Law Firm 4.0 Blog

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.

Lawyers and CPAs - This January, resolve to make your bios move the needle - Make them 3-D

Doing anything that moves the needle is hard.  All the "I resolve to do this and that (eat more kale / break a sweat / cook more / drink less)" business requires so much diligence and determination that, by now, most resolutions are on the cutting room floor.  I used to have a cartoon on the magnetic face of an old file cabinet, "At least I am protected by the goodness of my intentions." You know what?  No, I'm not - and you aren't, either.  Good intentions do not move any needles.

According to the analytics we track, your website biographies are by far the most visited pages - averaging 40-70% of total visits.  What kind of an impression does your bio make on these visitors who are taking their valuable time to check you out?  Most biographies for lawyers and CPAs are stale, not engaging or dynamic, and don't tell a compelling and relevant story about what these people have done.  In the latest (2013) "AmLaw 100 Websites: Ten Foundational Best Practices" research study conducted and sponsored by Content Pilot, the AmLaw 100 firms scored 75 (or a mid-range Good) on a 100-point scale on the 4th Foundational Best Practice, "Lawyer Biographies." In the prior study (2010), they scored 66 or Fair. A good improvement, but every firm should score 100.

The attributes on which these firms - and on which you should measure your basic bio effectiveness - are:

1. First 150 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 the Google and other search engine results when searching by that lawyer’s name. These details are not important – don’t waste this valuable real estate on your titles (your titles will appear elsewhere in your bio). Rather, tell what you do for clients and who they are. The AmLaw firms’ average score was 77 out of 100 on this attribute.
2. Overview paragraph – first two to three sentences are descriptive of the work the lawyer does and the types of clients the lawyer represents. After the 150 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. The AmLaw average score was 84.
3. Bio does not use Mr. or Ms. Lastname throughout – it uses the lawyer’s first or nickname. What is more unfriendly than forcing a visitor to call you Mr. Schwartz or Ms. Davison? The AmLaw average score was 35. East coast, white-shoe firms are the biggest culprits in protecting this tradition.
4. Photos are current and convey personality. It is critically important that your photos look like your lawyers today, not 20 years ago. The AmLaw average was 87.
5. Full contact information for the lawyer is easy to find and links to a v-card. Make it easy for people to contact you. But – avoid the large, blinking buttons that scream “CALL ME!” Personal injury law firms often think these are a good idea – but they aren’t. The AmLaw firms do much better here than accounting firms – the AmLaw average was 100.
6. Bio includes links to the lawyer’s social media profiles and pages. This creates relationship “stickiness”. Understand your state bar rules about social media, but having the links on your bio page so visitors can easily connect with you is smart. The AmLaw average was 32. These firms are not taking advantage of the relationship leverage and syndication strength offered by social media.
7. Bios list and crosslink to practices/industries, articles/ news/ events. These encourage visitors to easily dig deeper into your qualifications. The AmLaw average was 84.
8. Bios include detailed experience and matter lists. The reason that bio views are so high in all the analytics is because buyers of legal services want to know what you have done, for whom, and what you can do for them. You must answer these questions before you can advance to the shortlist and ultimately get hired. Period. Use client names if you have permission to do so, and be as specific as your state bar rules allow. The AmLaw average was 74.
9. The page technology supports elegant content organization that enables visitors to quickly scan and access what they want (e.g., Ajax, jQuery, javascript). The AmLaw average was 93.
10. Associates have full biographies. It was a many-year trend for New York and certain other East coast firms to list associates’ names, but not include a bio for them. In client interviews, buyers complained about paying $600 per hour for a senior associate that they could not even find on the firm website! This has changed, and most firms now include them, with the AmLaw average being 88.

OK - these are the basics. Let's take it further.  Last year - for a panel presentation at the 2015 Legal Marketing Association conference in San Diego - I created a concept called the "3 Dimensional Bio" or "3-D Bio."  I swear that this is the answer (at least one of the answers, the start) to you being more successful in your business development in 2016.  Don't hesitate and don't delay.

Given that the majority of your visitors are going to these bio pages, a firm’s goal should be to keep visitors on your professionals' bios longer – and convert visitors to viewing more of them each visit. This is where the cash lives in your firm. Study Google Analytics or whatever tracking program you use and see how many different bios any one visitor opens, and check the average length of time a visitor spends on your bios. Then, focus on improving this number and duration.

In today’s landscape where competition among professionals is stiff, lawyers and CPAs 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.  Create "3-D Bios" and focus on the following:

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

All three “dimensions” must be present for your biography to work hard for you.

