruptcy team.  Artificial intelligence is coming fast, whether law firms are on board or not. Ross will monitor the law around the world and around the clock - something that's hard for even the most ambitious and sleep-deprived lawyers to do. Clients have to love this. 

And I imagine the millennials will love it, too. Ross is really the perfect millennial. No talking, just doing.

Experience Management is not an "initiative" - it's got to be in your firm's DNA

Here is a snapshot of how law firms approach the topic of "Experience Management:"

1. It's someone else's job - "Put a few people together from IT and marketing and see what you can come up with. Make a recommendation. Don't bother the lawyers."
2. Toe in the water - "See if you can find a willing practice group to be our guinea pig."
3. Sharing isn't mandatory - "I  don't want to share my matter list in case I leave the firm. (Or, because it's in such disarray, I'd be embarrassed if you saw it.)"
4. Paralysis - "We have everyone on board. We have no idea where to begin."
5. Inclusion - "We want to include every matter from the dawn of time."
6. Culture-fixer - "We want the experience database to bring lawyers together so they'll trust each other - so they'll finally cross-sell."

I could go on. 

We get asked a lot "Where do we begin?" For experience management NOT to be a flash-in-the-pan "initiative," it has to get the attention of the executive suite.  Not a casual glance, but serious attention. It has to be fully aligned with the firm strategy - whatever it is. Below are a few strategic goals and how experience management is aligned with each one.

1. Revenue growth - This is the most obvious and popular strategy. Without relevant experience to evaluate, buyers of legal services will not hire you.  It's that simple.
   
   
2. Institutionalize more clients (i.e., grow company relationships) - All firms want to represent organizations in more key areas.  To see where you can go, you have to understand where you've been. In terms of knowing all the work you've done in for this client - and getting a full picture of the relevant experience you've done in the targeted new practice areas. Other clients have benefited from your experience - how can you apply that to the clients you want to further institutionalize?
   
   
3. Build your reputation - There are literally over 1,000 directories and ranking organizations that evaluate law firms and lawyers. Aggregating experience across the firm in advance of the annual Chambers surveys is too often a fire drill, just to name the most ubiquitous one. (Why? We know it happens every year.)  Your experience must be elevating and comprehensive - it must be career defining for you to get the reputation boost you are seeking.  Strategically plan what you need to collect and create a habit of doing it all year long. 

Align with firm strategies first, then lock in your business purpose(s) for your experience database. How will you use it?

• Business development /use in pitches and proposals
• Provide data for surveys, rankings, directories
• Lateral hiring - to quickly integrate laterals into the firm and help your lawyers learn about their strengths
• Knowledge management / practice management / project management
• Other?

Remember that perfect is the enemy of good when it comes to experience management.  Too many firms are trying to build the perfect tool that does everything - and it never gets launched. Or, it's so unwieldy and complex that lawyers won't use it - and you've now blown your opportunity to build a strategic system that will support their revenue, relationship and reputation goals.  The "Marketoon" below was created by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne. We have been in meetings that looked just like this. Too often, it hinders and hurts the end result - resist the temptation to feature-stuff.

Experience Management | Marketoonist | Tom Fishburne

 

 

 

If you are interested in improving what you know about experience management, you might enjoy reading these posts:

http://lawfirm4-0.typepad.com/law_firm_40_blog/2013/01/experience-managementdatabases-best-practices-in-content-gathering.html

http://lawfirm4-0.typepad.com/law_firm_40_blog/2012/11/experience-management-and-databases-the-results-of-a-survey-of-cmos.html

http://lawfirm4-0.typepad.com/law_firm_40_blog/2012/01/experience-databases-if-you-build-it-will-they-come.html

http://lawfirm4-0.typepad.com/law_firm_40_blog/2010/07/do-you-know-what-you-dont-know-a-post-about-km.html

http://lawfirm4-0.typepad.com/law_firm_40_blog/2012/08/how-law-firms-can-grow-revenue-in-a-more-client-friendly-way.html