The Year in Review: Our Look Back and Look Forward

Part One of Two

The year 2004 has been my first full year as Editor-in-Chief of this publication. While there have been challenges, there have also been some rewards particularly with my creation of the Law Journal Newsletters Web Audio Division. As its first Director, LJN has presented some of the most innovative and cutting edge topics that impact our profession. We have taken a look at marketing from achieving respect as a marketing leader to a summer session for senior law marketing executives to staffing the department. This month we're presenting our final program for 2004 which will focus on public relations. Coming in January we will take a look at how marketing can impact diversity, recruiting and pro bono. We will also be looking at crisis management avoidance.

In 2004 I also had the opportunity to launch a quarterly Sales Supplement and to create two Special Reports ' one on Women and Diversity and the other on Law Firm Leaders in Marketing. It is my hope that we will continue to offer supplements and special reports that will bring to you, our subscribers, the latest developments in our profession. So now sit back, relax and enjoy the first half of 2004 as I present to you selected highlights of Marketing the Law Firm for the months January through June.

January

Stephen Ruben covered our December 2003 Web audio on “How to Earn Respect and Advance Your Career”. We had a panel of experts for this discussion including: Aurora Cassirer, Managing Partner, Jenkens & Gilchrist Parker Chapin LLP; John C. Feldkamp, Executive Director, New York office Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP; David Geyer, who at the time was the Chief Marketing Officer of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP; and Allan Whitescarver, Director of Communications, Clifford Chance. In her opening remarks, Rori Cassirer emphasized the importance of having the Managing Partner recognize the value of marketing in order for marketing to be a successful component to the firm's business development success. Management must be a voice for marketing internally to get others to understand and utilizes the services of the marketing department. Next up was John Feldkamp, who said that the Marketing Director has to be provided with the necessary information to make marketing worthwhile. Unlike other more secretive firms, his firm provides his Marketing Director with useful client revenue information to help the marketing department do their research. Feldkamp ensures that the marketing staff are aware of individual partner's practices and not just the practice group. The Marketing Director at Sidley Austin is fully apprised of, and is a participant in all of the firm's strategic initiatives.

Allan Whitescarver described 10 ways a marketer can earn respect and advance their careers:

• Get out from behind your desk;
• Learn the culture;
• Master the economics;
• Shape and manage your internal brand image;
• Bring the respect of others from outside the firm;
• Hire top staff and make sure they succeed loudly;
• Be honest;
• Say no;
• Treat partners as peers; and
• Create partner champions and help them promote you.

And finally David Geyer discussed the roles and functions of the marketing department and marketing personnel. Geyer asserted that the three main roles of marketing are to:

• Build brand awareness through advertising and media communications to gain consideration implemented
• Use direct contact initiatives, conferences and events to establish relationships
• Assist in closing business by developing the new-business pitch procedure.

I offered my own take on being a key marketing executive by advising marketers to promote one's marketing triumphs without being crassly self-serving by emphasizing how the marketing efforts have benefited the firm. I encouraged marketers to view partners as clients, and to sell them on what marketing is doing and its benefits. In Steve Ruben's commentary he indicated that for a serious marketer who feels underappreciated and insufficiently respected and who wants to advance and grow his or her career, this Webinar was manna from heaven.

Richard Levick also authored a great piece entitled “Key to Good Presentations” 15 Rules for Getting Asked Back”. In this article Richard listed some best practices that can be mastered to “add luster” to public engagements. They include:

• Keep to the time limit;
• Leave time for Q&A;
• Coordinate with your co-presenters well before the conference;
• Put on a show;
• Maximize eye contact;
• Be Phil Donahue;
• Use more pictures in your PowerPoint with fewer words;
• Print out your PowerPoint;
• Use technology;
• Tell stories;
• Underscore the take-away;
• Think like Socrates;
• Humor them;
• Repeat the question; and
• Project boldly.

Richard advises to shoot for all 15, and master as many as you can. The more of these rules you incorporate into your presentations, the more will you instruct and delight. Remember, the goal of public speaking is to create relationships with individuals built on trust. Respect each speech and you will be asked back to give more of them. The more you speak, the more business you develop.

February

In February, after putting out a call to marketers to tell me their visual communication “makeover” stories, I received many contributions. I then went through a process of selecting what I deemed to be the best of the best. Three firms were selected and here in part are “The Makeover-ees” [In an effort to conserve space, no visuals are included in this capsule version of the article.]

Carlton Fields ' Most innovative makeover to reposition a law firm. Carlton Fields is a firm whose primary offices are in Florida. The firm's visual campaign that I remember was one that communicated Carlton Fields as a Florida firm ' complete with ads showing palm trees. In early 2003, the firm decided that, in keeping with its more national client base, it was time to reposition itself for the purpose of conveying a visual presence that would have a more national feel and reach. So a small committee of in-house individuals and an outside design firm, Walker Brand Communications, came together to discuss and decide exactly what the makeover would look like, both in terms of a visual identity for print materials that could also translate well on a soon-to-be-made-over Web site. The discussion included capturing a more contemporary and sophisticated feeling that would reflect the firm's more national client base.

One of the most important aspects of a makeover is that it be consistent. The Carlton Fields team understood this and, with the unparalleled talents of Hubbard One, reflected their new look on to the firm's Web site. The firm's marketing department, including Director of Client Services Elizabeth Zabak; Jennifer Malin, the firm's Client Services Manager; and Public Relations Coordinator Kristen Shepley, introduced the visual identity with an “out with the old; in with the new” party. Materials that were previously used were literally “trashed” – another sure sign of consistency and coordination. Carlton Fields is recognized by Marketing the Law Firm as a firm that has made a successful transition in repositioning itself from a local /statewide firm to a national firm through the use of a new visual identity.