Dimension 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.

Dimension 2:  Prove relevancy:

1. Important keywords that are relevant to your practice should appear in the top 150 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.

Dimension 3:  Show humanity (to get hired, look for ways to short-cut the pathway to trust):

1. Shoot 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 8pm 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 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 and CPA firm technology staff will sometimes prohibit instant messaging, but certain types of clients rely on it – and they want their lawyers to use it.

If you want to move the needle early this year, change your bio by January 31. You still have 20 days. . . I am counting.

 

 

 

Website Case Study: Kaplan Kirsch - Not your typical law firm

Kaplan Kirsch & Rockwell is a 17-lawyer firm with a remarkable story to tell. Operating out of two offices in Denver and Washington, DC, lawyers’ work and clients span the U.S.  Kaplan Kirsch handles the legal work for the country’s most visible and important infrastructure, transportation and landmark projects. And, its competitors are among the nation's most prestigious law firms.

Peter Kirsch, a senior partner who was actively involved in the website redesign says, "The people who go to our website are not like most people who look for legal services. Most of our clients aren't lawyers – they are public officials. It was very important to us that we weren’t intimidating like lawyers can sometimes be." 

He continued, "We are not traditional lawyers – we don’t look at what we do in terms of legal disciplines. It was important to us that our clients be the focus.  On the new site, we wanted to convey the specific projects that we do – we didn't want to use any stock photos at all.

"Another piece that was very important – law firm web pages tend to be for everybody. Cluttery, hard to navigate, telling visitors 'whatever it is, we do it.'  We wanted to convey that we have a niche practice that is very deep, and it was essential that we convey this in a graphical way."

It was also clear to us in our planning sessions that Kaplan Kirsch is not a typical law firm. Lawyers are at the top of their fields in areas that are seamlessly connected: environmental law, airports (airspace, noise, safety/security, unmanned aircraft systems – and then all the usual things, such as labor/employment, litigation and bankruptcy), and everything related to rail, highways and transportation.

Content Pilot conducted a positioning strategy session and determined that, unlike most corporate law firms, Kaplan Kirsch is project-based, not legal discipline-based as Peter Kirsch notes above. That’s how clients buy their services and how they are organized.

Content Pilot identified a distinctive website strategy that lawyers immediately embraced: “Projects that keep life moving.” This led to our decision to highlight three global navigation areas: People, Projects, Practices, with less attention on a second level of navigation, which included About Us, Careers, News & Publications.  

The tagline, “Projects that keep life moving” lays the perfect foundation to showcase the beautiful client project photos; actual client projects are the backdrop for the lawyer photos, as well.
No law firm we know is organized around client work at a national level – this makes Kaplan Kirsch unique. The Practice descriptions are succinct, yet highly specific, so are also uniquely differentiating from other law firms – even those that might be competitors.

The home page before:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The new home page features a carousel of rotating high profile client projects, which are described inside the site under "Projects."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Firm Administrator Lorri Salyards, who served as internal project lead, tells how they obtained the unique project photos. "Some of the photos were taken by the clients themselves; others were taken by our photographer. A couple  were taken by other photographers and we purchased the rights to use them.  The photo of Last Dollar Ranch was taken by well known Colorado landscape photographer John Fielder."

Kaplan Kirsch lawyers are experts in their fields - we wanted to preview this, so the People landing page gives a snapshot of the types of projects on which the lawyers work. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The project descriptions are detailed and specific, but easy for a scanning reader to consume. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And everything is available - and the experience is equally good - on mobile devices, as well, because we used responsive web design (RWD).

   

       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peter Kirsch says "All the feedback we have gotten is positive. People say, 'Wow, that looks different!' or 'That’s unique. I have never seen a law firm website that looks like that.'  We wanted people to view us in a very different light. This website achieves that.

"We view our website as a reinforcement and an affirmation of who we are and what we do. If people have heard of us, they will go to the website - we want them to say, 'That’s what I hoped they would be like.'

"The reason we appreciated working with Content Pilot was they were people who a) listened, 2) seemed to understand what we were saying, and 3) understood how to implement the thoughts we had. Getting any one of those things is difficult when working with service providers - we didn’t think we could ever get all three."

 

Branding and Website Case Study: Louisiana Litigation Boutique Keogh Cox

Investing in smart strategy isn't just a big firm luxury. Increasingly, aggressive, ambitious boutique firms with a good story are spending time and money to design plans to make smarter short- and long-term choices. Keogh Cox, with one office in Baton Rouge, LA, is one such firm.

