<i>Marketing Tech:</i> Law Firms Are on a Collective Mission to Evolve, Adapt and Succeed

About a year ago, I launched Lawcountability', a cloud-based technology platform that provides weekly networking programs and accountability software to help lawyers execute their business development activities while disproving the myth that rainmaking skills are innate.

In countless conversations with law firm partners, marketing leaders and professional development directors over the past 18 months, I have found a shared commitment to providing lawyers with the tools they need to succeed, not just for the benefit of the firm, but for the individual progress of each person it employs.

Many agree that the greatest challenge for a large percentage of those trying to grow a practice today is not typically a deficient strategy or the lack of a fully defined marketing plan; it is simply inaction. Based in part on suggestions from members of the legal community, Lawcountability' combines empowerment with accountability to help overcome that complacency.

Subscribers watch an original 10-minute live or on-demand business development webinar every week. Two recent sessions include: How to Write an Article About Anything in One Hour; and, Leveraging LinkedIn Endorsements.

Fifty-seven percent of those who watched a presentation over the past year took subsequent steps to reach out to others. In fact, over the past 12 months, Lawcountability' subscribers collectively watched almost 1,000 programs, prompting them to complete more than 250 meetings, make over 300 calls or send 300 e-mails, and engage in about 400 outreach initiatives.

Despite the quantifiable results, the need to secure universal agreement to pilot a new initiative can take time. Many firms require several layers of approval, regardless of how cost-effective it might be. That said, law firm leaders are not only encouraging their lawyers to cultivate stronger relationships with clients, master social media engagement, and create dynamic content, but they are increasingly looking for innovative tools and training to foster execution in light of a few key trends that are shifting the landscape.

The Cloud Phenomenon

For instance, cloud computing has made software usage flexible and affordable. It also allows IT leaders to focus on key infrastructure issues, rather than attend to every new technology implementation, which is an enormous task at an AmLaw-ranked firm. Lawyers generally want access from anywhere while the management wants to make sure that access is consistent with its internal policies.

Mobile Training Attraction

In addition to the cloud, smart phones have permanently removed the perimeter surrounding personal development. While lawyers have been taking advantage of telephone coaching for years, as they become more mobile, their training needs to adapt. The instant gratification of video on demand and the immediacy of text messaging are prompting the replacement of more traditional techniques. Everything from popular e-discovery software and case management applications to time entry and, of course, Lawcountability', offers a dedicated mobile app to accommodate law practice on the go, with archived content, push notifications, and real-time metrics.

Accelerated Content Delivery

Most importantly, time is still a lawyer's most precious commodity. Despite the need to expand their outreach potential, many legal professionals must balance the continued pressure to bill hours and reduce client response rates with effective networking. After all, a key obstacle to introducing a novel training system is the fear of building yet another requirement into one's day.

For that reason, when developing Lawcountability', we tested 30-minute programs and gradually reduced the time period for our beta users until we found the optimal level of attention, which turned out to be about 10 minutes. We then built three basic tasks into every program, gave them each a point value for gamification and benchmarking purposes, and automated reminders to promote completion.

Additional features like seamless calendar integration, visualization using a Fit-Bit-inspired dashboard, a robust administrator's panel, and one-click generation of PDF-formatted marketing plans make Lawcountability' uniquely suited to the dynamically changing legal profession, we feel.

In fact, the next generation of practitioners has embraced this model as over 20 law schools across the U.S. offer the academic version of the software to their students in an effort to provide an advantage in the competitive job market.

The cloud, mobility, and a commitment to efficiency are transforming the way law firms nurture their talent. While they face inherent challenges associated with their size, they share a collective interest in individual empowerment.

Ari Kaplan , a member of this newsletter's Board of Editors, is the author of Reinventing Professional Services and The Opportunity Maker. He is the principal of Ari Kaplan Advisors, a professional services consultancy that offers strategic business development guidance and training, law-related ghostwriting services, and legal industry research.

About a year ago, I launched Lawcountability', a cloud-based technology platform that provides weekly networking programs and accountability software to help lawyers execute their business development activities while disproving the myth that rainmaking skills are innate.

In countless conversations with law firm partners, marketing leaders and professional development directors over the past 18 months, I have found a shared commitment to providing lawyers with the tools they need to succeed, not just for the benefit of the firm, but for the individual progress of each person it employs.

Many agree that the greatest challenge for a large percentage of those trying to grow a practice today is not typically a deficient strategy or the lack of a fully defined marketing plan; it is simply inaction. Based in part on suggestions from members of the legal community, Lawcountability' combines empowerment with accountability to help overcome that complacency.

Subscribers watch an original 10-minute live or on-demand business development webinar every week. Two recent sessions include: How to Write an Article About Anything in One Hour; and, Leveraging LinkedIn Endorsements.

Fifty-seven percent of those who watched a presentation over the past year took subsequent steps to reach out to others. In fact, over the past 12 months, Lawcountability' subscribers collectively watched almost 1,000 programs, prompting them to complete more than 250 meetings, make over 300 calls or send 300 e-mails, and engage in about 400 outreach initiatives.

Despite the quantifiable results, the need to secure universal agreement to pilot a new initiative can take time. Many firms require several layers of approval, regardless of how cost-effective it might be. That said, law firm leaders are not only encouraging their lawyers to cultivate stronger relationships with clients, master social media engagement, and create dynamic content, but they are increasingly looking for innovative tools and training to foster execution in light of a few key trends that are shifting the landscape.

The Cloud Phenomenon

For instance, cloud computing has made software usage flexible and affordable. It also allows IT leaders to focus on key infrastructure issues, rather than attend to every new technology implementation, which is an enormous task at an AmLaw-ranked firm. Lawyers generally want access from anywhere while the management wants to make sure that access is consistent with its internal policies.

Mobile Training Attraction

In addition to the cloud, smart phones have permanently removed the perimeter surrounding personal development. While lawyers have been taking advantage of telephone coaching for years, as they become more mobile, their training needs to adapt. The instant gratification of video on demand and the immediacy of text messaging are prompting the replacement of more traditional techniques. Everything from popular e-discovery software and case management applications to time entry and, of course, Lawcountability', offers a dedicated mobile app to accommodate law practice on the go, with archived content, push notifications, and real-time metrics.

Accelerated Content Delivery

Most importantly, time is still a lawyer's most precious commodity. Despite the need to expand their outreach potential, many legal professionals must balance the continued pressure to bill hours and reduce client response rates with effective networking. After all, a key obstacle to introducing a novel training system is the fear of building yet another requirement into one's day.

For that reason, when developing Lawcountability', we tested 30-minute programs and gradually reduced the time period for our beta users until we found the optimal level of attention, which turned out to be about 10 minutes. We then built three basic tasks into every program, gave them each a point value for gamification and benchmarking purposes, and automated reminders to promote completion.

Additional features like seamless calendar integration, visualization using a Fit-Bit-inspired dashboard, a robust administrator's panel, and one-click generation of PDF-formatted marketing plans make Lawcountability' uniquely suited to the dynamically changing legal profession, we feel.

In fact, the next generation of practitioners has embraced this model as over 20 law schools across the U.S. offer the academic version of the software to their students in an effort to provide an advantage in the competitive job market.

The cloud, mobility, and a commitment to efficiency are transforming the way law firms nurture their talent. While they face inherent challenges associated with their size, they share a collective interest in individual empowerment.

Ari Kaplan , a member of this newsletter's Board of Editors, is the author of Reinventing Professional Services and The Opportunity Maker. He is the principal of Ari Kaplan Advisors, a professional services consultancy that offers strategic business development guidance and training, law-related ghostwriting services, and legal industry research.