Greene, Broillet, Panish & Wheeler ' Most innovative makeover using a logo. Greene, Broillet, Panish & Wheeler LLP, one of the best plaintiffs' trial law firms in California, stands out as the best use of graphic design in a firm makeover to create a new, invigorated yet classic presence. The attorneys at this firm are consistently ranked among the top performing and most influential lawyers in Los Angeles and California. However the firm's visual identity did not reflect that presence. Working with a superb graphics design firm, Greene, Broillet introduced its first logo to better reflect its image, energy and record of success

Kathy Pinckert, Director of Marketing & Media Relations, was given the latitude to hire the graphics designer of her choosing. She selected Creative Intelligence and, specifically, the principal of that organization Marc Friedland and then teamed with Executive Director William Krovetz to develop the brand and push the agenda forward on this project. Greene, Broillet, Panish & Wheeler LLP is recognized by Marketing the Law Firm as a firm that has created a visual communication that has enhanced its already prominent position in the legal community by boldly defining its identity in a powerful representation that will clearly be emblazoned in the minds of clients and perspective clients.

Cooper Levenson ' Most innovative makeover involving a name change branding and launch. The prominent New Jersey firm of Cooper Levenson is our final “best” in the arena of law firm makeovers. In March of last year, Cooper Perskie April Niedelman Wagenheim & Levenson announced the change of its name to Cooper Levenson April Niedelman & Wagenheim. This name change gave the firm an opportunity to create a new look and new materials with a twist. No one but the seven Executive Committee members and the Director of Marketing, Jamie Mulholland, were privy to the name change. To announce the new name, the firm planned an unveiling in February of last year. Mulholland was given 6 weeks to plan the celebration, have the new logo designed and convert the firm's Web site and all printed materials, etc. She spent most of the 6 weeks offsite to protect the secrecy of the project. One week before the unveiling, the partners were quietly informed and all employees were invited to a “meeting and celebration” at a local casino (the firm has an office in Atlantic City) where all of the equity partners spoke about the growth of the firm over the years and how “when you have good news, you share it with family.” While still not revealing the news, the firm showed a video with a stream of clients saying, “This is great news, and I'm so happy to be working with the firm.” Finally, came the unveiling of the name and logo. Each person attending the party was given a shirt with the new embroidered logo. Over the weekend, all of the letterhead and printed materials were switched and on Monday morning, Cooper Levenson became a new firm. Each employee was given a printed support manual and message points for any questions there might be. During “unveiling week” each morning, a gift was left on every employee's desk. There were pens, coffee mugs, mousepads, post-it pads – all with the new logo.

In the process of selecting these three law firms, I had great conversations with those involved in the process of creating, managing, facilitating and delivering these visual identity and branding initiatives. All are to be commended. The ringing endorsements by partners, clients and perspective clients are a clear testament and affirmation of the wonderful work that these marketing and design professionals engage in every day.

March

In March we had a front-page article “The Suburban Law Firm: A New Species” written by our Board Member, Michael Hodes, Managing Director of Hodes, Ulman, Pessin & Katz. Here is an excerpt from that article:

Over the last 10 years, I have attended a number of leadership, management and other seminars pertaining to the direction that law firms must take in order to be successful in the 21st century. What ensued was years of frustration. I never felt like our firm fit into any of the categories of law firms that would prosper in the ever-changing legal environment. We weren't a national, regional or international law firm. We weren't a boutique. Yet each year our firm grew both in size and financially. In 2003, our profits-per-equity-member reached $425,000. We are competitive economically with the large law firms, yet we are having more fun.

I decided that there had to be something that all the fabled consultants were missing. That's when I began to build the model for a new species of law firm that I call the “suburban law firm.” This type of firm differs from the traditional regional, national and international firms that I call the “urban law firm.”

Today there are certain inefficiencies in the legal market that allow a talented, well-designed suburban firm to prosper.

The suburban firm has the advantage of being convenient for their client base. Our firm has five offices that are easy to access and parking is a breeze. At the same time, the suburban location comes chock full of economic goodies. The rent that we pay for office space is 20%-40% less than the rents charged in Baltimore City and Washington, DC. We offer employees free parking and an easy commute. It's convenient for our attorneys to go to their child's afternoon lacrosse game and return to the office and work for a few hours. If you juxtapose the commute of an attorney to an office in the city versus the time spent traveling to a suburban office, we find that each of the lawyers and paralegals gain 4-8 hours per week – hours that they can spend in the office billing clients, marketing and maintaining client relationships.

Our firm has also avoided getting caught up in the spiraling associate wage inflation. We can attract young talented associates from local law schools who are ranked in the top 15% of their law school class. We sell them on quality of life issues such as lower minimum hour requirements (1800 hours) and more emphasis on spending time with their family. They are also given more client contact and responsibility at an earlier stage of their career. We also inculcate our young attorneys with an entrepreneurial and marketing spirit. We have found that lifestyle issues and client interaction are attractive to this new generation of attorney. Their compensation at the suburban law firm is 25%-40% less than the larger urban law firm.

At the same time, our firm has been able to attract talented, well-trained attorneys with practices at the $150,000-$400,000 level. We look for highly trained attorneys with 8-15 years of experience who are not as attractive to the larger regional and national law firms.