With a 45-year history, Keogh Cox & Wilson, Ltd. had never engaged in strategic marketing planning. The firm had good lawyers, loyal clients, a nice reputation in the community and Louisiana and Baton Rouge bar associations.  So why shake things up?  Because firm leaders thought they could be better.

That's the key. The best lawyers always want to improve, work smarter and make a bigger difference in their clients' lives. This also means ensuring that you are attracting clients that are the best fit for your expertise and experience.

Using the firm's retreat with Altman Weil as its inspiration and launch point, partner Chris Jones reached out to Content Pilot in August 2014, initially to focus on improving this Keogh Cox website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Content Pilot conducted a Ten Foundational  Best Practices audit of the site, which highlighted many areas of needed improvement. This motivated firm leaders to invest in and plan an overhaul of the site. At the same time, Content Pilot reviewed all firm marketing materials, advertising, budgets, website and SEO expenditures, and more - then conducted a positioning strategy meeting with firm leaders.  

Keogh Cox is a 21-lawyer litigation boutique, where lawyers of all ages and experience levels work closely together. They are aggressive advocates for local, regional and national clients who have difficult disputes in Louisiana.  It was clear in the positioning strategy session that lawyers have warm and important relationships with each other - there was lots of ribbing and laughing, but equal amounts of respect and reverence as they spoke about firm clients and partners' particular strengths and the high quality associates they were attracting.

Lawyers were unwavering in what they wanted to do and where they wanted to go. They have been known and want to continue to be known as a firm that successfully handles complex cases in Louisiana. Firm attorneys have many client successes to tell, and a feature of most of the new practice and industry descriptions is a series of short case studies.

The new brand strategy for Keogh Cox is: "The right ingredients for complex cases in Louisiana."  Capitalizing on how Louisiana is known for delicious food and spice, this "right ingredients" strategy is smart, especially as a reminder to out-of-state law firms who refer work to them, as well as clients in other parts of the U.S.

In addition, we recommended that the firm capitalize on its "street name," Keogh Cox, and get away from using the initials KCW.  You can see the former logo above on the website images - and here is our redesign - warm gray with a palette of curry and cayenne.

Speaking of spices, for years, Keogh Cox has private-labeled Leon's Original Cajun Seasoning, so the rebrand required a label redesign, as well.  Lawyers give the delicious spice concoction to clients, referral sources and friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The website launched in late July, and was a complete overhaul, including rewriting all lawyer bios and practice descriptions.  Content Pilot interviewed the lawyers to write unique bios that highlighted the energy, distinction and experience of each one.  Jenn Ocken Photography shot new lawyer photos that captured the personality of each lawyer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Likewise, we interviewed lawyers for each practice area, focusing on overviews that (like the bios) are search engine friendly, and are filled with important keywords for the scanning reader.  As noted above, experience highlights/client stories are the centerpiece of most descriptions - here is one example from Business Law and Litigation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The firm owns its building on a prominent corner in downtown Baton Rouge.  Partner Chris Jones, who functioned as "project manager" for the brand roll-out and website planning, said, "We are getting a lot of recognition where people are noticing our sign and building.  Also for the website, new lawyer photos and advertising. We are committed to this campaign - and know we are building for the future."

During the website debrief, I asked Chris what advice he would have for other boutiques that are ready for change - he said, "Everyone is happy with the new brand and website, and we didn’t have an unrealistic expectation that we would see immediate results. We have to sustain this. We do expect a return on it, but it will take continuous thought and discipline to do the right things - make the right choices.  We know that it will take time."

Keogh Cox did it right. Leaders didn't put their toe in the water, they demonstrated courage and commitment from the first meeting that never wavered. It was an honor and pleasure for the entire Content Pilot team to work with them.

 

 

 

 

 

"Lean Data" makes more sense for law firms than big data.

Big Data is getting bigger.  According to research firm IDC, big data services and technologies will grow at a compounded rate of 27%, exceeding $32 billion by 2017.  The greatest challenge is knowing how to make it work for us in a law firm - how can we learn from it, affect change with it, make progress and grow revenue?

Data pours in from new sources and channels every day.  Sifting through all the signals and noise is an enormous daily undertaking, and extracting insights (the proverbial needle in a haystack) that drive smart business decisions is more difficult by the hour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tom Fishburne's Marketoon shows how big data can "prove" almost any conclusion. Therein lies one of the greatest dangers: when the data set is so huge and your goals aren't clear, the data can tell you almost anything you want it to. 

