Changing times - Changing Lawyers?

On Friday we looked at how Solicitors market their services and the importance of social media. There is now an interesting report published by Legal futures which seems to confirm that the legal profession in this country has much to learn as far as technology is concerned.

The report has been prepared for The Law Society and The Legal Services Board.

57% of Solicitors get the majority of their work from existing clients. So this suggests that most clients tend to return to the firm they know. That is certainly good news. For all of the advertising and marketing firms may for, there is nobody more important than the existing client. Do a good job for them and they will come back and also recommend friends and family. It is fair to say that a firm’s client database should be the foundation for any marketing. This is also how firms have traditionally brought in business and it clearly works. There is no better way to sell your business than to do a good job at the right price.

But the world is changing. Following the introduction of Alternative Business Structures we are starting to see some major brands come into the legal marketplace –

http://thestevecornforthblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/legal-services-ongoing-saga.html

These companies will bring with them modern sophisticated marketing ideas and Solicitors cannot rest on their laurels!

As I said last week, 75% of those looking for lawyers in the USA now use Social Media and especially Facebook. That is something which law firms in the Uk ignore at their peril.

The report also notes that nearly 80% of firms mainly act for clients in their own region. In the new world ahead the firms that thrive will be those that widen their horizons. There is no longer any need to limit work to those nearby. With the increased use of emails, Skype and Facebook etc, lawyers can communicate as effectively with a client in Cornwall as they can with those in Carlisle! If you are good at your work you can do the same good job wherever the work is. But again that work has to be developed by modern media. That is what the new players will do.

I would expect that client research in a couple of years will look very different.

We live in interesting and changing times!

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