A suburban law firm seeks certain types of clients ' wealthy individuals, small businesses, local work for public sector representation and publicly traded companies. Practice areas such as wealth preservation, elder law, healthcare, land use, construction, commercial litigation, environmental, employment, education law, tax and business law are some of the areas that the suburban law firm should prioritize. This is where the low hanging fruit can be found. As the regional, national and international firm grows, so does the size of the client they desire to represent. No longer do they want to represent the local auto dealership group or community hospital. Now, they are marketing to the automobile makers, such as Ford and GM, and large hospital chains and insurance companies like Tenet and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. As new doors open to the suburban law firm, they find that they are now competing for larger clients. So the clients who had previously dealt with the Shaw Pittmans and Piper Rudnicks of the world are now looking at law firms with top-flight attorneys who have handled sophisticated matters and who also possess the depth of talent in the law firm to do the job. Law firms who have 50-150 attorneys now have the opportunity to fill the bill. Pricing of the legal product is another important variable when corporate counsel are compelled to watch their bottom line. The fact that the suburban law firm has a much lower overhead gives them a competitive advantage. national and international urban law firms. So will the bet the company piece of litigation. The prototypical suburban law firm is a new species of law firm who will continue to prosper. Building this unique model is a challenge for those of us who fall into this category.

In the March issue I also did a promotional piece on the PM Forum North America. The PM Forum is the world's largest marketing association serving the professional services industry. The PM Forum North America will bring together professionals from the world of law, accounting, consulting and real estate and will provide professional marketers with educational meetings, networking events, a Web site, listservs and other ancillary benefits. Leading the organization here in the U.S. is Marketing the Law Firm Board member Larry Bodine. The organization's mission is to raise the standards of marketing in the professional services sector and to enhance the internal credibility of marketers through:

• Peer-group networking;
• Skill building;
• Knowledge sharing; and
• Profile raising.

Currently PM Forum North America has chapters in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Columbus, Ohio and Toronto.

April

An article entitled “Television Advertising for Business Law Firms” by Jill S. Weber, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Leonard, Street and Deinard in Minneapolis and a Board member of this publication, brought to bear how electronic advertising can have a positive and profitable effect on business development. The article also took an in-depth look at the process of getting the buy in for such an undertaking. Here is an excerpt from Jill's piece.

Advertising has been a consistent and critical component of Minneapolis -based Leonard, Street and Deinard's marketing plan for years. Currently a 180-attorney firm, in 1998 Leonard, Street and Deinard was one of the first business law firms in the Twin Cities to introduce a print advertising campaign, which ran primarily in local business and legal publications. While our campaign was cutting-edge at the time, by 2003 the print advertising marketplace was cluttered. As we looked to 2004, we knew we had to do something to break through the clutter. At the same time, we wanted to maximize the impact of our advertising communications while minimizing costs. In the fall of 2003, we sat down with our advertising agency, Minneapolis-based The Reynolds Group, to review our historical advertising approaches and develop a strategy for 2004. We identified our target audience as business executives, including public corporate executives, owners of closely-held businesses, in-house counsel and business and community leaders. We established two primary goals for our advertising campaign. The first was name awareness, which had two components. We wanted business leaders in the Twin Cities to recognize our name (ie, avoid the “Leonard who” scenario), and we wanted them to know that we are a business law firm (ie, not a plaintiff's firm, or an accounting or architecture firm). Secondly, we wanted business leaders to understand how we differed from other law firms. Our positioning statement ' “Uncommon Wisdom-Common Sense” ' was key to our differentiation goal. It tells business professionals we are smart lawyers (“uncommon wisdom”) who offer practical business advice (“common sense”).

Our advertising agency returned with an ambitious plan. They recommended that we no longer advertise in business and legal publications, instead concentrating our media buy in two new areas: a print media buy in the local business daily newspaper, and a television ad campaign. We cautiously expressed interest in the campaign, but first asked to see concepts for the TV ads. We were very pleased with the creative, which presented animated versions of our print advertisements in 15-second spots. Each ad leverages famous historical figures to offer a contrast between uncommon wisdom and common sense. The first ad features footage of the Wright Brothers famous first flight, with a voiceover that states “Uncommon Wisdom,” and then cuts to an image of a person in a parachute and the words “Common Sense.” The second advertisement contrasts Einstein with a comb.

We established a small group of key influencers to work directly with the advertising agency on the strategy.

The group included our managing partner, marketing partner, chief operating officer, practice development coordinator and myself. Once we had agreed on the campaign, we presented our proposal to the firm's Business Development Committee, a core group of 10 attorneys who meet once a month to provide feedback on marketing initiatives. While they debated the pros and cons of the approach, ultimately they agreed it was the right strategy and supported the campaign. While the Business Development Committee has responsibility for approving marketing strategy and budget, attorney buy-in still remains a key element in the success of any marketing program. Our challenge was how to present our message to the attorneys ' without asking for permission. We found the right opportunity at the Annual Meeting, a once-a-year session that all attorneys attend to hear about the state of the firm.

Our Marketing Partner and I presented a brief PowerPoint presentation outlining the objectives for the advertising program, providing an overview of historical efforts, offering samples of ads from other firms, and presenting our strategy for 2004. While the announcement of a TV campaign for a business law firm drew a few gasps from the audience, no one raised a question. The campaign launched on March 1. While advertising was the primary focus of our work, our launch plan included strategies to extend the reach of our campaign through non-advertising tactics. For example, we determined that public relations would be a valuable tool to communicate the new campaign to our target audience. We worked with our PR consultant to craft key messages and focused our efforts on the two local business dailies and the local business weekly. The outcome of this focused approach exceeded our expectations. One week after the campaign launched, the marketing reporter at the Star Tribune, our local daily newspaper, wrote a feature article that appeared in the Monday business section, the most widely read paper of the week. The article, which featured still images from the TV ads and a prominent screen capture of our logo, was read by many clients and prospects who called attorneys to say they had seen it. In addition, the article was picked up by Law.com's daily newswire as well as in Hildebrandt Headlines, a weekly e-newsletter. We learned of this national publicity when one attorney returned from a trip to California to say the lawyers on the other side commented on our ads!