I like "lean data" better. The Guardian says:

“The dirty secret of big data is that no algorithm can tell you what’s significant, or what it means. Data then becomes another problem for you to solve. A lean data approach suggests starting with questions relevant to your business and finding ways to answer them through data, rather than sifting through countless data sets."

Here are a few lean data opportunities for marketing and business development teams in law firms:

1. Google Analytics and other tracking of your website assets - what content drives longer visits to your site (e.g., video)
2. SEO statistics – how are you doing in your signature areas? How are you doing on trending topics?  Be specific in your improvement goals
3. Experience databases filled with intelligence about expertise, clients, qualifications
4. Litigation and corporate databases that reveal who else is representing your clients and for what (then do something about it)
5. Proposal win/loss analyses - why did you win? Lose? To whom and why?
6. Client loyalty interviews - use quantitative and qualitative questions
7. Financial data about your top 50 clients, then next 200 clients - what do the last 5 years tell you? Discover the stories in your numbers
8. Process improvement analysis – where can you streamline what you are doing, save time and get better results?
9. Track initiatives that are truly paying off and eliminate the ones that aren't

On the MediaPost Agency Daily (MAD) blog, Jason Harrison shares advice for marketers who want to be more effective in their data management in Making Sense of all that Data. Jason is the Founding CEO of Gain Theory.

1. Ask Answerable Questions - Don’t aim for something unattainable – start small and build small victories into something large. Don’t let the objective be “deal with Big Data” or something vague and unending.  
   
   With this approach, you’ll build capability, credibility and momentum, all while delivering better results. Then you will be better prepared to answer the big, ugly, complex questions your organization has been asking, like:  What is the long-term impact of our marketing on share price?
   
   
2. Free Your Data - Figure out where your key data lives and liberate it.  Take the opportunity to collaborate across the organization to unite seemingly disparate organizations and their data to see what connections can be made and what new questions can be asked and/or answered.  Build relationships with the stakeholders who control those data sets by creating a common set of goals right off the bat. In the end, you’ll need their partnership to build something meaningful and lasting.
   
   
3. Select Smart Partners - Work with a partner who will enable you to make progress quickly. Your partner should be your guide through the mountain, helping you navigate the data in jargon-free terms, simplifying the process while providing actionable options to deliver results quickly.  In delivering small, tangible results, you will be able to effectively manage internal stakeholder expectations.
   
   
4. Create SMART Data Goals - Just as you would set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely) goals for your staff, set similar goals for your data. This approach helps you avoid becoming swamped by your data and instead tackle it in small chunks. This means setting extremely pointed, quantifiable goals for your team that are clear, concise and understood by all. Then continue to check in on how you’re doing against them along the way to ensure you’re on track and not veering from your intended outcomes.

Embrace lean.

 

Law firms+data+marketers: the love-hate relationship between marketing and math

The first "marketing and math" presentation I gave was for the now-defunct Marketing Directors' Institute conference 15 or so years ago. It was, looking back on it, rudimentary - but it was a start. I told the law firm marketing audience to care about client and matter profitability, realization and billing rates, staffing ratios on particular types of matters, alternative fee arrangement scenarios (yes, even then), RPL, PPP, PPEP, and more.

Thank heavens, law firm marketing and business development has evolved to high levels of strategy, analysis and sophistication.  But, as this Marketoon from clever business illustrator Tom Fishburne illustrates, there is still a struggle. For some, data is akin to Brussel sprouts (wonderful!) and for others, data is akin to Brussel sprouts (horrifying!).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fishburne describes the conundrum as tension that exists between marketing and math. I think it's more black and white than that. Some days marketers love data and other days they hate it. Occasionally data works in our favor (i.e., supports our point of view - see "acceptance" in the illustration above), and sometimes it works completely against us - (see "anger" above).  

"Big Data" is getting bigger. According to research firm IDC, big data services and technologies will grow at a compounded rate of 27%, exceeding $32 billion by 2017.  The greatest challenge is knowing what to do with it:  How can we learn from it, affect change with it, make progress and grow revenue?

Because Big Data is intimidating and can be paralyzing, I like “Lean Data” better – it makes more sense for law firms.

The Guardian says: “The dirty secret of big data is that no algorithm can tell you what’s significant, or what it means. Data then becomes another problem for you to solve. A lean data approach suggests starting with questions relevant to your business and finding ways to answer them through data, rather than sifting through countless data sets.

