Smithfield Crossing Law Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Their’

Studies Show Clients Want To Kept Informed By Their Lawyers and Doing It Allows Firms to Charge Higher Rates

Bob Weiss

Montreal, Quebec (PRWEB) June 13, 2011

Recent studies of how lawyers and non-lawyers find and evaluate legal counsel confirm “the practice of law has always been a relationship business and remains a relationship business despite the growing importance of the Internet,” according to law firm marketing consultant Bob Weiss.

A genuine relationship based on providing relevant information a client can use leads to higher hourly billing rates, Weiss revealed.

At the annual meeting of Meritas, a leading international network of 173 law firms, Weiss gave overviews of a half dozen recent surveys about how general counsel and non-lawyers vet and select lawyers. He also reviewed with the 75 partners attending his presentation the implications the data have for lawyer personal business development plans and a law firm’s overall marketing plan and budget.

Weiss, a 25-year veteran of law firm marketing, showed data demonstrating that clients and colleagues want their lawyers to be proactive. They want to be kept abreast of the legal issues that may affect both them and their clients.

The data also shows two clear benefits come from clients and colleagues who are consistently kept informed about the legal issues affecting them and about the lawyer’s and a firm’s capabilities and accomplishments. The informed client and colleague give that lawyer and firm a greater percentage of their legal work or referrals than the lawyers and firms who do not keep them informed, Weiss revealed. The data also shows clients pay communicative lawyers and a law firm at higher hourly rates, Weiss said.

“If you keep clients and colleagues informed through alerts, meetings and seminars, if you demonstrate a genuine interest in their success, the combined data shows you’ll ultimately be compensated for doing it,” Weiss said. He held up a copy of the Dale Carnegie’s 1936 book How to Win Friends and Influence People as he made this observation and then cited one its key principles: “Become genuinely interested in other people.”

All of the studies affirm that when they need legal help that 75 to 80 percent of people from all walks of life first ask for a name from a friend, family member, colleague or a lawyer they know or have worked with in the past. However, they equally confirm that vetting process has been significantly impacted by the Internet. The data shows that failing to have a robust, comprehensive Internet presence diminishes the chances a referred lawyer will be retained, Weiss said.

For example, one study of 575 in-house lawyers shows they would be “unlikely” to hire a lawyer who was not listed in Martindale-Hubbell. Failing to be on LinkedIn or listed as a Super Lawyer also would “hinder” retention by a corporate legal department, according to that study. Yet another survey shows a dated or scanty personal biography on a firm’s web site also may be enough to thwart a personal recommendation, Weiss said.

The surveys Weiss reviewed included:

    The American Bar Association’s Personal Legal Services Survey of 1,000 adults conducted by Harris Research on behalf the Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services;
    ALM’s New Media Engagement Survey, a study of the media and research habits of in-house lawyers;
    BTI Consulting’s recent survey of 575 corporate lawyer’s use of online directories and profiles when evaluating and hiring counsel;
    The Real Rate Report, a landmark compilation and analysis of $ 4 billion in legal billing by 90,000 timekeepers submitted to 3,600 companies over a three-year period by TyMetrix;
    The 2010 National Marketing Effectiveness Survey, a report on tactics employed, budgeting and results from 000 corporate, transactional and defense firms that Weiss’ Denver-based law firm marketing consultants has conducted bi-annually since 1990.    

BACKGROUND

Weiss is president and founder of Alyn-Weiss & Associates, Inc. a Denver-based law firm marketing consulting group that writes marketing plans, surveys clients, provides sales and business development training to lawyers and firms nationwide with defense litigation, insurance, corporate, transactional, false claims, tax, estate planning, criminal, personal injury, mass torts, family and immigration practices.

###

©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Find More Lawyer Press Releases

The prosecution seeks the perfect legal job is to understand it surprisingly lax, as you prepare your own application or resume.  In a difficult market because the legal work, such as this, which requires certain essential key to more people than ever before. But many lawyers.  A good lawyer legal work also need a good application or resume. And this is how I write as much as the successes of his career.

Note that some of the key to developing a winning resume to help you land the job you are legal then. Remember, there are no fixed rules, as some say may, because law firms and recruitment agencies prefer different styles.  However, there is some evidence, you must consider when drawing up the largest CV together-instead.

Many will continue quickly scanned (they are in a difficult legal labor market, there are many good lawyers), you must ensure that your design is clear.

Use a clear font, regular (10-12 points), using spaces instead of the limits of imagination and color. Do not take too long – 2-3 pages is fine. No pictures.

Make sure to use the grammar and English. If you are unsure, then get the doc and check the spelling. There is nothing worse than bad grammar and spelling in terms of loss of sleep labor.

Essentially, the law firm are looking for basic information about you, that your personal data, qualifications, his professional career to date. And this is where many customers to make mistakes. It is necessary to define what you have done what you have the experience (especially if you had for a small business or a clinic specializing in the law) because that is what the employer is looking.

To provide information on individual cases, agreements, transactions and other works that have been put on, especially in the last 5-10 years (if applicable). They want to know. The success or failure rate information.

Provide additional information about their activities with their employers, including the organization of events, participation of young lawyers, pro bono work, etc.. This may be the key, especially when it comes to the kind of person that help stimulate production for the company might be shining.

most experienced lawyers should have the following information to customers, a field that is carefully and must be discussed with recruiters, but many companies are very interested in customers and their payment practices. Some details, see the curriculum vitae can be provided.

The measure in question may indicate that they are available, but you do not need at that time are. The program itself is designed, its place in the legal work you ensure the guests later. So be cautious with him and keep up to date and relevant.