We established several measures for evaluating results, including both quantitative and qualitative measures. In terms of quantitative evaluations, we hired a market research firm to evaluate pre- and post-campaign name awareness; this survey is underway. We have also compiled the written and verbal responses we've received from the campaign. Qualitatively, we are assessing the feedback of the attorneys, ad hoc feedback we receive verbally about the campaign, and general “buzz” in the marketplace.

While the final results are not yet in, the campaign has far exceeded our expectations. We believe it has achieved our goals of increasing our name awareness and maximizing impact while minimizing costs. More importantly, many of our attorneys support the campaign and are sharing it with clients. We started the campaign as an initial effort to dip our silk stocking into the television advertising waters. Next year, we may be ready to wade in.

May

With the May issue, we premiered a regular monthly column Media and Communications Corner written exclusively by members of the Jaffe Associates team. The first column was an article by Betsy Oilman Jaffe (no relation to the founder Jay Jaffe) on “Creating an Effective Philanthropy Communications Campaign”. An excerpt follows:

Whether your firm provides pro bono work for the indigent, sponsors a race for charity, or provides grant money to a worthy cause, you should consider publicizing your charitable works. News coverage of your firm's good works will elevate its standing in the public's mind and creates more loyal clients. Of course, there is a fine line between doing good for good's sake, and the perception of flagrant self-promotion. For this reason, a philanthropy communications plan must be developed with sensitivity and great care. The first step is creating an inventory of your firm's philanthropic endeavors. Next, take a look at who you have assisted ' individuals, organizations and governments.

Now you must identify the stories behind the figures and time sheets. Outcomes must be determined and easily explained. Because your firm contributed $X to Good Cause A, 500 people did not go hungry, got screened for a serious illness, etc. This is a critical step and should not be glossed over. When you have finished looking at the outcomes of your participation, take a look at the groups and organizations that you have helped. Their involvement in your communications campaign can have a dramatic impact on its success because their representatives can explain the impact of your donations in a manner that cannot be perceived as self-serving. Most non-profit organizations will be your willing partners because a news story that mentions their group can result in additional funds and volunteers ' resources that most groups are lacking. By including them in your communications plan, you are also providing them with media-relations assistance that many groups would not have otherwise. In the end, stories with details and quantifiable outcomes are more likely to receive serious consideration. As you take a critical eye to your firm's charitable works, you will undoubtedly find donations made to groups that don't have time to participate in a publicity campaign, contributions made to causes with outcomes that are hard to clarify, or involvement in an organization where your firm is not among its top tier of local supporters. These types of donations may not be good candidates for involvement in your philanthropic communications campaign, but they can still be excellent causes that are worth your firm's reinvestment for other purposes, such as serving the greater good of society. However, taking a broader look at your firm's charitable works on a semi-annual basis can result in a more effective philanthropy program that targets resources where they are needed most.

June

In June we premiered a second regular column with the introduction of A Haven for Straight Talk written by the venerable marketing consultant Andy Havens. Andy's first column “The Myth Of The Firm: Why marketing doesn't really matter … much … yet” focused on how it would be better if most firms scrapped their marketing plans, projects, budgets and staffs completely. An excerpt:

Save the money and spend it on summer associate swag, the holiday party, better seats at sporting events ' whatever. Why? Because marketing relies on something that many firms seem content to do without ' purpose. Put down your pitchforks and take a moment to ask yourself if you've ever heard any of these statements spoken around one firm or another:

“Clients hire lawyers, not firms.”

“We need a well-seasoned lateral to help us grow that practice area.”

“We don't need any more lawyers; the office is full as it is.”

“What are other firms doing about [fill in the blank]?”

“If she leaves, she'll take that practice group with her.”

“I'm too busy to do anything but keep my clients satisfied.”

Very different topics, sure, but directionally similar. They all point to an industry-wide issue that will eventually, I believe, define success for those firms that surmount it. The question: what is a law firm?

If I asked you what traits make for a great baseball player, you might answer, “strength, speed, hand-eye coordination and overall physical fitness.” If I asked you what skills a great ballplayer needs, you might say, “throwing, catching, running and batting.” But if I asked you what makes for a winning baseball team, I doubt you'd say, “at least nine fit, fast, strong, coordinated men who can throw, catch, run and bat.” We understand almost instinctively that a team is more than a collection of traits and skills, just as a person is more than a collection of muscles and nerves.

Now before you get all up in my grill about how sports is entertainment and that's so much different than legal service (which is a business, after all) consider some other industries:

• You know anyone whose relationship with cars goes beyond the mere benefits of transportation?
• How about hairdressers and/or barbers? I know dozens of people (myself included) who are fanatically loyal to a particular practitioner of the tonsorial arts.
• Do you have a favorite restaurant that you take out-of-town guests to all the time?
• Do you prefer to buy clothes at a particular store or of a specific brand?
• When you are initially introduced to politicians, do you form an opinion of them based mainly on whether they have a (D) or an (R) after their name?
• Will you go to see a movie based on the presence of a particular actor or actress?

Sound strategic marketing helps provide a basis for the development of intangible, yet powerful aspects of your business. You must have operational excellence – great lawyers doing great work. That's not open to debate. But the ways in which you provide that service will bring you new business and keep current clients (and attorneys and staff) loyal beyond any reasonable expectation. It's the “how” and “why” of your firm as opposed to the “what.”

It's not an easy task. It requires definition and refinement. Definition of the values, actions and skills that represent your firm. Refinement of processes and culture.

Great marketing is never based on a lie. You can't spin a crappy product into a good one. And you can't market a firm brand if the only reason you are a firm is to share copiers and a lobby. What strategic marketing can do for you, though, is help define and refine the ways in which you'll grow into a firm with powerful intangible assets. How does this marketing magic happen? We'll take that up in future columns.