Here are a few Lean Data opportunities for law firms:

• Google Analytics and other tracking of your website assets
• SEO statistics – how are you doing? Be specific in your improvement goals
• Experience databases filled with intelligence about expertise, clients, lawyer qualifications
• Litigation and corporate databases that reveal who else is representing your clients and for what (then do something about it)
• Client loyalty interviews - who else are these clients hiring and for what?
• Financial data about your top 50 clients, then next 200 clients
• Process improvement analyses – where can you streamline, save time and get better results?

This is just a start and the tools are readily available to most firms.  The key is to start - Roll up your sleeves and say, "I'm going to love me some Brussel sprouts today."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Richard Hsu connects with lawyer (a/k/a) celebrities in a unique way (Hsu Untied)

Writing my first blog post in 2015, I wanted to choose a topic that would have broad appeal.  I've written about technology/IP/M&A lawyer Richard Hsu several times.  The first time was nearly three years ago when I first read his definition of strategy. I'm including it here, because every New Year should start out with the hope and opportunity associated with smart strategy.

...On the other hand, technology strategy is not technology.  It is strategy.  And strategy’s half-life is more like plutonium:  what worked a thousand years ago works today, and will work in a thousand years....  Invest in understanding strategy now, and you will understand it just as well — probably even better [in the future.]  

This is part of a larger discussion about technology strategy, but it applies to every administrative department, capital investment or area of law in the law firm.

 

 

 

 

 

Richard is my favorite lawyer blogger, which is saying a lot given the thousands of them who pen posts about late-breaking developments in the law.  His "Hsu Tube" is also known as the "One Page Blog" - and therein lies part of its appeal.  He has mastered concise, and the art of effective and differentiated communication through clever animated illustrations drawn by his daughter, Maya. He narrates legal topics, such as "Handling IP Assets in M&A Transactions," while Maya proves that the maxim, "a picture is worth a thousand words," is true.  Her illustration style is similar to what you'd see in "Diary of a Wimpy Kid."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What you will also see on Hsu Tube, is Richard's latest offering, "Hsu Untied," a series of podcast interviews he conducts with lawyers about their burning passions and hobbies outside the office.  If you have some time on your hands, listen to the 31 episodes - each podcast is 10-16+ minutes long.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Recent podcasts have included:

1. Drew Shoals*, the drummer for the Grammy Award winning band, Train.  Drew had previously played with the lead singer of Train, Pat Monahan, prior to going to law school.  Despite having a successful legal career at Shearman & Sterling, when he got the call to join the band, he couldn’t say no. 
   
   https://soundcloud.com/hsu-untied/dshoals

2. Wayne Brown, Deputy General Counsel and Chief Intellectual Property Officer at Quest Diagnostics, who is a tournament chess player.  Wayne has a chess rating of “Expert” (top 5-10% of all tournament players) and has played competitive chess his entire life – in fact, he cannot remember a time when he did not know how to move the chess pieces.  Wayne discusses his lifelong passion for chess, including his favorite chess openings and how he started beating his dad when he was just in the 7th grade! 
   
   https://soundcloud.com/hsu-untied/wbrown
   
   
3. Liz Stone, a former litigator and now legal recruiter with the Dubin Group, who is also a standup comedienne.  Liz actually started doing “stand-up” after a couple of friends noticed her performing a wedding speech and after doing many “open mics,” she now performs at clubs like the San Francisco Punchline and Cobbs Comedy Club.  Although she enjoys what she currently does, she admits there is nothing more exhilarating — or terrifying — than trying to make an audience laugh. 
   
   https://soundcloud.com/hsu-untied/lstone

Richard shows us that successful lawyers are often well-rounded and interesting - and that they have a lot to talk  about that doesn't relate specifically to the practice of law.  

Let's get more of them talking.

Happy New Year!  Thank you for reading my blog!

 

Law firm innovation - Read the TED takeaways and 10 "Shark Tank" presentations from the 2014 Futures Conference

I am happy to share this "insider's" view of the 2014 Futures Conference at Suffolk University Law School October 16-17 in Boston.  Following Tom Sager's keynote, three TED-style speakers (Jeff Carr, Abe Geiger and Ron Staudt) each spoke for eight minutes, then 10 facilitated teams of attendees dispersed to classrooms to quickly distill what they heard and brainstorm innovative ideas about legal service delivery, access to justice and more.

On day two, we had three more TED talks (Ron Dolin, Carla Goldstein and Michael Mills), then the same 10 teams - with a different facilitator this time - had just 90 minutes to plan and design an innovation (a product, service, program or curriculum), and prepare and rehearse their elevator pitches and "Shark Tank" presentations to judges Susan Hackett, Josh Kubicki and Chris Marston.

