<b><i>Focus: Canada</b></i> Law Firm Marketing in Canada

In marketing professional services, what is it that makes a marketing department stand out? Good law firm marketers understand the firm and its strengths, bring focus to a strategy, and have the wherewithal to implement a tactical plan delivering measurable results. Exceptional marketing leaders are ones that can facilitate a process. This might sound straightforward, but it is no small feat.

By many accounts, the leading Canadian law firms have moved from reluctant marketers undertaking a few traditional tactics, to become law firms with a heightened focus toward strategic business development. It is noticeable how many firms have painstakingly sought out the right senior talent, bringing marketing and business development expertise to lead the effort of growing the business and building competitive advantage. Equally as many firms have engaged the services of agencies and marketing consultants to enhance profile and build brands. As a result, we find the majority of firms have dropped ineffective marketing or business development committees, leaving management of the department and activities to the senior marketing professionals. There remains a group of law firms in the country, however, whose prime marketing goal is largely communications, and whose marketing orientation has not yet matured to more tangible, client focussed and measurable priorities.

Making a Commitment

There has been a recent upswing in the number of firms that are now prepared to invest in business-development training and coaching for lawyers, and more and more firms are now training their associates on client relationship and business development. From East to West across the country, several firms have engaged consultants ' and specifically those that specialize solely in the professional services sector ' to help advance partner soft skills and individual partner business-development capabilities. This includes:

• The independent consultant's audit of marketing strategy and planning;
• Assessment of the internal marketing team complement against a firm's needs;
• Partner development programs that can include retreats that focus on the office-wise team or particular practice, service or industry team cementing the business goals and direction;
• One-to-one coaching on business development; and
• Marketing and business development lunch-and-learn sessions for all levels of lawyers in the firm.

In some cases, these consultants are engaged through the marketing department. However, there are just as many examples where the consultant is introduced through a professional committee or continuing education program.

Several Canadian marketing efforts have gained North American recognition over the past 5 years ' by winning a mix of marketing categories for legal marketing campaigns and programs from the Legal Marketing Association's annual Your Honour Awards. Yet despite that achievement, many Canadian marketers continue to say that the challenge of garnering respect and support from law firm management is a critical issue to their success.

Other recognizable and recent trends in Canadian law firm marketing include:

• National and regional firms are investing more resources to raise their profiles in the U.S., in an attempt to capture a larger share of cross-border work.
• Branding continues to be a hot topic, with a handful of leading firms launching new umbrella brand identity strategies and equally as many in the process of re-branding their firm regionally or nationally.
• Increasingly, clients are hiring lawyers based upon specific industry or practice area experience. Marketing teams have taken steps to position and promote industry knowledge and alignment.
• Almost every major firm experienced a senior departure from the marketing department, a domino effect resulting in significant movement between firms, while at the same time, a number of senior people from outside legal marketing joined major firms.
• National legal firm advertising placements are moving beyond the national dailies and Lexpert magazine to incorporate mixed mediums such as billboards at airports, captivate elevator screens in tier one business towers and television, such as ROBtv. This trend does not signify an increased investment by firms in their advertising budgets, but rather suggests a more diverse approach to get the message to the audience than what has been seen in the past.

Canadian law firm marketing is undergoing a major transition, as firms become more competitive and see the value of business strategy, marketing, branding, and training.

In marketing professional services, what is it that makes a marketing department stand out? Good law firm marketers understand the firm and its strengths, bring focus to a strategy, and have the wherewithal to implement a tactical plan delivering measurable results. Exceptional marketing leaders are ones that can facilitate a process. This might sound straightforward, but it is no small feat.

By many accounts, the leading Canadian law firms have moved from reluctant marketers undertaking a few traditional tactics, to become law firms with a heightened focus toward strategic business development. It is noticeable how many firms have painstakingly sought out the right senior talent, bringing marketing and business development expertise to lead the effort of growing the business and building competitive advantage. Equally as many firms have engaged the services of agencies and marketing consultants to enhance profile and build brands. As a result, we find the majority of firms have dropped ineffective marketing or business development committees, leaving management of the department and activities to the senior marketing professionals. There remains a group of law firms in the country, however, whose prime marketing goal is largely communications, and whose marketing orientation has not yet matured to more tangible, client focussed and measurable priorities.

Making a Commitment

There has been a recent upswing in the number of firms that are now prepared to invest in business-development training and coaching for lawyers, and more and more firms are now training their associates on client relationship and business development. From East to West across the country, several firms have engaged consultants ' and specifically those that specialize solely in the professional services sector ' to help advance partner soft skills and individual partner business-development capabilities. This includes:

• The independent consultant's audit of marketing strategy and planning;
• Assessment of the internal marketing team complement against a firm's needs;
• Partner development programs that can include retreats that focus on the office-wise team or particular practice, service or industry team cementing the business goals and direction;
• One-to-one coaching on business development; and
• Marketing and business development lunch-and-learn sessions for all levels of lawyers in the firm.

In some cases, these consultants are engaged through the marketing department. However, there are just as many examples where the consultant is introduced through a professional committee or continuing education program.

Several Canadian marketing efforts have gained North American recognition over the past 5 years ' by winning a mix of marketing categories for legal marketing campaigns and programs from the Legal Marketing Association's annual Your Honour Awards. Yet despite that achievement, many Canadian marketers continue to say that the challenge of garnering respect and support from law firm management is a critical issue to their success.

Other recognizable and recent trends in Canadian law firm marketing include:

• National and regional firms are investing more resources to raise their profiles in the U.S., in an attempt to capture a larger share of cross-border work.
• Branding continues to be a hot topic, with a handful of leading firms launching new umbrella brand identity strategies and equally as many in the process of re-branding their firm regionally or nationally.
• Increasingly, clients are hiring lawyers based upon specific industry or practice area experience. Marketing teams have taken steps to position and promote industry knowledge and alignment.
• Almost every major firm experienced a senior departure from the marketing department, a domino effect resulting in significant movement between firms, while at the same time, a number of senior people from outside legal marketing joined major firms.
• National legal firm advertising placements are moving beyond the national dailies and Lexpert magazine to incorporate mixed mediums such as billboards at airports, captivate elevator screens in tier one business towers and television, such as ROBtv. This trend does not signify an increased investment by firms in their advertising budgets, but rather suggests a more diverse approach to get the message to the audience than what has been seen in the past.

Canadian law firm marketing is undergoing a major transition, as firms become more competitive and see the value of business strategy, marketing, branding, and training.