Look for the balance of our Year in Review in our January issue.

Part One of Two

The year 2004 has been my first full year as Editor-in-Chief of this publication. While there have been challenges, there have also been some rewards particularly with my creation of the Law Journal Newsletters Web Audio Division. As its first Director, LJN has presented some of the most innovative and cutting edge topics that impact our profession. We have taken a look at marketing from achieving respect as a marketing leader to a summer session for senior law marketing executives to staffing the department. This month we're presenting our final program for 2004 which will focus on public relations. Coming in January we will take a look at how marketing can impact diversity, recruiting and pro bono. We will also be looking at crisis management avoidance.

In 2004 I also had the opportunity to launch a quarterly Sales Supplement and to create two Special Reports ' one on Women and Diversity and the other on Law Firm Leaders in Marketing. It is my hope that we will continue to offer supplements and special reports that will bring to you, our subscribers, the latest developments in our profession. So now sit back, relax and enjoy the first half of 2004 as I present to you selected highlights of Marketing the Law Firm for the months January through June.

January

Stephen Ruben covered our December 2003 Web audio on “How to Earn Respect and Advance Your Career”. We had a panel of experts for this discussion including: Aurora Cassirer, Managing Partner, Jenkens & Gilchrist Parker Chapin LLP; John C. Feldkamp, Executive Director, New York office Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP; David Geyer, who at the time was the Chief Marketing Officer of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP; and Allan Whitescarver, Director of Communications, Clifford Chance. In her opening remarks, Rori Cassirer emphasized the importance of having the Managing Partner recognize the value of marketing in order for marketing to be a successful component to the firm's business development success. Management must be a voice for marketing internally to get others to understand and utilizes the services of the marketing department. Next up was John Feldkamp, who said that the Marketing Director has to be provided with the necessary information to make marketing worthwhile. Unlike other more secretive firms, his firm provides his Marketing Director with useful client revenue information to help the marketing department do their research. Feldkamp ensures that the marketing staff are aware of individual partner's practices and not just the practice group. The Marketing Director at Sidley Austin is fully apprised of, and is a participant in all of the firm's strategic initiatives.

Allan Whitescarver described 10 ways a marketer can earn respect and advance their careers:

• Get out from behind your desk;
• Learn the culture;
• Master the economics;
• Shape and manage your internal brand image;
• Bring the respect of others from outside the firm;
• Hire top staff and make sure they succeed loudly;
• Be honest;
• Say no;
• Treat partners as peers; and
• Create partner champions and help them promote you.

And finally David Geyer discussed the roles and functions of the marketing department and marketing personnel. Geyer asserted that the three main roles of marketing are to:

• Build brand awareness through advertising and media communications to gain consideration implemented
• Use direct contact initiatives, conferences and events to establish relationships
• Assist in closing business by developing the new-business pitch procedure.

I offered my own take on being a key marketing executive by advising marketers to promote one's marketing triumphs without being crassly self-serving by emphasizing how the marketing efforts have benefited the firm. I encouraged marketers to view partners as clients, and to sell them on what marketing is doing and its benefits. In Steve Ruben's commentary he indicated that for a serious marketer who feels underappreciated and insufficiently respected and who wants to advance and grow his or her career, this Webinar was manna from heaven.

Richard Levick also authored a great piece entitled “Key to Good Presentations” 15 Rules for Getting Asked Back”. In this article Richard listed some best practices that can be mastered to “add luster” to public engagements. They include:

• Keep to the time limit;
• Leave time for Q&A;
• Coordinate with your co-presenters well before the conference;
• Put on a show;
• Maximize eye contact;
• Be Phil Donahue;
• Use more pictures in your PowerPoint with fewer words;
• Print out your PowerPoint;
• Use technology;
• Tell stories;
• Underscore the take-away;
• Think like Socrates;
• Humor them;
• Repeat the question; and
• Project boldly.

Richard advises to shoot for all 15, and master as many as you can. The more of these rules you incorporate into your presentations, the more will you instruct and delight. Remember, the goal of public speaking is to create relationships with individuals built on trust. Respect each speech and you will be asked back to give more of them. The more you speak, the more business you develop.

February

In February, after putting out a call to marketers to tell me their visual communication “makeover” stories, I received many contributions. I then went through a process of selecting what I deemed to be the best of the best. Three firms were selected and here in part are “The Makeover-ees” [In an effort to conserve space, no visuals are included in this capsule version of the article.]

Carlton Fields ' Most innovative makeover to reposition a law firm. Carlton Fields is a firm whose primary offices are in Florida. The firm's visual campaign that I remember was one that communicated Carlton Fields as a Florida firm ' complete with ads showing palm trees. In early 2003, the firm decided that, in keeping with its more national client base, it was time to reposition itself for the purpose of conveying a visual presence that would have a more national feel and reach. So a small committee of in-house individuals and an outside design firm, Walker Brand Communications, came together to discuss and decide exactly what the makeover would look like, both in terms of a visual identity for print materials that could also translate well on a soon-to-be-made-over Web site. The discussion included capturing a more contemporary and sophisticated feeling that would reflect the firm's more national client base.

One of the most important aspects of a makeover is that it be consistent. The Carlton Fields team understood this and, with the unparalleled talents of Hubbard One, reflected their new look on to the firm's Web site. The firm's marketing department, including Director of Client Services Elizabeth Zabak; Jennifer Malin, the firm's Client Services Manager; and Public Relations Coordinator Kristen Shepley, introduced the visual identity with an “out with the old; in with the new” party. Materials that were previously used were literally “trashed” – another sure sign of consistency and coordination. Carlton Fields is recognized by Marketing the Law Firm as a firm that has made a successful transition in repositioning itself from a local /statewide firm to a national firm through the use of a new visual identity.