When the teams returned to Room 295, the stadium-seating plenary room, I scribed a running Google Doc that was projected and served as the backdrop to all the team presentations while our other conference co-chairs Lisa Damon and Susan Duncan emceed and guided the discussions.

We are delighted to share this Google Doc Recap and the many brilliant ideas presented by Conference speakers and attendees.  

For more Futures Conference stories, presentations and ideas, continue reading:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20141020033559-1799087-old-dog-learns-new-tricks?trk=prof-post

http://lawfirm4-0.typepad.com/law_firm_40_blog/2014/10/still-buzzing-about-the-2014-futures-conference-at-suffolk-law-school-in-boston.html

http://blog.neotalogic.com/2014/10/26/whats-wrong-with-law-practice/

http://radicalconcepts.com/80/slides-law-practice-management/

http://deweybstrategic.blogspot.com/2014/10/shark-tank-law-and-decomplexification.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DeweyBStrategic+%28Dewey+B+Strategic%29

http://legalinformatics.wordpress.com/2014/10/19/colpm-futures-conference-2014-storify-links-and-resources/

http://www.attorneyatwork.com/five-future/

http://prismlegal.com/innovating-new-products-services-legal-market/

http://prismlegal.com/clients-will-need-future-legal-providers/

 

If you have a post that I missed, please alert me and I'll update this list. 

 

Still buzzing about the 2014 Futures Conference at Suffolk Law School in Boston

If you want a running commentary of the 2014 Futures Conference, search for #COLPM2014 on Twitter. It's an excellent, real-time, meat-of-the-matter summary of the six TED-style talks, Tom Sager's keynote, our ten facilitated breakout teams and their "Shark Tank" presentations to our judges.  The program was designed around innovative thinking - and there was plenty of it.  In fact, there was little time or room for today's ideas, because every session was focused on tomorrow.

Before I share this guest post from Jordan Furlong, which was originally published on the Attorney at Work blog, I want to thank several incredible people who brought ideas and thoughtfulness, vision, sweat and brilliant execution to this year's Futures Conference:

• Fellow co-chairs Lisa Damon (partner and National Chair of Seyfarth's Labor and Employment Department) and Susan Duncan (President and Founder of RainMaking Oasis) - it was an honor to work alongside these highly respected professionals and industry leaders. I learned a great deal from each of them.

 

 

 

 

 

2014 Futures Conference Co-Chairs Lisa Damon, Susan Duncan and Deborah McMurray

 

 

• College of Law Practice Management 2014 President Ron Staudt (Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Access to Justice & Technology, Chicago Kent School of Law) and President-Elect Maggie Callicrate (Chief Operating Officer of Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP). They brought reason, objectivity and leadership as we sought to create an event that not only served the College, but the legal industry.
  
  
• 20 facilitators who led rigorous, time-sensitive discussions comprised of 10-12 conference attendees that were also all smart, successful, comfortably verbal, pushing-the-envelope thinkers. Each team was tasked with designing and pitching an innovation (product, service, program or curriculum) to our fantastic Shark Tank Judges, Susan Hackett (CEO, Legal Executive Leadership), Josh Kubicki (Transformation Institute) and Chris Marston (Founder and CEO, Exemplar Companies).

"Shark Tank" Judges Josh Kubicki, Susan Hackett and Chris Marston

 

 

 

Our gifted facilitators included: Ida Abbott, Pat Lamb, Beth Cuzzone, Ron Friedman, Leigh Dance, Dave Hambourger, John Mayer, Catherine MacDonagh, Merry Neitlich, Catherine Moynihan, Karen MacKay, Jordan Furlong, Elonide Semmes, Marc Lauritsen, Steve Nelson, Silvia Silverstein, Andy Perlman, Silvia Coulter, and Mark Tamminga and Terri Gavulic.

• Our Keynote, Tom Sager, who after his storied career leading the DuPont legal department is now a partner at Ballard Spahr, and our six TED speakers:  Jeff Carr, former GC of FMC Technologies; Abe Geiger, CEO of ShakeLaw; Ron Staudt; Ron Dolin, Legal  Technologist and Fellow, Instructor of Law, Stanford University; Carla Goldstein, Associate GC and Director of Strategic Initiatives, BMO Financial Group; and Michael Mills, President and Chief Strategy Officer, Neota Logic.  
  
