Insights

Last week the American Lawyer took note of a market trend we know very well: Midwest law firms are knocking it out of the park.

Midwesterners in the legal industry are accustomed to the east and west coasts getting all the media attention. In fact, we often take pride in flying under the radar. But the super high demand, growing realization, and large increases in billing rates — not to mention soaring revenue — at Midwest firms is now impossible to ignore.

In-person marketing and business development took a hit during the pandemic. In response, law firms adapted, investing in technology to support the imperfect but crucial virtual versions of traditional in-person networking and marketing, such as LinkedIn and webinars.

Now, law firms can make the most of pandemic “lessons learned” to strengthen how they connect with clients and prospects and how they respond to what they learn from those conversations. Going into 2022, firms’...

Some firms underspend on marketing, but just as many spend ample budgets on the wrong things — which is almost worse. This recent piece highlights common “spending traps” that eat up a firm’s marketing budget without actually delivering results, and a common theme in these missteps is the attempt to outsource marketing tasks to vendors who don’t really understand your...

The good news — corporate general counsel want to hear from you. The bad news? If your firm is like most law firms, you’re sending them content that is not very useful to them. What they value is strategic insight. But often they just get more information — during an era of information overload. A press release announcing your firm’s new hire or award from Best Lawyers does not help them do their job better. Clients and prospects want substantive, actionable material. This is...

Thought-leadership marketing can be a great way to stand out as a competent, well-respected expert in your field. This is especially true if you write content tailored to the concerns of a specific audience. While it can be tempting to showcase your expertise across a broad range of industries and practice areas — to be all things to all people — this strategy is counterproductive. Here’s how to ensure your thought leadership makes an impact:

Narrow your focus....