Greene, Broillet, Panish & Wheeler ' Most innovative makeover using a logo. Greene, Broillet, Panish & Wheeler LLP, one of the best plaintiffs' trial law firms in California, stands out as the best use of graphic design in a firm makeover to create a new, invigorated yet classic presence. The attorneys at this firm are consistently ranked among the top performing and most influential lawyers in Los Angeles and California. However the firm's visual identity did not reflect that presence. Working with a superb graphics design firm, Greene, Broillet introduced its first logo to better reflect its image, energy and record of success

Kathy Pinckert, Director of Marketing & Media Relations, was given the latitude to hire the graphics designer of her choosing. She selected Creative Intelligence and, specifically, the principal of that organization Marc Friedland and then teamed with Executive Director William Krovetz to develop the brand and push the agenda forward on this project. Greene, Broillet, Panish & Wheeler LLP is recognized by Marketing the Law Firm as a firm that has created a visual communication that has enhanced its already prominent position in the legal community by boldly defining its identity in a powerful representation that will clearly be emblazoned in the minds of clients and perspective clients.

Cooper Levenson ' Most innovative makeover involving a name change branding and launch. The prominent New Jersey firm of Cooper Levenson is our final “best” in the arena of law firm makeovers. In March of last year, Cooper Perskie April Niedelman Wagenheim & Levenson announced the change of its name to Cooper Levenson April Niedelman & Wagenheim. This name change gave the firm an opportunity to create a new look and new materials with a twist. No one but the seven Executive Committee members and the Director of Marketing, Jamie Mulholland, were privy to the name change. To announce the new name, the firm planned an unveiling in February of last year. Mulholland was given 6 weeks to plan the celebration, have the new logo designed and convert the firm's Web site and all printed materials, etc. She spent most of the 6 weeks offsite to protect the secrecy of the project. One week before the unveiling, the partners were quietly informed and all employees were invited to a “meeting and celebration” at a local casino (the firm has an office in Atlantic City) where all of the equity partners spoke about the growth of the firm over the years and how “when you have good news, you share it with family.” While still not revealing the news, the firm showed a video with a stream of clients saying, “This is great news, and I'm so happy to be working with the firm.” Finally, came the unveiling of the name and logo. Each person attending the party was given a shirt with the new embroidered logo. Over the weekend, all of the letterhead and printed materials were switched and on Monday morning, Cooper Levenson became a new firm. Each employee was given a printed support manual and message points for any questions there might be. During “unveiling week” each morning, a gift was left on every employee's desk. There were pens, coffee mugs, mousepads, post-it pads – all with the new logo.

In the process of selecting these three law firms, I had great conversations with those involved in the process of creating, managing, facilitating and delivering these visual identity and branding initiatives. All are to be commended. The ringing endorsements by partners, clients and perspective clients are a clear testament and affirmation of the wonderful work that these marketing and design professionals engage in every day.

March

In March we had a front-page article “The Suburban Law Firm: A New Species” written by our Board Member, Michael Hodes, Managing Director of Hodes, Ulman, Pessin & Katz. Here is an excerpt from that article:

Over the last 10 years, I have attended a number of leadership, management and other seminars pertaining to the direction that law firms must take in order to be successful in the 21st century. What ensued was years of frustration. I never felt like our firm fit into any of the categories of law firms that would prosper in the ever-changing legal environment. We weren't a national, regional or international law firm. We weren't a boutique. Yet each year our firm grew both in size and financially. In 2003, our profits-per-equity-member reached $425,000. We are competitive economically with the large law firms, yet we are having more fun.

I decided that there had to be something that all the fabled consultants were missing. That's when I began to build the model for a new species of law firm that I call the “suburban law firm.” This type of firm differs from the traditional regional, national and international firms that I call the “urban law firm.”

Today there are certain inefficiencies in the legal market that allow a talented, well-designed suburban firm to prosper.

The suburban firm has the advantage of being convenient for their client base. Our firm has five offices that are easy to access and parking is a breeze. At the same time, the suburban location comes chock full of economic goodies. The rent that we pay for office space is 20%-40% less than the rents charged in Baltimore City and Washington, DC. We offer employees free parking and an easy commute. It's convenient for our attorneys to go to their child's afternoon lacrosse game and return to the office and work for a few hours. If you juxtapose the commute of an attorney to an office in the city versus the time spent traveling to a suburban office, we find that each of the lawyers and paralegals gain 4-8 hours per week – hours that they can spend in the office billing clients, marketing and maintaining client relationships.

Our firm has also avoided getting caught up in the spiraling associate wage inflation. We can attract young talented associates from local law schools who are ranked in the top 15% of their law school class. We sell them on quality of life issues such as lower minimum hour requirements (1800 hours) and more emphasis on spending time with their family. They are also given more client contact and responsibility at an earlier stage of their career. We also inculcate our young attorneys with an entrepreneurial and marketing spirit. We have found that lifestyle issues and client interaction are attractive to this new generation of attorney. Their compensation at the suburban law firm is 25%-40% less than the larger urban law firm.

At the same time, our firm has been able to attract talented, well-trained attorneys with practices at the $150,000-$400,000 level. We look for highly trained attorneys with 8-15 years of experience who are not as attractive to the larger regional and national law firms.