  All speakers provoked us and prodded us to quickly leave any complacency behind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TED speaker Abe Geiger, CEO, ShakeLaw

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Finally, special thanks go to new College of Law Practice Management inductee Andrew Perlman and Suffolk University Law School for being an extraordinary partner in our conference planning and execution.  Andy (professor of law and Director, Institute on Law Practice Technology and Innovation), this school and its students are inspiring, hopeful, hard-working and visionary. Andy was deeply involved in our planning, Suffolk hosted the conference, handling on-site special requests and last minute alterations. The facilities, faculty and students are all impressive.

 

 

 

 

Professor Andy Perlman and the winning Shark Tank team

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to Jordan Furlong and Attorney at Work for this guest blog post that effectively captures Futures Conrference highlights.

The College of Law Practice Management’s 2014 Futures Conference gathered more than 100 of the world’s leading authorities on the evolving practice of law at Suffolk University Law School in Boston and set them to work. Here are my five key takeaways from the year’s most impressive legal market conference.

1. The Trailblazer. Leading off the conference was keynote speaker Tom Sager, the legendary general counsel of DuPont who pioneered the DuPont Legal Model for anticipating, managing and executing his company’s legal issues. Sager, who recently stepped down from his longtime position to join Ballard Spahr, recounted the origins of the model and its core metrics (KPIs, compliance, efficiency and “best in class” status) that still resonate today.

Sager emphasized the model’s “fixation and focus” on using metrics, necessary to provide data that prove innovations are working and to lend credibility to the in-house team’s efforts among skeptics in the corporation. Today, the model has evolved to incorporate new DuPont Legal Lean Six criteria: agility, productivity and what Sager called specificity (which includes defining value, measuring outcomes and reducing risk).

It was startling to realize that Sager’s efforts began in 1992, virtually the Mesozoic Era in the development of sophisticated legal practices and processes. The DuPont Legal Model had virtually no competition for years, something that should remind today’s NewLaw providers that isolation is often the cost of innovation in this industry. And Sager had a sharp warning for the legal profession generally: “Non-lawyers” are poised to outnumber lawyers in legal market change discussions, and are critical (along with non-practicing lawyers) to the communication and effective implementation of new systems.

2. The Innovators. Three of the conference’s speakers demonstrated where the trail Sager helped blaze is leading. Abe Geiger, CEO of tablet-based contract sensation Shake, talked about the immense potential of “TinyLaw,” transactions that fall below the financial threshold for lawyers’ attention. He is squarely focused on consumers of legal products and strives to make everything “faster, cheaper, easier and prettier” for them. (The last is no joke: Shake takes user design seriously.) Geiger talked about “leapfrog” technologies that allowed modern users to access legal services in nontraditional ways. “If we can scale what lawyers do [and] use tech more effectively,” he said, “[there’s a] huge market that could be serviced, if the model was better.”

Michael Mills, CEO of Neota Logic, was perhaps the conference’s most frequently invoked name, as his expert application for answering legal and regulatory questions was adopted by many brainstormed startups (see No. 3 below). Expert systems, Mills explained, are everywhere, including the deceptively simple computer programs that do your taxes for you. Law is a series of rules, and rules can be coded. Why should we code law? Mills’s answer: Because it’s simply wrong that there is such a vast unmet need for legal services. Machine learning and predictive coding in e-discovery are only the beginning of technology’s impact on the legal system: Law is the ultimate digital product, and this will be borne out in time.

William Palin, a family lawyer in Cambridge, Mass., and a recent graduate of Suffolk Law School, made the biggest splash with a demonstration of PaperHealth, an iOS app that he built for creating a binding health-care directive on a mobile device. Palin, whose self-taught coding expertise was only months old when he created PaperHealth, won the ABA’s first Legal Hackathon (also held at Suffolk Law this past August) and is hard at work on more applications. The audience, made up of many of the leading lights in law practice management, was visibly impressed with the ease, speed and simplicity of PaperHealth (available free in the App Store).

3. The Shark Tank. The organizers of this year’s Futures Conference (Lisa Damon of Seyfarth Shaw, Susan Saltonstall Duncan of RainMaking Oasis, and Deborah McMurray of ContentPilot) hit the creativity jackpot. They divided attendees into 10 breakout groups and directed them to come up with ideas for an innovative new product or service to improve the effectiveness of some aspect of legal services delivery. Even better, waiting for the groups was a team of “Shark Tank-style” judges — Susan Hackett of Legal Executive Leadership, Josh Kubicki of the Legal Transformation Institute, and innovative Boston lawyer Christopher Marsten — ready to deal out real-world skepticism.

