Thought Leadership Initiative

Step One: Training and Assessment

While the curriculum of many law schools now include marketing and business development training, most practicing lawyers are ill equipped in this arena. If they wish to succeed in this increasingly competitive legal environment, law firms must provide both seasoned and novice attorneys with training and support.

That being said, the first action step is to assess the current reality at the individual and firm level. Gather the intellectual capital already created by each lawyer, including all articles, blog posts, newsletters and presentation materials. Lawyers who have not previously captured this information may be surprised at the extent of their accomplishments. Create a professional biography that reflects these past achievements that is immediately updated each time new content is created or repurposed. Naturally, the website and all social media profiles must also be modified.

A process should also be implemented under which copies of all presentation materials, articles, and even snippets from briefs are organized by topic. This “bank” of intellectual capital can be updated through the years as laws evolve, and also serve as inspiration for new ideas. If the “thought leader” is overwhelmed with a trial or another one of life's interruptions, the branding effort may be continued by junior associates and writing professionals who draw upon this “bank” for material to repurpose while the lawyer is overly busy.

Practical Tip: The issue of who owns the intellectual capital produced by the lawyer while in the employ of a law firm needs to be addressed at this juncture. Also, ensure that the attorneys are conversant with your state's rules of professional conduct, particularly in the areas of attorney advertising, confidentiality and regulations regarding referral relationships.

Step Two: Develop a Strategic Content Development Plan

Review each lawyer's personal business plan so that meaningful goals can be set with respect to the thought leadership initiative. Otherwise, it would be easy to fall into a “scatter-shot” approach to content development which may not generate the desired business results.

Questions to address when exploring the potential topics include: 1) What areas of practice does the lawyer wish to develop? 2) What are the hot topics within that arena? 3) What challenges are your clients facing and what solutions can you provide?

My preference is to choose a separate topic or theme for each quarter of the year, that will be developed in depth. For example, an estate-planning attorney may wish to bring in additional business this year in the areas of special needs trusts and guardianships. In order to build these spheres of practice, perhaps he or she would write one lengthy article each quarter, focusing on various intricacies in these fields.

Practical Tip: Archived conference brochures of CLE and other professional organizations and professional journals can be a source of inspiration for idea generation. Review what your clients and referral sources are reading to determine where their legal concerns and needs lie.

Step Three: Set Specific Writing Deadlines and Assign Responsibilities

Attorneys with undeveloped time/activity management skills could benefit from training and management tools.

Practical Tip: To keep the thought development initiative on track, consider use of a simple project management tool, such as Basecamp.

Distribution Mechanics

Marketing professionals and staff members can assist with devising and implementing a plan to repurpose the developed content. Customized checklists designed for each area of practice should be developed to ensure that all opportunities for exposure are exploited.

Example: The estate-planning attorney referenced above may write an article on establishing a special needs trust in the context of a guardianship proceeding that could be tweaked to publish in a firm newsletter and/or blog, turned into a speech to be delivered to lawyers, accountants, financial planners as well as to clients and members of organizations such as NAMI or even the Alzheimers Association. The possibilities are limited only by imagination and resources.

Practical Tip: A simple organizational approach is to create an Excel sheet outlining the details and goals of the thought leadership initiative for a one-year period. At the inception, create databases (that continuously grow) of publications and organizations to which proposals for articles and presentations can be sent. Create a bank of template cover letters and proposal examples that can be easily accessed by attorneys and staff alike.

Step Four: Convert to Relationships

The obvious objective of building and enhancing a personal professional brand is to attract additional business from clients, potential clients and referral sources. Most who develop intellectual capital do very little to distribute the content, let alone make the extra effort to develop new relationships and solidify old ones.

Example: A lawyer serving on a panel of experts at a conference is well-advised to get to know the other panelists ahead of time and to follow up with the relationships subsequent to the event. Other experts with complimentary skills can prove to be a valuable source of referrals provided that a trusted relationship is developed.

For instance, content published in a firm newsletter may spark awareness of a legal need. When regulatory changes take place, an attorney can educate readers about the change through a newsletter. In subsequent weeks, a personal phone call to clients can be made to discuss the impact of the new regulatory climate on the clients' business interests

Practical Tip: Use or create an accountability process that facilitates and measures follow up efforts. Feel free to use The Relationship Maximizer', a tool developed for attorney use and obtained by sending a request to [email protected].

Step Five: Review the Progress of the Initiative on a Quarterly Basis

Recognize successes and learn from setbacks. One of the main challenges in adhering to a thought leadership initiative is that immediate financial rewards may not be forthcoming. However, those who persistently and consistently write, speak, leverage the content and follow-up on relationship development will ultimately build a sustainable and profitable practice. Admittedly, adhering to any long-term project can be difficult without support and encouragement. During the first year of a structured thought leadership initiative, success can be declared if the team produces and distributes the content according to plan. This activity will go a long way toward positioning the attorney favorably in the marketplace.

Practical Tip: Most lawyers would benefit from training in presentation and communication skills. Learning to influence members of an audience (no matter the size) to consider your firm for legal services is a skill well worth learning.

Conclusion

Repositioning oneself professionally into a category of one as a thought leader takes commitment, discipline and support. However, the future career payoff is potentially monumental as the lawyer attracts new clients and referral sources, re-enforces relationships with existing clients and becomes a more knowledgeable and confident lawyer in the process. With the support of a savvy marketing professional or team, a lawyer will have many opportunities to both showcase and develop deep expertise.

Cynthia Sharp is CEO of The Sharper Lawyer, a business development firm that helps lawyers generate more fees. She may be reached at [email protected] and 609-923-1017.