A suburban law firm seeks certain types of clients ' wealthy individuals, small businesses, local work for public sector representation and publicly traded companies. Practice areas such as wealth preservation, elder law, healthcare, land use, construction, commercial litigation, environmental, employment, education law, tax and business law are some of the areas that the suburban law firm should prioritize. This is where the low hanging fruit can be found. As the regional, national and international firm grows, so does the size of the client they desire to represent. No longer do they want to represent the local auto dealership group or community hospital. Now, they are marketing to the automobile makers, such as Ford and GM, and large hospital chains and insurance companies like Tenet and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. As new doors open to the suburban law firm, they find that they are now competing for larger clients. So the clients who had previously dealt with the Shaw Pittmans and Piper Rudnicks of the world are now looking at law firms with top-flight attorneys who have handled sophisticated matters and who also possess the depth of talent in the law firm to do the job. Law firms who have 50-150 attorneys now have the opportunity to fill the bill. Pricing of the legal product is another important variable when corporate counsel are compelled to watch their bottom line. The fact that the suburban law firm has a much lower overhead gives them a competitive advantage. national and international urban law firms. So will the bet the company piece of litigation. The prototypical suburban law firm is a new species of law firm who will continue to prosper. Building this unique model is a challenge for those of us who fall into this category.

In the March issue I also did a promotional piece on the PM Forum North America. The PM Forum is the world's largest marketing association serving the professional services industry. The PM Forum North America will bring together professionals from the world of law, accounting, consulting and real estate and will provide professional marketers with educational meetings, networking events, a Web site, listservs and other ancillary benefits. Leading the organization here in the U.S. is Marketing the Law Firm Board member Larry Bodine. The organization's mission is to raise the standards of marketing in the professional services sector and to enhance the internal credibility of marketers through:

• Peer-group networking;
• Skill building;
• Knowledge sharing; and
• Profile raising.

Currently PM Forum North America has chapters in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Columbus, Ohio and Toronto.

April

An article entitled “Television Advertising for Business Law Firms” by Jill S. Weber, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Leonard, Street and Deinard in Minneapolis and a Board member of this publication, brought to bear how electronic advertising can have a positive and profitable effect on business development. The article also took an in-depth look at the process of getting the buy in for such an undertaking. Here is an excerpt from Jill's piece.

Advertising has been a consistent and critical component of Minneapolis -based Leonard, Street and Deinard's marketing plan for years. Currently a 180-attorney firm, in 1998 Leonard, Street and Deinard was one of the first business law firms in the Twin Cities to introduce a print advertising campaign, which ran primarily in local business and legal publications. While our campaign was cutting-edge at the time, by 2003 the print advertising marketplace was cluttered. As we looked to 2004, we knew we had to do something to break through the clutter. At the same time, we wanted to maximize the impact of our advertising communications while minimizing costs. In the fall of 2003, we sat down with our advertising agency, Minneapolis-based The Reynolds Group, to review our historical advertising approaches and develop a strategy for 2004. We identified our target audience as business executives, including public corporate executives, owners of closely-held businesses, in-house counsel and business and community leaders. We established two primary goals for our advertising campaign. The first was name awareness, which had two components. We wanted business leaders in the Twin Cities to recognize our name (ie, avoid the “Leonard who” scenario), and we wanted them to know that we are a business law firm (ie, not a plaintiff's firm, or an accounting or architecture firm). Secondly, we wanted business leaders to understand how we differed from other law firms. Our positioning statement ' “Uncommon Wisdom-Common Sense” ' was key to our differentiation goal. It tells business professionals we are smart lawyers (“uncommon wisdom”) who offer practical business advice (“common sense”).

Our advertising agency returned with an ambitious plan. They recommended that we no longer advertise in business and legal publications, instead concentrating our media buy in two new areas: a print media buy in the local business daily newspaper, and a television ad campaign. We cautiously expressed interest in the campaign, but first asked to see concepts for the TV ads. We were very pleased with the creative, which presented animated versions of our print advertisements in 15-second spots. Each ad leverages famous historical figures to offer a contrast between uncommon wisdom and common sense. The first ad features footage of the Wright Brothers famous first flight, with a voiceover that states “Uncommon Wisdom,” and then cuts to an image of a person in a parachute and the words “Common Sense.” The second advertisement contrasts Einstein with a comb.

We established a small group of key influencers to work directly with the advertising agency on the strategy.

The group included our managing partner, marketing partner, chief operating officer, practice development coordinator and myself. Once we had agreed on the campaign, we presented our proposal to the firm's Business Development Committee, a core group of 10 attorneys who meet once a month to provide feedback on marketing initiatives. While they debated the pros and cons of the approach, ultimately they agreed it was the right strategy and supported the campaign. While the Business Development Committee has responsibility for approving marketing strategy and budget, attorney buy-in still remains a key element in the success of any marketing program. Our challenge was how to present our message to the attorneys ' without asking for permission. We found the right opportunity at the Annual Meeting, a once-a-year session that all attorneys attend to hear about the state of the firm.

Our Marketing Partner and I presented a brief PowerPoint presentation outlining the objectives for the advertising program, providing an overview of historical efforts, offering samples of ads from other firms, and presenting our strategy for 2004. While the announcement of a TV campaign for a business law firm drew a few gasps from the audience, no one raised a question. The campaign launched on March 1. While advertising was the primary focus of our work, our launch plan included strategies to extend the reach of our campaign through non-advertising tactics. For example, we determined that public relations would be a valuable tool to communicate the new campaign to our target audience. We worked with our PR consultant to craft key messages and focused our efforts on the two local business dailies and the local business weekly. The outcome of this focused approach exceeded our expectations. One week after the campaign launched, the marketing reporter at the Star Tribune, our local daily newspaper, wrote a feature article that appeared in the Monday business section, the most widely read paper of the week. The article, which featured still images from the TV ads and a prominent screen capture of our logo, was read by many clients and prospects who called attorneys to say they had seen it. In addition, the article was picked up by Law.com's daily newswire as well as in Hildebrandt Headlines, a weekly e-newsletter. We learned of this national publicity when one attorney returned from a trip to California to say the lawyers on the other side commented on our ads!