Many of the groups, completely independent of each other, came up with solutions to improve access to justice for lower- and middle-income people who cannot afford a lawyer’s help. These ranged from consumer-accessible kiosks to triage-style lead generation to a diagnostic tool to identify unrecognized legal needs. The judges rightly questioned many of these ideas on the grounds of financing issues, lawyer-centrism, or simply creating more work for an overburdened system. These reality checks, delivered with an unusual degree of directness, represented a refreshing change from the usual “brainstorming” of lovely ideas that wouldn’t really function in the real world.

The winning entry was an original solution to an under-publicized problem: the massive shortage of translation services in courthouses. The Courthouse Online Real-Time Translation Service, as presented by group spokesperson Prof. Andrew Perlman of Suffolk Law, offered a realistic solution by way of remote access to translators who could patch in to a hearing and provide translations effectively and affordably. The runner-up prize went to an initiative called Tenant Storm, an online service for tenants that combined landlord ratings, regulatory compliance and dispute resolution in an accessible package for the underserved landlord-tenant area of law: “Zillow” plus legal information and compliance, as presenters Liam Brown of Elevate Legal Services and John Alber of Bryan Cave described it.

4. The Host Law School. Suffolk University Law School became the latest legal educator to host the College’s Futures Conference, and its first appearance in the role seems unlikely to be its last. The school took the opportunity to showcase for the high-powered audience some of its many efforts to rethink and reconfigure the legal education process. (Disclosure: I hold the position of Legal Strategist in Residence at Suffolk Law and, along with Marc Lauritsen of Capstone Practice Systems, serve as Co-Chair of the school’s Institute for Law Practice Technology and Innovation. Marc and I each teach a course at Suffolk: Lawyering in the Age of Smart Machines, and 21st-Century Lawyering, respectively.)

Dean Camille Nelson addressed the attendees concerning the school’s focus on filling both the practice gap (between law school and law practice) and the justice gap (between everyday consumers and the legal system). Assistant Dean Ilene Seidman described Suffolk’s Accelerator to Practice Program, a three-year course of study and practice that prepares grads to join or start law practices that serve average-income individuals and families. The program actually includes a fee-generating law firm within the law school to train students to be competent lawyers within three years.

Prof. Perlman, who heads the LPTI Institute, reminded the audience that very little has changed about legal education since the days of Christopher Langdell: “We still train law students to look backward, for bespoke legal work; that’s not how most legal services are delivered today.” In addition to the school’s other projects, the Institute partnered with Kia Motors in-house counsel D. Casey Flaherty to create an online and widely available version of Flaherty’s Legal Tech Audit. (Versions for legal businesses and a free version for law schools are available here.)

Next year’s host, Chicago-Kent College of Law, looks ready to take the baton from Suffolk and continue to further and publicize the legal education reform process

5. The Focus on the User. Most legal conferences, perhaps unsurprisingly, are about lawyers, even those that are geared toward anticipating and adjusting to the future. The standout feature of the 2014 Futures Conference, for me, was the unrelenting focus on legal system users, including both current clients and potential recipients of legal assistance. Lawyers are positioned as one source, perhaps even the best and most appropriate source, of legal services, but by no means are we the only one (and, as I’ve argued recently, perhaps a far more peripheral source than we like to imagine).

The advantage of the Shark Tank format was not only to challenge attendees to come up with solutions to improve user access to and experience with the legal system, but also to put those ideas through rigorous testing. We’re now past the point when good ideas and good intentions are good enough to make the legal system more useable; we need to start shipping. We need working deliverables, right now, to make the present system function more effectively and to throw open the doors to that system and welcome many more people and businesses than it can currently accommodate. The skeptical demands of the Shark Tank judges reflect what should be a greater level of rigor within the profession about what needs to be done.

From Tom Sager’s keynote through the presentations of guest speakers to the many suggestions for better legal systems from the attendees, the relentless focus of the 2014 Futures Conference was on the client, or the buyer, or the user, or the untapped market of legal needs and opportunities. That perspective was powerful, valuable and overdue. Here’s hoping we get much more of it in the months and years to come.

Jordan Furlong is a lawyer, consultant and legal industry analyst who forecasts the impact of the changing legal market on lawyers, clients and legal organizations. He is a partner with global consulting firm Edge International, a Senior Consultant with Stem Legal Web Enterprises, and a Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management. His blog, Law21, has been named six straight years as one of the top 100 legal blogs in North America by the ABA Journal.