We established several measures for evaluating results, including both quantitative and qualitative measures. In terms of quantitative evaluations, we hired a market research firm to evaluate pre- and post-campaign name awareness; this survey is underway. We have also compiled the written and verbal responses we've received from the campaign. Qualitatively, we are assessing the feedback of the attorneys, ad hoc feedback we receive verbally about the campaign, and general “buzz” in the marketplace.

While the final results are not yet in, the campaign has far exceeded our expectations. We believe it has achieved our goals of increasing our name awareness and maximizing impact while minimizing costs. More importantly, many of our attorneys support the campaign and are sharing it with clients. We started the campaign as an initial effort to dip our silk stocking into the television advertising waters. Next year, we may be ready to wade in.

May

With the May issue, we premiered a regular monthly column Media and Communications Corner written exclusively by members of the Jaffe Associates team. The first column was an article by Betsy Oilman Jaffe (no relation to the founder Jay Jaffe) on “Creating an Effective Philanthropy Communications Campaign”. An excerpt follows:

Whether your firm provides pro bono work for the indigent, sponsors a race for charity, or provides grant money to a worthy cause, you should consider publicizing your charitable works. News coverage of your firm's good works will elevate its standing in the public's mind and creates more loyal clients. Of course, there is a fine line between doing good for good's sake, and the perception of flagrant self-promotion. For this reason, a philanthropy communications plan must be developed with sensitivity and great care. The first step is creating an inventory of your firm's philanthropic endeavors. Next, take a look at who you have assisted ' individuals, organizations and governments.

Now you must identify the stories behind the figures and time sheets. Outcomes must be determined and easily explained. Because your firm contributed $X to Good Cause A, 500 people did not go hungry, got screened for a serious illness, etc. This is a critical step and should not be glossed over. When you have finished looking at the outcomes of your participation, take a look at the groups and organizations that you have helped. Their involvement in your communications campaign can have a dramatic impact on its success because their representatives can explain the impact of your donations in a manner that cannot be perceived as self-serving. Most non-profit organizations will be your willing partners because a news story that mentions their group can result in additional funds and volunteers ' resources that most groups are lacking. By including them in your communications plan, you are also providing them with media-relations assistance that many groups would not have otherwise. In the end, stories with details and quantifiable outcomes are more likely to receive serious consideration. As you take a critical eye to your firm's charitable works, you will undoubtedly find donations made to groups that don't have time to participate in a publicity campaign, contributions made to causes with outcomes that are hard to clarify, or involvement in an organization where your firm is not among its top tier of local supporters. These types of donations may not be good candidates for involvement in your philanthropic communications campaign, but they can still be excellent causes that are worth your firm's reinvestment for other purposes, such as serving the greater good of society. However, taking a broader look at your firm's charitable works on a semi-annual basis can result in a more effective philanthropy program that targets resources where they are needed most.

June

In June we premiered a second regular column with the introduction of A Haven for Straight Talk written by the venerable marketing consultant Andy Havens. Andy's first column “The Myth Of The Firm: Why marketing doesn't really matter … much … yet” focused on how it would be better if most firms scrapped their marketing plans, projects, budgets and staffs completely. An excerpt:

Save the money and spend it on summer associate swag, the holiday party, better seats at sporting events ' whatever. Why? Because marketing relies on something that many firms seem content to do without ' purpose. Put down your pitchforks and take a moment to ask yourself if you've ever heard any of these statements spoken around one firm or another:

“Clients hire lawyers, not firms.”

“We need a well-seasoned lateral to help us grow that practice area.”

“We don't need any more lawyers; the office is full as it is.”

“What are other firms doing about [fill in the blank]?”

“If she leaves, she'll take that practice group with her.”

“I'm too busy to do anything but keep my clients satisfied.”

Very different topics, sure, but directionally similar. They all point to an industry-wide issue that will eventually, I believe, define success for those firms that surmount it. The question: what is a law firm?

If I asked you what traits make for a great baseball player, you might answer, “strength, speed, hand-eye coordination and overall physical fitness.” If I asked you what skills a great ballplayer needs, you might say, “throwing, catching, running and batting.” But if I asked you what makes for a winning baseball team, I doubt you'd say, “at least nine fit, fast, strong, coordinated men who can throw, catch, run and bat.” We understand almost instinctively that a team is more than a collection of traits and skills, just as a person is more than a collection of muscles and nerves.

Now before you get all up in my grill about how sports is entertainment and that's so much different than legal service (which is a business, after all) consider some other industries:

• You know anyone whose relationship with cars goes beyond the mere benefits of transportation?
• How about hairdressers and/or barbers? I know dozens of people (myself included) who are fanatically loyal to a particular practitioner of the tonsorial arts.
• Do you have a favorite restaurant that you take out-of-town guests to all the time?
• Do you prefer to buy clothes at a particular store or of a specific brand?
• When you are initially introduced to politicians, do you form an opinion of them based mainly on whether they have a (D) or an (R) after their name?
• Will you go to see a movie based on the presence of a particular actor or actress?

Sound strategic marketing helps provide a basis for the development of intangible, yet powerful aspects of your business. You must have operational excellence – great lawyers doing great work. That's not open to debate. But the ways in which you provide that service will bring you new business and keep current clients (and attorneys and staff) loyal beyond any reasonable expectation. It's the “how” and “why” of your firm as opposed to the “what.”

It's not an easy task. It requires definition and refinement. Definition of the values, actions and skills that represent your firm. Refinement of processes and culture.

Great marketing is never based on a lie. You can't spin a crappy product into a good one. And you can't market a firm brand if the only reason you are a firm is to share copiers and a lobby. What strategic marketing can do for you, though, is help define and refine the ways in which you'll grow into a firm with powerful intangible assets. How does this marketing magic happen? We'll take that up in future columns.

Look for the balance of our Year in Review in our January issue.